For the past 150 years, our sea levels have slowly risen. Global warming is one of the biggest problems associated with Climate Change, and this warming is causing our sea levels to grow even faster. 1/3rd of the rise has occurred in the past 30 years alone (NOAA). This is very important because almost half of the world’s population lives in relatively high-density coastal towns, and many essential ecosystems rely on coasts. As sea levels rise, it will threaten cities, beaches, important infrastructure, and more. 

Global warming is the cause of the vast majority of sea level rising in the last century, through two ways. First, glaciers and ice sheets across the globe are melting. The other reason sea levels are rising is that the volume of the ocean expands as the water gets warmer. Historically these two factors have contributed equally, but in the past decade, the melting of mountain glaciers and ice sheets has accelerated, and melting ice now contributes twice as much as the volume expansion from warming water. As our climate continues to warm, our seas will continue to rise, and tides will become much more substantial. We will see the effects of this with shrinking beaches, increasing flooding and tide flooding, increasing erosion, and more. 

Without the proper action, rising sea levels will endanger the lives of millions of people. Eight out of the ten largest cities in the world are coastal cities (NOAA), where we will see the effects. This also endangers the lives of islanders across the globe.

The small Island Developing States are particularly vulnerable because of their small size and often low elevation. Even small increases can be hazardous, and these small nations often lack the infrastructure to accommodate this change. Lastly, rising sea levels will change many ecosystems. Rising sea levels can cause dangerous erosion, wetland flooding, aquifer and soil contamination, and lost habitat for birds, plants, and plants (National Geographic). This will risk many protected ecosystems and biodiversity. To prevent this, we must drastically reduce emissions across the globe to stop our world from warming more. You can help make a difference by taking action below! 

Recap

• Sea levels are rising due to melting glaciers and ice sheets, and the ocean’s volume is expanding as the water warms – these are both side effects of global warming. 
• Rising sea levels will cause flooding, erosion, habitat loss, threaten infrastructure, and more. 
• This puts our coasts and many small islands at risk, where nearly half of the world’s population lives, along with many valuable ecosystems.

Citations:

https://www.un.org/en/chronicle/article/small-islands-rising-seas

https://www.carbonbrief.org/explainer-how-climate-change-is-accelerating-sea-level-rise