Climate Change and Sea Level Rise

1160 Words5 Pages
Climate Change and Sea Level Rise Like the frog in the pan of heating water that does not notice the temperature rising until it is too late, climate change and sea level rise do occur and are now becoming a serious issue. The recent finding data shows the seriousness of the problem and the urgency to reach a solution. Sea level rise has enormous impacts on nature and human society. First, data about sea level rise shows that it is a serious issue, which cannot be ignored. Since sea level measurements were first recorded in 1870, global averages have risen almost eight inches. The annual rate of rise has been 0.13 inches over the past 20 years, which is close to twice the average from the previous 80 years. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), sea levels are rising by 7mm a year, which is more than twice the global average.1 Scientists predict that sea level will continue rising for the foreseeable future. 2 Two major mechanisms are causing sea level to rise. First, the melting of ice caps and glaciers is releasing water into the oceans. Second, human activities, such as the burning of fossil fuels, combined with natural activities, it causes the rise of the earth's surface temperature.3 Second, climate change is already having a serious effect on every continent and throughout the world’s ocean. The consequences of sea level rise mainly reflected in three aspects: cultural heritages, indigenous communities and coastal lands. 4 First, sea level rise threats cultural world heritage. Data shows that 136 out of 700 listed cultural heritages throughout the world will be affected in the long term. If global average temperature increases by just one degree Celsius, the water will directly threaten more than 40 of sites. 5 Second, sea level rise influences indigenous communities. Climate change and sea level rise and globally, but it
Open Document