Flooded Future: Climate Central

Researchers continue to warn that previous climate studies may have been conservative and – without immediate mitigation and interventions – flooding, wildfires, extreme weather will be worse than earlier predicted. Accurate measurements of coastal elevations are costly, and past models overestimated elevations of forested areas. New research based on improved measurements of coastal elevations suggests that sea-level rise, a result of melting glaciers and sea ice, is a greater danger and exposes more populations than once thought. The threat is focused on coastal Asia, suggesting that sea levels could rise by 2 to 7 feet. “As a result of heat-trapping pollution from human activities, rising sea levels could within three decades push chronic floods higher than land currently home to 300 million people,” reports Climate Central. “By 2100, areas now home to 200 million people could fall permanently below the high tide line.” To prevent permanent loss of land to rising waters, coastal communities must convince society to end reliance on coal and other fossil fuels or risk massive humanitarian, economic, and political consequences. – YaleGlobal