Sea level rise

Consequences of sea-level rise

• Sea-level rise threatens the very existence of several island states in the Pacific Ocean, including the Tuvalu Islands, which could become uninhabitable before the end of this century;
• Estimates based on high emissions scenarios and the possibility of early ice caps collapse see sea-level rise threatening areas where 630 million people currently live, 340 million of whom are on land that is projected to fall below the high-water mark by 2100;
• Mangrove forests are an effective barrier against coastal erosion, but cannot survive with sea levels rising more than 7mm per year.

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Sea-level rise embodies one of the tangible manifestations of climate change, with significant implications for coastal communities, marine biodiversity and island environments. Rising global temperatures caused by greenhouse gas emissions set in motion two processes related to sea level rise: the melting of polar ice and ice caps and the thermal expansion of seawater. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), sea level rise accelerated during the 20th century as a direct consequence of global warming caused by greenhouse gas emissions and could reach one metre by 2100 in a high emissions scenario. When we overfill the bathtub, we can always remedy this by letting the water drain away. Sea level rise, on the other hand, is irreversible and is expected to continue over the coming centuries and millennia.