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Climate Change and Its Impact on Sea Levels
The Facts About Climate Change
Climate change is a reality that everyone across the globe is dealing with. The results of climate change are varied and often feel distant when the connections are not made clear. One major consequence of climate change is rising sea levels due to melting polar ice caps and warming oceans.
This warming of the Earth’s oceans can cause sea levels to rise as much as 10 inches by the end of this century. As the ocean absorbs more of the Earth’s heat, more water evaporates and is pulled from the oceans; this increases the amount of water in the air, resulting in more precipitation falling into the oceans. Rising temperatures and ozone depletion from climate change are causing the Earth’s glaciers and ice caps to shrink and melt faster than ever before, adding to the volume of the ocean.
The Impact of Human Activities
The impact of humans on rising sea levels should not be underestimated. Human activities, such as burning of fossil fuels for energy, are leading contributors to climate change, and in turn the rising of the planet’s sea levels.This is due to the fact that when these fossil fuels are burned, they release carbon dioxide (CO2) into the air, which traps heat in the atmosphere and slowly warms our planet’s climate. As the temperatures on Earth rise, more liquid water is evaporating from the oceans and being drawn into the atmosphere in the form of precipitation, which is falling back to the oceans as rain.
The direct impact of human activities is not the only court of sea level rise associated with human behavior. Deforestation, for example, has a huge indirect effect on rising sea levels. As humans burn away forests to open up new farming land or build homes and infrastructure, this destroys natural carbon sinks that our planet relies on to soak up carbon dioxide. Without these natural carbon sinks, more CO2 remains in the atmosphere and feeds climate change with warmer air temperatures and more water vapor from the oceans. This in turn increases the rate of sea level rise associated with climate change.
Vulnerable Areas
The global rate of sea level rise has accelerated at an alarming rate in the last century. Since 1900, sea levels have already risen 20-30 centimeters, or nearly a foot. This rate of rise has harmful repercussions for many coastal communities and low-lying areas all over the world.
In the United States, low-lying areas such as coastal Florida, Louisiana, and other areas of the Southeast are most vulnerable to the effects of sea levels rising. With increasing occurrences of extreme weather and flooding due to rising sea levels, these areas are at a higher risk of devastating destruction and property damage.
In other parts of the world, such as in the Pacific Islands, people are already leaving their homes due to rising ocean waters. Many of these islands are being swallowed up by the seas, which is especially heartbreaking since the people living on these islands are some of the most vulnerable to the effects of climate change.
Solutions
While the consequences of sea level rise are dire, it is important to remain hopeful and look towards solutions. One of the most important solutions is to reduce reliance on fossil fuels and other carbon-based energy sources and transition to renewable energy sources, such as solar or wind. This will help reduce the amount of CO2 emitted into the atmosphere and the amount of heat trapped in our atmosphere, helping slow the rate of sea level rise.
On a local level, conservation and protection of forests can help absorb more carbon dioxide and reduce the amount in the atmosphere. Governments, businesses, and individuals also need to work on solutions such as building more resilient infrastructure and relocating populations from vulnerable areas to safer places.
It is important to look to the future and do what can be done to protect the planet from the devastating effects of climate change. As sea levels continue to rise, we must stay focused on solutions that are backed by research, facts, and science to ensure that coastal communities are protected and that our planet remains habitable for future generations.