It May Be Too Late To Stop A 20ft Rise In Sea Levels

Research into climate change continues to press on despite vitriol and blowback from deniers, and the latest research report appears damning: it may be too late to stop a 20ft. rise in sea levels...at the minimum. According to a new paper published last week, limiting global warming to 2C may not stop a sea level increase of 6 meters or more, and those rising waters will have a huge impact on coastlines — and the people who live near them — around the world.

Climate researchers and many politicians are pushing to institute changes that will limit global warming to a 2C target, but even reaching that level could be a case of too little, too late. Climate Central has gone an extra step to show the public what such changes would look like.

Climate Central has an interactive map (akin to Google Maps) with an adjustable slider for resetting the ocean levels. The maximum increase possible is 10ft — merely half of the projected rise — and set at that large blocks of coastal cities end up under water.

The current data plots out estimated increases in sea levels and effects up to 2100, but the changes will persist beyond that. By the year 2100, Climate Central estimates 150 million+ people will live somewhere that suffers from chronic flooding or that has become totally submerged due to climate change.

Said Andrea Dutton of the University of Florida, "The decisions we make now about where we want to be in 2100 commit us on a pathway where we can't go back. Once these ice sheets start to melt, the changes become irreversible."

VIA: The Guardian