Climate change caused by global warming is melting the world’s ice, and sea levels are on the rise. Homes, businesses, roads, power lines, anything close to the shore will be in danger. The inevitable danger of increased sea levels would lead not only to increased number of floods. This paper summarizes the effects of the climate change on the sea water levels and subsequent effects on the coastal zones.
Sea Levels and Their Effect on Coastal Zones
A gradual increase in the overall temperature of the atmosphere leads to global warming across the Earth. The sea level rise is caused primarily by two factors related to global warming: the added water from melting ice sheets and glaciers, and the expansion of seawater as it warms according to NASA data (2018). The sea level has grown four times in the last hundred years. However, the article by Winner (2016) suggests that rising sea levels might not be perceived as scary and dangerous by the people, who live in the dangerous areas. People do not find the dangers caused by rising sea levels in their local areas something to worry about. They are concerned more about remote areas, which prevent them from taking action to change the situation in their local areas. Citizens of Florida do not worry about their local state, however, it has been considered as one of the areas in the nation that are most threatened by potential floods (Winner 2016). The risk of increased number of floods is amplified by the rising sea levels.
The inevitable danger of increased sea levels would lead not only to increased number of floods, but also could potentially lead to increased intensity of those floods. If a hurricane today is level 1, then with increased water levels, the same hurricane will be level 2. This might lead to great damages that could be caused to the population and subsequently to the economy. The climate change is extremely important issue nowadays, since it imposes danger not only to the nature, but to the economies as well. The effect of which will be destructive worldwide, since it would have a snowball effect on the neighboring economies. Hence, it is necessary for the people to take required action to prevent that from happening.
References
NASA. (2018). Sea Level.
Winner, C. (2016). Deluge: Climate change, sea level, and the growing threat of coastal floods. Penn State Edu.