Rising Sea Levels

 

Since 1880, the sea level has risen about 8-9 inches with around a third of that happening in the past two decades. The rising sea levels threaten coastal cities and habitats through flooding, erosion, and contamination and they are one of the most apparent signs of climate change. Rising sea levels represent proof of global warming and the effects of global warming. The increasing temperature of the Earth is causing ice sheets and glaciers to melt as well as expands the ocean as it gets warmer. Both of these lead to a rise in the sea level. The flooding and other effects that are a product of rising sea levels cost billions of dollars to the communities that are affected and can increase the power 

and effect of storms and hurricanes. While the effects of rising sea levels can be very large, it can be seen through simple things such as flooding at the beach, which I mentioned in the previous post. It may seem that we are not yet experiencing the effects of rising sea levels, but we in fact are and we need to start carrying out tactics and solutions to combat this problem. Action needs to be taken now because even something small as a five-year delay would cause sea levels to rise approximately an additional 8 inches. There are three categories of solutions that are possibilities for fighting this problem. The first is coping solutions, which aim to reduce the affects of rising sea levels through things such as sea walls and increased drainage systems. This type of solution doesn't attack the global warming root of rising sea levels but does provide temporary relief. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions is the second type of solution. This is the most widely discussed solution as many countries have begun focusing on switching to cleaner alternatives to fossil fuels. Greenhouse gas emissions are the main cause of global warming so this solution attacks rising sea levels and global warming at its root. The third and final solution is probably the most effective but also the least widely discussed. This would be removing existing greenhouse gases from the atmosphere. This would be reversing some of the global warming instead of just cutting back on the warming. Many of these solutions will come from governments and large organizations but there are also things that you can do to contribute. These include simple things such as planting trees and reducing food waste as well as voting for people who promise solutions to global warming. While this problem is very daunting, if we can all do our part, we will be able to cause change and start to combat global warming and rising sea levels. 

To read more specific stats and view more things that you can do to help use this link.