Sea level rise will swallow Miami, New Orleans: study
October 13, 2015  03:19
Say goodbye to Miami and New Orleans. No matter what we do to curb global warming, these and other beloved US cities will sink below rising seas, according to a study today.

But making extreme carbon cuts and moving to renewable energy could save millions of people living in iconic coastal areas of the United States, said the findings in the October 12 edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, a peer-reviewed US journal.

Scientists have already established that if we do nothing to reduce our burning of fossil fuel up to the year 2100, the planet will face sea level rise of 14-32 feet (4.3-9.9 meters), said lead author Ben Strauss, vice president for sea level and climate impacts at Climate Central. 

The big uncertainty is the issue of when. 

"Some of this could happen as early as next century," Strauss told AFP, adding, "But it might also take many centuries," he added.

To bring this issue home for people in the United States, the study pinpoints at-risk land where more than 20 million people reside.
« Back to LIVE

TOP STORIES