During the last 100 years, glaciers and ice shelves around the world have melted due to increasing average temperatures caused by global warming. One of the most dangerous effects of this climate change is rising sea levels.
The world’s oceans are predicted to rise up to 55 centimeters during the next century and have already risen by 20 centimeters in the last 100 years. This rapid rise can lead to catastrophic consequences for the planet and its people.
Just a small rise in sea levels can cause tremendous flooding problems in coastal areas, but sea levels may rise by over ten meters if the global warming trend continues, causing the ice sheets of Greenland to melt. If climate change continues and the ice sheet melts, many coastal areas would be completely submerged in the ocean. All of the cities along the United States’ eastern seaboard would be flooded, and a large part of Florida would be completely wiped out. Island countries like the Maldives would be totally under water, and millions of people in Bangladesh and the Nile Delta region of Egypt would be driven from their homes by the rising water. No coastal area around the world would be spared the devastation.