Hi-Sci-Fi

by Irma Arkus

Joined study by a Princeton and Harvard science team, whose findings are published in this week’s Nature, reveals that our polar ice sheets are far more vulnerable to temperature changes than initally estimated.

Even minor warming, study warns, will result in a significant sea level change. Estimated 2 degrees temperature increase could give rise up to 9 meters in the sea levels.

That significant of a water increase would impact all coastal areas, at this point most populated areas on the planet, submerging New Orleans, a big part of Florida, large part of the US East Coast, Bangladesh, and most of the Netherlands, resulting in billions of dollars worth of losses, and displacement of millions of people from their homes.

Though the rise in sea level is officially expected to take centuries researchers point out that the continuous rise in greenhouse gasses may speed up this process.

While the Copenhagen talks disintegrated, many hope that the action on the global climate change be undertaken swiftly, and on a global scale.