Rising Sea Levels Essay Sample

Over the last half-century, Apathy and lack of attention to rising sea levels have constructed consequential effects on our environment. We are on a trajectory that will alter our environment through the seas, extinguish species, and cause mass migrations. Already millions of people have been immensely affected by rising sea levels, A growing trend. 

Rising sea levels, A process in which greenhouse gasses melt ice. Many researchers have focused on the causes and future development of climate change. A substantial root of climate change is the heavy burning of fossil fuels, such as coal and oil, which causes increases in the amounts of certain greenhouse gases, particularly carbon dioxide (CO2), in the atmosphere (Blanchfield). As oil demand continues to balloon, immense implications for the world will occur. Just 30 years prior, 760 billion tons of ice melted on average comparably to the 2010s, more than1.2 trillion tons of ice melted (Chris and Freedman). Considering this is an increase of more than 60%, equating to 28 trillion tons of melted ice in total. That would be nearly 3% of all the extra energy trapped within Earth's system by climate change has gone toward turning ice into water. " That's like more than 10,000 'Back to the Future' lightning strikes per second of energy melting ice around-the-clock since 1994," said William Colgan, an ice-sheet expert at the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland. Despite these concerning numbers, many world leaders are not determined to try and amend the matter.

This vast increase has created an urgent toll on our surrounding environment. Major metropolitan areas like New York, Los Angeles, and Tokyo may be submerged underwater in the next century (Blanchfield). A common trend amongst these areas is that they are coastal areas. When you consider that one-fifth of all people live on the coast, this is very significant (CNN). These massive changes to our environment will lead to large-scale migration to inland areas where wildlife is prevalent. With the demand for urbanization increasing as more people could move, nature would be greatly Affected.

Some may say that rising sea levels may be an issue so far into the future that no one alive today will be affected. Many of these people have not yet been affected by rising sea levels, which may explain this. However, in coastal areas, sea levels are increasing four times as fast as in inland regions. If these areas were to sink, people from coastal areas would move into communities that initially were unaffected. Thus, completely altering everyone's lives. As a result of our failure to prioritize sea levels over such an extended period, we may be creating a permanent problem. Many older and wealthier people may be indifferent to Our Sea, which may be this generation's greatest war. Our planet will suffer if we fail to act against rising seas. We may not have an inhabitable planet for much longer.