Rising sea levels have been a global concern for decades now, with many calling for a cut to greenhouse emissions and more. While some have warned that a point of no return was eventually coming, a new study claims that point may have already passed, and global sea level rise may be unavoidable at this point.
The new study, which was published in Nature Communications, was conducted by a team of international scientists. According to those scientists, the damage done to the West Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets is irreversible, and that an accelerated global sea level rise may be imminent if we cannot stabilize global temperatures below 1.8 degrees Celsius.
Populations around the world have already started bracing for the possibility of a rise in the sea level, with some studies claiming a sea level rise of up to 1.6 feet on all coastlines. However, planning proper countermeasures has not been simple, as many still believe that climate change and global warming aren’t actually threats.
Despite warnings by the United Nations that show why we should be terrified of global warming, the possibility of a global sea level rise is absolutely horrifying. If you haven’t already, I highly recommend checking out simulations of what earth would look like if all the ice melted, as it would cost miles of coastal communities around the world.
The scientists used a new computer model, which looked at the connections between ice sheets, the ocean, the atmosphere, and icebergs. Those researchers found that if we cannot reach a state of net zero carbon emissions before 2060, then an ice sheet and global sea level rise run-away effect cannot be prevented. As such, the clock may be ticking faster than previously believed.
What’s important to take away from this study isn’t the doom and gloom of the sea levels rising globally. Instead, it’s the fact that scientists believe that we can stop those global sea levels from rising as egregiously. The study also highlights the importance of have more complex earth system models, which would allow us to capture different climate components and the interactions that they drive.
Possible solutions to help curb climate change have been proposed in the past, but one method would lower temperatures in Antarctica while also poisoning the atmosphere with acid rain. Another possible method would require us to shoot moon dust into space to create a moon dust shield between the Sun and the Earth to help lower temperatures somewhat.
