The threat of rising sea levels

Introduction

• The World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) has released a new report titled ‘State of the Global Climate 2022’, detailing the impact of climate change on the planet.
• The report indicates that sea levels are rising at an unprecedented rate and warns of potentially disastrous consequences for weather patterns, agriculture, the groundwater crisis, and social disparities.

Sea Level Rise

• The rate of global mean sea-level (GSML) rise has doubled between the first decade of the satellite record and the last.
• The sea level has been rising for the past three decades (1993-2022), with a rate of 2.27 mm/year in 1993-2002 and 4.62 mm/year in 2013-2022.
• The report attributes the accelerated sea-level rise to ocean warming, ice loss from glaciers and ice sheets, and changes in land water storage.
• The loss of glaciers and ice sheets contributed 36%, ocean warming 55%, and changes in land water storage less than 10% to the GSML rise.
• The rising concentrations of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases lead to ocean warming and thermal expansion, causing the GSML to rise.
• Ocean heat content (OHC) measures touched a new record in 2022.
• The earth’s ice cover, known as the cryosphere, has thinned.

Impact of Sea Level Rise

• Changes in land cover and coastal communities will occur as sea levels continue to rise, causing an “acute shortage of land for human use”.
• Those better off will be able to cope better than marginalized groups, leading to an increase in social disparities between people living in coastal areas.
• Cyclones are known to typically originate in the open seas and could increase with the rise in the GSML, affecting coastal communities and leading to large economic liabilities for tropical countries such as India.

Conclusion

The report confirms trends that are already well-known and indicates that the GSML is expected to continue rising at an alarming pace, causing devastating consequences for the planet.