Climate change experts have revealed a doomsday scenario is underway triggered by a human disregard for the planet
The United Nations has released a special report detailing the devastating effect mankind is having on the Earth – including seas rising as ice caps melt and species moving habitat .
And as the pace of decline speeds up, the process is set to accelerate as even more carbon is released.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) study makes for disconcerting reading.
Looking at how rising temperatures are changing the oceans and frozen regions, the scientists conclude the oceans are warming and ice is melting much faster than before.
The implication is a hotter environment and rising sea waters will reclaim many low lying regions that are home to millions of people.
“The blue planet is in serious danger right now, suffering many insults from many different directions and it’s our fault,” said Dr Jean-Pierre Gattuso, a co-ordinating lead author of the report.
Act now to save the planet
Thermal expansion is cited as one danger to humans and other creatures. Thermal expansion is the process of water expanding when heated, which makes less water take to more space which leads to sea levels rising.
Add to this more water in the seas due to melting ice, and the process is speeded up.
Cold water heats up, expands and sea levels rise, causing more ice to melt and so on.
“What surprised me the most is the fact that the highest projected sea level rise has been revised upwards and it is now 1.1 metres,” said Gattuso.
“This will have widespread consequences for low lying coasts where almost 700 million people live and it is worrying.”
Depending on how much the sea rises, many cities and islands – especially the Solomon Islands in the Pacific – will disappear, says the research.
The good news is a solution is slashing carbon emissions to halt the warming up of the Earth and seas, says the report.
Source: C40 Cities and BBC