Shouldn't sea levels have risen by now?

TL;DR

Humans have accelerated global sea level rise, but the predictions of a flooded world are exaggerated.

Transcript

This video is sponsored by dashlane As a youtuber who makes videos about the Earth's environment, and specifically climate, I receive a lot of comments from people who dispute the influence humanity has on the natural world One particular argument which gets brought up again and again is something along the lines of "why haven't sea levels risen?" ... Read More

Key Insights

• 🤢 Sea levels have been rising for around 20,000 years due to the earth coming out of the last glacial maximum.
• 🫢 Human emissions of greenhouse gases have accelerated global sea level rise by a couple of millimeters per year.
• 🤢 Previous predictions for sea level rise have matched observed data fairly well.
• 🤢 Future projections indicate that sea levels will continue to rise faster every decade, putting coastal populations, species, and economies at risk.
• 🫢 Every tonne of greenhouse gas emitted into the atmosphere worsens the long-term change in sea levels.
• 🥡 Adapting to changes in our environment is possible, but taking action now can prevent future difficulties and risks.
• 👻 The support of Dashlane allows for the creation of climate change-based content on the channel.

Questions & Answers

Q: Has humanity accelerated sea-level rise?

Yes, observational evidence confirms that humans have accelerated global sea level rise by emitting greenhouse gases and altering the Earth's energy budget.

Q: What factors have caused the increase in sea level rise?

Changes in radiative forcing due to human emissions have led to increased global average temperature, resulting in the melt of ice sheets and thermal expansion of the oceans.

Q: Are the predictions of a flooded world exaggerated?

Yes, no serious scientist has claimed that we would all be underwater by now. The IPCC's predictions for sea level rise have matched observed data fairly well.

Q: What are the future projections for sea level rise?

It is very likely that sea levels in 2100 will be between 30 and 130 centimeters higher than in 2000. Some scientists consider this to be a conservative estimate.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Coastal tide gauges show a rise of nearly 25 centimeters in mean sea level from 1880 to 2013.

• Historical data indicates that mean sea levels have been rising for around 20,000 years due to the earth coming out of the last glacial maximum.

• Human emissions of greenhouse gases have accelerated sea level rise by a couple of millimeters per year.