Sea-levels could rise up to 4 ft by end of century due to global warming, warn scientists

If the new estimates of rise in sea-level were to come true, it could affect around 770 million people or about 10% of the world’s population that lives less than 16 feet or five metres above sea level.

Millions of people living in coastal areas would be at risk if global temperatures were to rise by another 3.5 degrees Celsius, causing sea-levels to rise by an additional four feet by the end of this century and 16 feet by the year 2300, according to a recent study.

The rise in sea-level could be avoided if countries fulfilled their 2015 Paris Climate agreement promises to cut emissions of the gases that are heating the planet. (AP File / Representational Photo)

The rise in sea-levels “would expose up to hundreds of millions of people to coastal flooding and devastate coastal ecosystems,” according to the authors of the study published in the journal Climate and Atmospheric Science.

If the new estimates of rise in sea-level were to come true, it could affect around 770 million people or about 10% of the world’s population that lives less than 16 feet or five metres above sea level, The Sun reported.

“A global sea-level rise by several metres would be detrimental for many coastal cities such as Miami, New York, Alexandria, Venice, Bangkok, just to name a few well-known examples. Some may have to be abandoned altogether as they cannot be defended,” the co-author of the study Stefan Rahmstorf, was quoted as saying in an article in The Guardian.

The study aggregates the views of 106 experts who were chosen because they have published at least six peer-reviewed papers on the subject in major academic journals.

The prediction for year 2300 is based on the fact that rising temperatures will cause ice sheets covering West Antarctica and Greenland to shed trillions of tonnes in mass.

The rise in sea-level could be avoided if countries fulfilled their 2015 Paris Climate agreement promises to cut emissions of the gases that are heating the planet, the authors said, reports The Guardian.

The Paris Climate treaty aims at capping global warming below 2 degrees Celsius.

“Like in the Covid pandemic, timing is critical to prevent devastation. If you wait until you already have a serious problem, then it is too late. Unlike with corona, sea-level rise cannot be stopped for many centuries or even millennia once ice sheets have been destabilised past their tipping points,” Rahmstorf was as saying by The Guardian.