One of the most concerning problems that global warming may bring about involves the element that makes up 75% of our earth, oceans. Sea levels have been rising year after year due to 2 reasons. The first reason links back to the melting of the polar ice caps. When ice melts, it turns into a liquid state called water. Because the ice itself is as compacted in quantities as large as a continent, the water that is transferred into the vast oceans has the capacity to make sea levels rise. The second reason that sea levels are rising is due to a reaction called thermal expansion. The heat in the atmosphere causes the water to expand and in turn it takes up more volume on earth.
In 100 years it may be possible that sea levels may actually rise 48 inches from current sea level heights. With this there may come many issues regarding countries around the world. The thing to mainly keep in mind is the fact that many coastal areas would be doomed by 2100. Major cities like Miami and New Orleans may have to be abandoned because they are just located too close to the shores of oceans. The San Francisco bay is very shallow, but because it is a bay, it would be possible to build levees to prevent the flow of water. However, doing so would mean that there would need to be a construction of such levees in a mass amount, which would be quite costly. It would be very likely that a during a time of constant land flooding, there would be so many job openings specific to building dams that would be several meters high.
In Asia, many locations are built along the seaside, and so there would be definite issues there. Bangladesh is one of the most populated countries in Asia, however many people there are impoverished and technology is not always accessible. It was said that just 3 feet of sea level rise could actually wipe out half of the rice fields and in turn limit food supply. The mass flooding would mean that the already crowded population made up of tens of millions would have to move inward, and this would prove to be troublesome for many. It wouldn’t just be the land that would be directly affected by a rise in sea levels though, if bodies of water such as rivers or deltas were mixed with the salt water of the ocean, then civilizations would lose sources of freshwater that is used for things such as drinking water, toilets, pools, and even showers.
Rising seas would inevitably make life much more difficult for humans as it would force them to adapt to unfavorable ways of living. I can only imagine the hassle and panic that would arise in coastal areas especially with those cities that are cherished and contain historical landmarks. Such an occurrence would require quick thinking on everyone’s part to seek the best way to handle the situation. Although preparation would help, it wouldn’t ensure the safety of every country across the globe because costs would become too overwhelming to harness the very essence of nature. If people want to survive, then countries would have to put aside their differences and work towards the common goal of defending mankind.
"Infographic: Sea Level Rise and Global Warming." Union of Concerned Scientists. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Jan. 2017. NASA. NASA, n.d. Web. 11 Jan. 2017