Sea levels to rise by up to 10 meters; major disaster to happen in this year

LONDON: A new study has warned that Cities and towns around the world could be underwater within the next 275 years. If greenhouse gas emissions are not controlled, 59 percent of Antarctica's major ice shelves could collapse by 2300, raising sea levels by up to 10 meters (32 feet). The prediction was made by scientists at the Sorbonne University in Paris. The shocking information was revealed in a study published in the journal 'Nature'.

Ice shelves are the floating edges of the Antarctic ice sheet that act as buttresses, slowing the flow of land-based ice into the ocean. When an ice shelf collapses, the "brake" is released, and the glaciers behind it accelerate, directly contributing to sea level rise. If global warming is kept below 2 degrees Celsius by 2300, only one of the 64 ice shelves studied will be at risk.

However, if global warming reaches 12 degrees Celsius, 59 percent of the ice sheets could disappear. This would cause sea levels to rise by 10 meters. The prediction, based on Climate Central's Coastal Risk Screening Tool, is that if sea levels rise by 10 meters, many cities around the world could be completely submerged.

Although 2300 may seem far away, the researchers say these impacts will begin to be felt between 2085 and 2170. This is the period when the highest rate of ice shelf collapse is expected. The researchers warn that the figures are theoretical and that other factors could cause the collapse to occur even earlier. The new findings highlight the urgent need for countries around the world to take action to curb greenhouse gas emissions.

Researchers say that sea levels will rise in large areas along the River Thames, including London's Hammersmith, Greenwich, and Westminster, and coastal cities such as Portsmouth, Hull, Glasgow, Bristol, and Cardiff. Coastal areas from Calais in France to Ringkøbing in Denmark, as well as Venice, Montpellier, Seville, and Lisbon, will also be affected. In the United States, sea levels will rise in coastal areas in the states of Houston, New Orleans, Miami, Florida, Louisiana, and Texas. In Asia, sea levels will rise in large parts of Bangladesh and in coastal areas in cities such as Shanghai, Ho Chi Minh City, and Karachi.