Climate change isn’t going anywhere. Despite all the pushes and attempts to find solutions to climate change, no amount of space bubbles can save us from the slowly melting ice shelves that threaten to one day drown our coastlines. To truly stop our planet from becoming an iceless rock, there need to be drastic changes.
World-ending events might seem like science fiction, but there is actually a global catastrophe facing humanity. Not only is climate change driving shrinking animal populations, but there’s also a chance that continued melting of the glacier ice shelves would lead to a rise of 1.6 feet in the sea level. It’s scary stuff, and a video on what an iceless Earth would look like has been making the rounds again.
The video was originally released by Science Insider seven years ago. Despite its age, it gives a good idea of what an iceless Earth would look like, and what those rising sea levels would do to many countries. The results are as shocking as you’d expect, with entire parts of the United States sinking beneath the ocean. States like Florida and Georgia completely vanish beneath the rising water.
There are still ongoing attempts to come up with solutions to stop the melting of the ice shelves. Some plans are more drastic and desperate than others, with scientists even recommending releasing sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere over Antarctica to slow down climate change and the possibility of an iceless Earth. It might help curb rising temperatures, but it would also lead to acid rain falling on the land.
Still, finding a long-term solution to curb the effects is of the utmost importance, especially as global temperatures continue to rise. And while NASA is making it easier for us to see the effects of climate change, nothing big is being done to stop it as of yet. And if we don’t step up to the plate, we’re going to find ourselves dealing with a global catastrophe – one that could displace millions of people.
Yes, the effects of climate change aren’t going to happen tomorrow, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be looking at things with the utmost level of urgency. This video, though seven years old, is yet another reminder of just how far things can sink if we don’t do something soon.
