I’m sure you’ve all heard of the continent of Atlantis which ended up disappearing under the sea. Some places, such as the island of Tuvalu in the South Pacific, could become like Atlantis. This may seem extreme, but it is one of the consequences of rising sea levels.
The problem of rising sea levels is due to the emission of greenhouse gases which has caused the polar icecaps to melt, causing the sea to rise more than usual. Greenhouses gases trap heat causing the Earth to become warmer, which has caused the water to become warmer. Warm water expands, which has caused the sea to rise more than it has before. In the entire 20th century, the sea rose by 6.8 inches. It has been calculated that today, the sea is rising 3 millimeters annually. You might not think that a few inches is very much, but this could have a major effect on low-lying countries. If the sea rises by another meter, for example, 17.5% of Bangladesh will be lost.
Due to rising sea levels, countries with a low altitude are already experiencing some trouble. As I mentioned earlier, it is predicted that the island of Tuvalu will be underwater by 2050 if this trend continues. The government has started to search for new land to relocate the inhabitants to Australia, but has been denied by the Australian government twice. Where will these “environmental refugees” go? An “environmental refugee” is someone who has been forced to leave their country because of an environmental problem. This environmental issue will also devastate the Maldives. The Maldives could be uninhabitable within the next 100 years causing everyone to be forced to evacuate. Rising sea levels could also cause contamination of fresh water supplies and could also damage beaches and fisheries in countries around the world.
Solutions to rising sea levels are similar to those solutions that we hear so much about at here at school: conserving energy by carpooling and turning off the lights and using renewable energy. These solutions would reduce the amount of greenhouse gases being released, therefore reducing the warming of the atmosphere and the seas. Whether it will be possible to stop rising sea levels altogether is something we don’t know at this point.
As for the three lenses that Mr. Carmichael mentioned: social, economic, and environmental, rising sea levels fits into each of these. Many people will be affected and relocated due to this problem if you are looking at this issue from a “social perspective.” From an economic standpoint, it will cost the countries a lot of their money to relocate large numbers of their people, especially if it means that they need to build new cities and infrastructure for the people. This is an obvious environmental issue as it is adversely affecting our environment by damaging so many areas of the world.
We should all be aware of this issue, as it is very serious and could affect our world severely. Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh City, Hong Kong, Amsterdam, New York, and Miami are just a few of the cities that will be impacted. Even though we can’t see this problem occurring in our daily lives, it is a phenomenon that could affect the lives of millions of people if we do not act now.
