Ralph Lemuel Lopez Santos

Writing 39C

Price

10-18-2017

Earth to Atlantis: Global Warming and The Rise of Sea Levels

Global warming, the slow apocalypse to some, but a hoax to others. Despite the

polarity on this topic, research efforts from people all over the world highlight the apocalyptic

future in coastal regions due to sea levels rising caused by global warming. As shown on the

University of Georgias Dean Hardy and Bryan Nuses article Global sea-level rise: weighing

country responsibility and risk, there is a strong relationship between global temperature and

global sea level. (334). Moreover, their article talks about ocean thermal expansion, melting

mountain glaciers and ice caps, and melting of the Greenland and Antarctic Ice Sheets (334)

being a result of warmer climates leading to the acceleration of the global sea level. Overall, the

dangerous increase in global sea levels can leave islands under water and coastal cities severely

flooded leading to lost lives and resources.

In the past, global warming was not a topic of huge interest, but as more projections

regarding the issue reveal shocking results, climate change has caught the attention of major

countries all over the world. Scholars like Michael Oppenheimer of the John Hopkins University

Press claims that the earth has warmed over 0.8C (about 1.5F) since the late nineteenth

century, and warns that this is just the beginning of a much larger warming (675) unless

humanity acts upon it. Research and statistical analysis use historical evidence to show that

global sea level has been changing for centuries due to global warming. However, the rate of

change in sea levels has reached high alarming levels, and if the trend continues, the rate of

change of our global sea levels would reach rates that could be detrimental to coastal regions and
islands off the U.S. coast. Scientists and researchers worldwide continue to provide convincing

evidence proving its validity. According to Oppenheimers article and others, there are three

causes for the sudden growth of the rate in sea level rise: ocean expansion, mountain glaciers

melting, and major ice sheets melting. These causes show the need of the rising ocean to occupy

more space putting coastal regions in jeopardy.

Graph showing increasing rate of change of global sea levels (in mm) compared to the 1993-

2008 average. Source: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association.

Despite the influx of available information to the public, the move to reverse this trend

has been delayed due to the topic of global warming being polarized in an influential country like

the United States. The opposing views of political figures in the United States regarding this

issue lead to constant bickering rather than action which can protect precious resources for

America. Ultimately, the positive trend shown in the rate of change in global sea levels raise a
dilemma that can cripple areas where almost 40% of the [U.S.] population (Lindsey) lives

according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Associations Rebecca Lindsey.

Politics play a huge role in the progress of global warming in the United States. A

collaboration between Yale and George Mason University highlights the political aspect of

global warming. The report covers the views of republican, democrat, and independent voters on

the topic. As expected, the views regarding global warming significantly differ across each party

with large majority of liberal Democrats stressing its importance and fewer than half of

Republicans (8) believing that human activities cause global warming. In addition, the report

shows that only one in five registered voters think people can affect what the government does

about global warming (16).

A graph showing the response of voters thinking about their influence on government action on

global warming. Source: Politics and Global Warming

The fact that about twenty percent of the sampled voters believe that their actions influence the

government is alarming because most voters believe that motion regarding global change is

mostly up to the current officials in office. This can lead to trouble when government leaders

also have conflicting ideas on the issue leading to a lack of legislation proposed or passed that

can improve world conditions. As the politicians continue to argue about their ability to reverse

the effects of global warming, rate of change of sea levels will continue to increase which can

cost the United States a lot of money due to damages and lost resources.

The projected cost in real estate damages as sea levels continue to rise. Source: The Cost of

Climate Change by the National Resources Defense Council.

In addition, economic factors prevent major political projects to alleviate the risks of

rising sea levels from progressing. Proposed projects to decelerate global warming or projects to

protect coastal cities from the rise of sea level has proven to be costly. The lack of funding has

led government officials to minimize spending on global warming projects. The National

Resources Defense Council article What Well Pay if Global Warming Continues Unchecked

by authors from Tufts University, Cambridge University, and Synapse Energy Economics covers

the probable dent global warming can cause to the global economy if left unchecked. In

accordance to the rise of sea level, the article concludes that real-estate damages can cost 360
billion dollars by the year 2100 with the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts being affected the most. The

article covers ways to reduce the risk of flooding in coastal regions like Elevating homes and

other structures or [building] seawalls to hold back rising waters (8). However, the authors

mention how these solutions can be problematic and expensive (8) making political figures

stray away from these solutions. Overall, economical dilemmas also play a role in the United

States move to solve the crisis. It is evident that the present costs to fulfill these projects

outweigh the potential damages sea level rise can cause economically.

Monitoring and maintaining sea levels is an important task for the United States and

multiple countries who have coastal borders inhabited by people, infrastructure, and other

resources due to the consequences it can bring. Lindseys article warns about the potential

danger of rising sea levels to the infrastructure [at the urban coastlines in the United States]

necessary for local jobs and regional industries (Lindsey) and the endless list of things that

can be affected if sea levels continue to rise. Furthermore, Lindsey sums up the fate of coastal

ecosystems as global warming and the rise of the global sea level proceeds:

In the natural world, rising sea level creates stress on coastal ecosystems that provide

recreation, protection from storms, and habitat for fish and wildlife, including

commercially valuable fisheries. As seas rise, saltwater is also intruding into freshwater

aquifers, many of which sustain municipal and agricultural water supplies and natural

ecosystems. (Linsdsey)

Moreover, articles from major cities and states like San Francisco and Florida project

potential outcomes caused by sea level rise. Senior counsel Richard Jacobs and attorney Steven

Hogans article Will Our Future Drown? Paying for the Costs of Sea-Level Rise describes the

dilemma around the state of Florida as sea levels rise. The Florida authors talk about the
dangerous assumption that the coast will remain where it is (52). As mentioned, Jacobs and

Hogan highlight the economic hardships to deal with the problem. They stress the importance of

collaboration of Florida as a state to aid coastal regions and not leaving these parts to go [at] it

alone (53) although addressing these issues will be expensive (53). Coastal States like Florida

is in jeopardy of losing a good portion of its land if the projections become a reality. On the other

coast, scholars from Pennsylvania State University and Carnegie Mellon University conducted

research at the San Francisco Bay analyzing future flood risks as the sea levels rise. Put simply,

the study discovered that sea-level rise can increase the [San Francisco Bay] area risk of

flooding and can increase the probability of flood occurrence. (11). The rise in sea level does

not play favorites on who it can affect and this study showed just that. The busy and diverse

streets at the San Francisco Bay can have an up-close personal taste of the Pacific Ocean if the

sea levels continue to go up. Knowing the high cost of living and population density in San

Francisco, probable floods can cost the city millions, if not billions, of dollars in damages, and

millions of people affected. Ultimately, the rise in sea levels is a serious issue for people in the

United States and it will take a collective effort to slow down the sneaky beast.

Finally, global warming and the rise of sea level is a topic that interests me due to its

global scale. Regardless of the lack of movement at the political level on this issue, we continue

to see countless contributions from citizens all over the world. Even though each of these

contributions are small, the unity of citizens throughout the world has proved to be significant in

the war against global warming. In a country as influential as the United States, our duty as

citizens is to continue with these contributions while taking advantage of our democratic nation

making government officials feel the sense of urgency to reverse the trend.
 In conclusion, the rise of sea levels and global warming has caught the attention of

citizens as research on the issue continue to be published. Scholars continue to prove the severity

of the issue, and how urgent the world needs to react. From severe flooding in coastal cities to

islands drowning, this issue puts millions of lives in jeopardy. As for the United States, political

and economic conflicts continue, and several projects about sea level rise and global warming

remains shelved. Despite this, U.S. citizens across the nation provide contributions that has

helped with global warming. We should continue to contribute and protect the only planet we

live in.
 Works Cited

Ackerman, Frank, et al. What Well Pay If Global Warming Continues Unchecked. The Cost

of Climate Change, 21 May 2008, pp. 129., www.nrdc.org/sites/default/files/cost.pdf.

Hardy, R. D., and Bryan L. Nuse. "Global Sea-Level Rise: Weighing Country Responsibility and

Risk." Climatic Change, vol. 137, no. 3-4, 2016, pp. 333-345, Agricultural &

Environmental Science Database,

Jacobs, Richard O. and Steven M. Hogan. "Will Our Future Drown? Paying for the Costs of Sea-

Level Rise." Florida Bar Journal, vol. 91, no. 7, Jul/Aug2017, pp. 52-55. EBSCOhost,

search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=123807770&site=ehost-

live&scope=site.

Leiserowitz, A., Maibach, E., Roser-Renouf, C., Rosenthal, S., & Cutler, M. (2017). Politics &

Global Warming, May 2017. Yale University and George Mason University. New

Haven, CT: Yale Program on Climate Change Communication.

Lindsey, Rebecca. Climate Change:Global Sea Level. NOAA Climate.gov, National Oceanic

and Atmospheric Association, 11 Sept. 2017, www.climate.gov/news-

features/understanding-climate/climate-change-global-sea-level.
Oppenheimer, Michael. "Adapting to Climate Change: Rising Sea Levels, Limiting Risks."

Social Research, vol. 82, no. 3, Fall2015, pp. 673-680. EBSCOhost,

search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=112817936&site=ehost-

live&scope=site.

Ruckert, Kelsey L., et al. "Impacts of Representing Sea-Level Rise Uncertainty on Future Flood

Risks: An Example from San Francisco Bay." Plos ONE, vol. 12, no. 3, 28 Mar. 2017,

pp. 1-17. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0174666.