Sea Level Rise Doesn't Affect All Coast Lines the Same

Just 3 degrees Celsius (5.4 degrees Fahrenheit) of global warming stands between Cuba’s Plaza de La Catedral looking typically dry or looking like something straight out of the myth of Atlantis. The iconic plaza in Old Havana is just one of many landmarks that could face a watery grave in the future if greenhouse gas emissions from burning fossil fuels continue unabated. You can see the potential future for more than 100 coastal cities across 39 countries thanks to a new image gallery and map published today by the nonprofit advocacy group Climate Central. The visualizations compare two scenarios: future sea level rise with 1.5 degrees Celsius of global warming above preindustrial levels or sea level rise with 3 degrees of warming. As the planet heats up, warm ocean water expands and glaciers and ice sheets melt, causing sea levels to rise.

Even 1.5 degrees Celsius of warming will expose more people around the world to disastrous flooding, but it’s considered a sort of best-case scenario for limiting the effects of climate change. The world, unfortunately, is still on track to reach close to 3 degrees of warming in just 79 years. The renderings don’t take into consideration how levees might be able to hold water back; the authors of the research write that city planners will need to “defend” against the encroaching waters. Check out some of the visualizations of what places around the world could look like in coming centuries if the world doesn’t act fast enough to combat climate change. It builds on research published today in the journal Environmental Research Letters. Climate Central collaborated with researchers from Princeton University, the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, and Columbia University.



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https://www.theverge.com/2021/10/12/22722437/landmarks-cities-flood-sea-level-rise-climate-change