Climate change is no big news to all of us, whether we believe it is caused by man’s action on our planet or not. Studies are released frequently warning us and politicians that if we do not take immediate action on climate change, we might all drown or get heat strokes one day or another.
Venice to become a “Modern Day Atlantis”
A recent study has warned that sea levels could increase up to 20 feet (6 meters) above their current levels, meaning that all those living in the coastal areas of the world are at-risk. Warnings for cities like New York, Miami and Bangkok were included in the research, and Venice is believed to become a “modern day Atlantis”, being a city entirely built on water.
Researchers have reached this conclusion after analysing extensive research made on melting polar ice sheets over the past 30 years. This led them to discover that a 20-foot increase in sea levels had already occurred over the past 3 million years.
The most concerning thing is that this rise had occurred only after a “mere” one-two degree celsius increase in the planet temperatures. This is quite worrying for all, as today’s climate change research always puts emphasis on the rising temperatures, which would have a direct effect on the sea levels.
Poles warm faster than the rest of the planet
This comes especially when the poles — due to geographical reasons — warm faster than the rest of the planet and are the area where ice is mostly concentrated. This means that if temperatures there increase quicker than anywhere else, the sea levels won’t be struggling to rise at all.
Concerning this issue, lead researcher Andrea Dutton from the University of Florida said, “as the planet warms, the poles warm even faster, raising important questions about how ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica will respond. While this amount of sea-level rise will not happen overnight, it is sobering.”
The Maldives at biggest risk
Scientists have warned that before New York or Miami, the Maldives would be the first world country to disappear due to rising sea levels. Most of the islands of the archipelago lie just 4.9 feet (1,5 meters) above sea levels. Ironically, the country’s leader is planning on buying land abroad in case the island’s population has to move, if the predictions turn into reality.
In December, world leaders will gather in Paris for a summit on Climate Change — an issues concerning the whole world — hopefully introducing new legislation to further safeguard our planet.
