Forth Bridge and Leith could be under water by 2050 due to climate change

Some of Edinbrugh's most famous landmarks and tourist attractions could be destroyed by rising sea levels, it has been claimed.

The Royal Yacht Britannia, the Forth Bridge and Leith as a whole could all be submerged by 2050 if sea levels continue to rise due to climate change.

Glasgow Airport is among landmarks outside the city thatcould be flooded by rising sea levels within just 30 years, along with the Kelpies sculptures near Falkirk.

Some of the Capital's most popular landmarks are at risks, it has been claimed

A map produced by Climate Central, an independent organisation of leading scientists, shows the most under-threat areas.

The map predicts the impact climate change would have by 2050.

A report produced warned that sea defences could be rendered useless, within the lifetimes of most people alive today.

The report from Climate Central, read: "Sea level rise is one of the best known of climate change's many dangers.

"As humanity pollutes the atmosphere with greenhouse gases, the planet warms.

"And as it does, warming sea water expands, increasing the volume of the world's oceans.

"The consequences range from near-term increases in coastal flooding that can damage infrastructure and crops to the permanent displacement of coastal communities.

"Areas shaded red reflect places that are lower than the selected local sea-level and/or coastal flood projection.

"Over the course of the 21st Century, global sea levels are projected to rise between about two and seven feet, and possibly more."

Other notable sites around the UK that could be submerged include London's Tower Bridge and the Palace of Westminster, the Palace Pier in Brighton, Liverpool's Royal Albert Dock and Lindisfarne tidal island in Northumbria.

The report added: "Despite these existing defenses, increasing ocean flooding, permanent submergence, and coastal defense costs are likely to deliver profound humanitarian, economic, and political consequences.

"This will happen not just in the distant future, but also within the lifetimes of most people alive today."