When looking at our beautiful oceans do you realize that the picture above could become a reality? Humanity’s greenhouse gas emissions have been overheating the Earth’s atmosphere, unleashing heat waves, hurricanes, and other extreme weather that is destroying our inland. An overheated atmosphere can lead to overheated oceans which will cause the oceans to rise at an even higher rate. As oceans heat up the water rises because warm water expands causing a major melt of polar ice sheets. This is resulting in at-least 20 to 30 feet in a sea level rise. That’s enough water to put to major cornering states and coastal cities under water.
Sea Level is rising at a dangerous pace and the rise of it rising, is rising much more. In 1990, global sea levels were rising 0.6 millimeters a year. Sometime around 1930, ocean warming really kicked in, and by 1990, the rate of sea level doubled twice reaching 3.1 millimeters a year. Today, oceans are rising 6 millimeters a year, and it will continue to accelerate. The US National Oceanic and Atmosphere Administration projected in 2017 that global mean sea level could rise five to eight feet by the year 2100.
What can we do?
At this point in time, sea level rise is now inevitable. How much sea level rise the world can expect by 2050 is quite well known. Northern Germany has even started taking precautions now to adapt to a potential sea level rise in the future by building "climate dikes". Building infrastructure with future plans in mind demands funds now, but when it saves your life in the long run it will be worth it.
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