April 11, the BBC ran a news story: This Is How Far The Seas Could Rise Thanks To Climate Change.
...What is scary is that the best estimates for mid-Pliocene sea levels range from 10 to 40m above present. In other words, “the geologic record would say that this amount of warming [2° C] would guarantee significant sea level rise”, says Raymo.
Back to the present. We have recently learned that it is not just the magnitude of sea level change we should worry about – it is the pace. A study published in March 2016 found that sea level rise in the 20th Century was faster than in any of the previous 27 centuries.
The BBC article summarizes several studies and looks at the larger picture. What’s clear is that major disruption is coming; year to year may not seem like a lot of change — but it’s all in the same direction and the rate is increasing. Someone born today will live to see major disruption along the coasts of the world. The article says serious action on climate change is needed to prevent things from getting worse, and that a lot of attention is going to have to be given to coastal infrastructure to cope with rising seas.
Without that sort of investment, we might see a gradual abandonment of coastal areas. This would lead to a huge degree of turmoil when you consider that 44% of the world's population lives within 150km of the coast.
Read the whole thing.