How Much Will Be Left Of Our World?
By Rieanna Flores
Imagine if you had to leave your home because of the rising sea. Due to climate change, in the not so distance future, the people of the South Pacific island nation of Kiribati may well be forced to do just that.
Ten years ago, Kiribati had more land and more villages but now at high tide much of that land is covered by the sea. It’s only visible at low tide. Today the population of almost 119,000 is struggling to survive. They continue to gather resources such as coral, stones, driftwood and sand, to create walls and protect themselves from flooding.
Not only is the island slowly disappearing but due to overpopulation, so are the natural resources needed to survive, such as food and clean water. Eventually the people of Kiribati will have to migrate to nearby islands.
Though migration seems inevitable, the Kiribati continue their dedication to the island by taking action, still attempting to better their land and save their culture.
In order to avoid further soil erosion, at low tide the Kiribati people plant mangrove trees on the beaches. The mangroves have knots of thin, strong roots, which create a form of protection.
According to Future BBC, “International aid could resolve many future problems and preserve this astonishing and beautiful place for humans, nonhuman animals and plants, but the lack of support from wealthy nations makes options like this difficult for residents of small island states to consider.” Though they are only six feet above sea level, the people of Kiribati continue to find ways to improve their island.
In a 2019 interview with The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS), Kiribati diplomat Christine Greene discussed her thoughts on the struggles the island is going through. “With the collective science that is available, with all the technology that is available, it doesn’t look like we are going to be saying goodbye to Kiribati,” she said.
Similar to Kiribati, the Arctic is being affected by climate change as it slowly begins to lose ice. It’s predicted that the Arctic will lose all of its ice by the summer of 2040. If this happens it’s possible that the level of the sea, worldwide, would rise by 20 feet.
Due to the loss of ice, Arctic wildlife will have to adapt to a new environment. Some species will likely perish, as will those that depend upon the perished species for food.
Though loss of ice affects wildlife, it also affects humans, worldwide. The Arctic ice helps to naturally balance temperatures in other parts of the world. It does this by reflecting heat back into space. Without this, there will likely be more global heat waves and harsher winters.
If the ice melts completely, it will also hurt food production. Damaged crops will yield smaller harvests, leading to food shortages and increased prices.
According to NASA, the amount of Arctic sea ice in 2019 equaled the second lowest on record. The loss of ice has certainly already impacted local ecosystems and global weather patterns.
On PBS NewsHour, Erich Osterberg reported, “2019 was a particularly bad year for the Arctic. We saw the second warmest temperatures that we had ever seen on record and those warm temperatures led to near record levels of melting of the sea ice on the Arctic Ocean and also near record levels of melting of the glaciers on Greenland, which raises sea level.”
Compared to last year’s report of Arctic ice being lost, this year it has been difficult for scientists to advance their research based on travel restrictions due to COVID-19. Scientists are unable to go to the Arctic and research as they normally would. They are currently using satellites and surface fixed instruments to do their research instead.
According to The Washington Post it says, “The lack of a research season will set some field projects, particularly those that are drilling ice cores to investigate past climate conditions and study how glaciers are melting in various parts of the world’s largest island, back considerably.”
Like the Arctic ice, Greenland’s ice sheets have melted a significant amount impacting everything worldwide. If humans don’t reduce greenhouse gas emissions, it is predicted to possibly be fully melted by 2070.
Greenhouse gases are any gaseous compounds that are able to trap and hold heat within the atmosphere, which can cause a greenhouse effect. This greenhouse effect can lead to global warming.
Though the ice of Greenland reflects heat back into space, the lakes absorb heat, which warms the ice sheets and increases the amount of ice being melted. This can be seen in softening glaciers, as the water temperature causes calving of ice into the water.
According to Business Insider, “Greenland's ice melt has already raised sea levels more than 0.5 inches since 1972. Half of that occurred just in the last eight years, according to a study published in April. At this rate, the entire Greenland ice sheet could melt within 1,000 years, causing up to 23 feet of sea level rise.”
Since 1992, Greenland has lost over 3.8 trillion tons of ice. It currently loses 254 billion tons of ice per year. This sea level rise will likely cause annual flooding in the UK by the end of the century.
Though there are ways to slow down the process of the ice melting, scientists say the melting won’t stop and will continue over time.
According to CNBC, “Scientists warn that projections underestimate the climate change impact on sea level rise. Those estimates have dire consequences for coastal residents, who comprise more than 40% of the total U.S. population and $7.9 trillion in gross domestic product. Sea level rise will destroy coastal property values, displace people and eventually hit global markets.”
If we don’t reduce greenhouse gas emissions and help provide international aid, we will lose more essential parts of our world that help balance our climate, thus our sea levels.