Sea level rise threat growing, says UN
(CNS): In its latest report on the impact of climate change on the world, a UN panel laid bare the severe risk to coastal cities and low-lying islands from the sea, which is rising faster than scientists have ever predicted. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) said the threat to hundreds of millions of people from the acceleration in the rate that sea levels are rising is due to a combination of melting ice in the polar regions and ocean expansion caused by warmer water.
While other elements of climate change, such as increasingly intense storms, potential drought and coral bleaching, are going to impact Cayman, sea level rise is perhaps one of the biggest threats to these islands. The impact on coastal property, the erosion of our beaches and increased flooding will wreak havoc in the next few decades.
Researchers have warned that extreme floods, the likes of which have historically only occurred once per century, are likely to happen at least once per year by 2050 in many regions, especially the tropics, even if global warming is limited to 1.5°C — and that remains a big ‘if’. Despite pledges from world leaders to cut greenhouse gas emissions, the levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is still rising.
Global warming has already reached 1°C above pre-industrial levels, with overwhelming evidence that this is resulting in profound consequences for ecosystems and people. The ocean is warmer, more acidic and less productive. While the sea level has risen globally by around 15cm during the 20th century, it is currently rising more than twice as fast — 3.6mm per year — and accelerating, the report showed.
Sea levels will continue to rise for centuries. It could rise around 30-60cm by 2100 even if greenhouse gas emissions are sharply reduced and global warming is limited to well below 2°C. But if greenhouse gas emissions continue to increase, it could rise by around 60-110cm.
The IPCC Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate provides new evidence for the benefits of limiting global warming to the lowest possible level. The report outlines climate-related risks and challenges that people around the world are exposed to today and that future generations will face.
“The world’s ocean and cryosphere have been ‘taking the heat’ from climate change for decades, and consequences for nature and humanity are sweeping and severe,” said Ko Barrett, Vice-Chair of the IPCC. “The rapid changes to the ocean and the frozen parts of our planet are forcing people from coastal cities to remote Arctic communities to fundamentally alter their ways of life,” she added.
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Category: Climate Change, Science & Nature
I lived in Cayman 30 years ago & have very fond memories of that time. Have just watched a 50min YouTube video of a walk up 7 mile beach, the sea level is noticeably higher now, it saddened me to realize that an island l love could change so noticeably in 30 years. It remains to be seen if we as a species have the will to act, another 30 years & 7 mile beach won’t be there!
I hear Noah is building again.
Submarines for sale. Get them now. Prices will rise proportionately with sea levels.
All this data is nonsense. It’s all about God.
It’s the sun the sun changes the climate not us , this is about tax
It’s gasoline. Gasoline make the sun burn. It’s about the big oil companies.
I’m well aware of the great U.N. handing out honorary doctorates to persons who who barely passed high school. Quite sad really. Guess they need more “qualified” experts telling us what to do.
See Al Gore Predictions of 2006. Every single one of them abysmally wrong.
But leftists don’t care about facts or results…. Just as they are now hysterically preaching (Yes, PREACHING) mass extinction is underway and human existence as we know it has 12 years left, in 20 years when nothing has changed, they will STILL be preaching the same doomsday hysterics. May be with some adjustments to compensate for the failures of their pseudoscience, such as rebranding global warming to “climate change” so they can cover all the basis whether its been hot or cold, its still “Climate Change” see?….
By the way, they’ve been preaching it since the 60’s by the way, except back then Al Gore was on the boat of preaching about a new global ice age. https://cei.org/blog/wrong-again-50-years-failed-eco-pocalyptic-predictions
Why will they be preaching it in 20 years when nothing has changed regardless of any facts? Because leftism is a Godless cult of collective group think determined on forcing their kool-aid of social justice down everyone’s throats.
Do yourself a favor, don’t listen to these prophets of doom, and enjoy your life.
You don’t want your children ending up like this sadly indoctrinated Greta Thunberg, which is nothing short of child abuse. Want healthy and mentally strong children? Keep them away from leftists!
Try deductive reasoning, it is stronger than inductive. Leave Greta alone. She is fine!
Really? She is fine? She is 16, exposed to the scrutiny of the world and criticism by powerful lobby groups and without much evidence of parental protection, and has Asbergers, OCD and selective mutism. Doesn’t sound like she is in a particularly safe space to me. Thanks
if she has what you are so sure about, isn’t worldwide pollution of all sorts is the CAUSE of it?
Worldwide 10-20% of children and adolescents experience mental disorders, SO BLAME THE CHILDREN? MOCK THEM?
You trashed the world to such a degree that children are being born with all kind of diseases which were unheard of just 50 years ago.
It wasn’t too long ago those kids were hidden from the public eye by families. It’s not that they didn’t exist. An unfortunate truth. At least we are making some progress.
12:54, Bet you liked how the “stable genius” in Washington mocked the 16 year old girl.
“When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, I will remember my covenant which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh” – Genesis 9:14-15 RSV
I agree with you. Alot of false prophets in the world today. This global scare is really a money making thing. Now use deductive reasoning – listen to this video – https://youtu.be/dQLLXyFvQOE
I am at peace that God’s rainbow is a sign that he will never ever destroy the world again by water. There is only one true prophet that know this well: Noah
God bless 🙂
We are lost. People who are skeptical of the world’s climate scientists and their evidence-based conclusions see no problem believing in the absurd Noah’s ark myth.
The fact that you name a former politician and a child in your misinformed rant shows you don’t understand anything. This is about science but you are distracted and zombified by politics. If you want to understand this scientific issue, try looking to scientists (real climate scientists with expertise on this specific problem and not chemists, electrical engineers, meteorologists, or Rush Limbaugh). Fox News and conservative politicians are not your friends. They are lying to you and manipulating you for their gain. Wake up. Read a science book. Reality is both interesting and important.
#lame
Here is a great interview of the climate change action protesters. You can tell these people are extremely informed.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8fK_9p6ZFHc
not clicking on youtube links anymore. Not playing this stupid game of “viral” videos.
Yes unfortunately our coastline will change, with or without a dock. lets also hold a referendum against those seawalls too.
and our mla’s response/comment is…….
zzzzzzzzzzzz.
What do you want them to do about it? Seriously, be specific.
Protect and replant mangroves. Arrange planting of native trees wherever possible. Remove duties on all clean energy. Prevent construction close to water. Stop flying on jets to far flung places every moment. Encourage local agriculture. Put solar panels above every government car park. You know, stuff like that.
Good comment.
Yep ok, all very worthy things to do regardless and might help with some localised flooding issues in the future but will do nothing to prevent sea level rise. Nothing at all.
It will do its part in reducing CO2. The whole world has to do it for it to have any meaningful effect. We are running out of time, and the sea level rise is now inevitable. We can however mitigate and slow the effects.
The whole world isn’t going to do it though. Quite the opposite. (Ps already no duty on solar)
Windmills? Tesla Batteries? LED lighting? Geothermal heat exchangers? Shade trees?
All great. On the flip side you’ve got 6 billion people in the developing world who all want the same as us. Make that 10 billion by 2100. There is nothing we can do about it. We’ve just got to learn to live with it. Google china coal power plant development for a start…
How do you know they want the same as us?
hey bobo……maybe follow the lead of what miami is doing????
I want you to make a suggestion.
How do you expect a normal person to answer that question when even the scientists are stumped???
Climate scientists are not stumped.
Well they’ve been wrong for 40 years. Their models have been terrible. Lets hope they’re still wrong but it’s getting less likely!
40 years is a very short time.
7:58, But their models 40 years ago predicted warming global temperatures and warming seas. So 40 years later we can see that their models were correct. So why were they wrong according to you?
FIX THE DUMP before the next mega hurricane.
No. It will be our saviour. It may be the only dry ground we have left.
Couldn’t agree more but that’s got nothing to do with sea level rise except perhaps as a symbol of the contempt this island and its voters have for the environment.
Wait, we need the dump to gain more high ground!
Well seeing that the earth is not flat, can we have some real metrics for the Cayman Islands?
We want genuine science and not rabid hysteria.
Anyone that loves truth loves science.
CNS: Sadly… See here.
7:50, No amount of scientific data is going to convince you. You have your head in the sand and when the next big hurricane hits with 10 foot waves caused by the tidal surge covers most of the island, perhaps you will reconsider if you don’t drown. What happened in Bahamas last month will happen on Grand Cayman.
It happened already during Ivan when Grand Cayman was completely under water and disappeared from radar for hours at a time. I was staying Mt. Pleasant and there was 8ft of water in the back yard……..
Anon 1:11 which radar did we disappear in. The image of cayman in a weather radar is put in by a computer. So you cant disappear. You can say that our radar showed showers across the Cayman area but not disappear. If you were to look at a visible satelite image then yes we can disappear but not radar.
As for Anon 7:43 Ivan produced 8 to 12 foot of storm surge the wave were 30-40 ft
Isn’t it amazing he can put his head in the sand? Next week he maybe six feet under water.
New flash. Some islands have elevation.
And where was a Cayman minister, oh of course we don’t care. Give me the gambling mecca of Monaco 🥩🥩🥂🍻🍾🍷🍸🍹🍺🍺🍹🍸🍷