We will be in for a hard time if we don’t take drastic measures over the next century
The seas and oceans are rising at a dangerous rate and are pushing tides, waves and storms inland, and away from the shores. In fact, it’s been carrying on at such a rate that scientists have predicted huge parts of our land will be overwhelmed by water by the time the next century hits.
Nature will be changing for the worse
Of course, all solutions lead to us choosing countermeasures and think of something that will stop or at least control our global emissions. The research shows that coastal flooding will rise by about 50%.
There are about 600 million people who are living on coastlines that are less than 10 metres (32 ft) above sea level, and if the sea keeps rising, it can very well wreak havoc in their lives and destroy their homes and livelihoods. Worst case scenarios suggest that this will affect about 287 million people.
For the money-minded, this incident is going to be worth roughly US$ 14 trillion, or 20% of the global GDP.
Another alarming factor is that the tides and storms that are closing in to our shores make up only 32 percent that is being projected from the regional seas. Which means there are bigger water bodies that are capable of dealing more damage present. Infrastructure engineer Ebru Kirezci from the University of Melbourne told The New York Times said that high tides and storms are going to be stronger and more frequent from now on.
Knowing what’s going to happen in the future is a difficult task, and trying to figure out atmospheric and ocean systems is an even bigger challenge. But there is no doubt that we have a grave crisis at hand here and ensuring the survival of this planet will be left to the humans.
(Cover: Vox)