Question+5

"A 2007 report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change predicted a sea level rise of 7 to 23 inches by the end of the century. But scientists meeting in Copenhagen dismissed those estimates as too conservative, saying new data suggests sea level rise could exceed 39 inches and is unlikely to be less than 20 inches. This means that if the emissions of greenhouse gases is not reduced quickly and substantially even the best-case scenario will hit low-lying coastal areas housing one-tenth of humans on the planet hard," organizers said in a statement at the three-day congress hosted by the University of Copenhagen. The melting of polar ice sheets and of glaciers are two big factors that will affect sea levels. ([])

1.  Massive wild fires in US 2. Drought affecting 40% of the US 3. Researches think the sea will rise 40 to 60 inches in the next century 4. It will affect other things to like sanitation and housing 5. 10 years ago we did not know if global warming started yet 6. "The past decade has matched our predictions for global warming, but we can never know for sure. Climate is a terribly complex thing, and it would be smartest to assume that warming is happening. We need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions." 7. Greenhouse gasses cause the greenhouse effect by trapping heat in the atmosphere 8. The hottest 10 years in the last century have all occurred in the past 1980’s. 9. 1998 was the hottest year, and 2001 was the second-hottest on record. 10. January to March, 2002, was the hottest period on record. 11. Glaciers are moving in many locations around the world. 12. Sea level continues to rise because of the growing of warming ocean water and the melting of glaciers. 13. US Gross Domestic Product is 32% 14. Not doing anything about global warming could cost you 15. Average air temperature has gone up 1.2 F

This is a good link because it talks about the future rising sea levels in New Jersey: []

 Mathew and Tyler

There are many things we can do about sea level rise. One of the many things we can do about sea level rise is to protect people from the affects of it. We can protect people from the effect of sea level rise by building dikes around the coastline of the most vulnerable cities or countries that can be affected by sea level rising. This way, we can prevent tragedies like floods. Another way we can protect people from the effects of sea level rise is to limit the population around coastal cities. The two biggest cities in North America are Los Angeles and New York and they are both located around the coast of the United States. These cities are vulnerable to sea level rise and violent storms. More than 180 countries have populations is low level coastal zones. Along these coasts, 5 million people are at risk. 634 million people live in threatened coastal areas worldwide. These are some ways we can prevent the effects of sea level rising.

Max, George, Iris

Works Cited http://www.maps101.com/Application/MITN/Printable.aspx?articleId-5o063

The first defense of stopping rising sea levels is to stop using as much energy as we are now. Something you can do to reduce your carbon footprint is to use cars that don't waste as much gas, use fluorescent light bulbs and energy efficient appliances. We can also use new technology, such as IGCC (integrated gasification combined cycle). IGCC turns coal into gas and other products. Since burning gas produces less carbon than burning coal, it is better for the environment. Also, in case of the worst comes we should be prepared to face it. We can do this by building levees and dikes around the borders if different states. This process is reversible if we start working towards a solution staring today. By doing all of these things we can prevent this future from happening.

Shaaz Khan

A solution to sea level rise is to prevent global warming. There are many ways to do this. These are done by individuals, by communities, by cities and even by countries. However, while we must think about reducing further sea level rise we must also think about protecting people in places at risk of suffering from the rising sea level. The ways in which we can protect people from rising sea levels fall into three main categories: Retreat, Accommodation and Protection.

Retreat: Prevent development in areas near the coast. This means there are a less number of people living in coastal areas at risk of losing their homes.

Accommodation: Many buildings on the coast, mainly residential or commercial, should be elevated by stilts for protection from floods. The structures should also be strengthened and braced. Drainage should also be modified. This will decrease their chances being washed away in a flood.

Protection: Dikes, Levees and flood walls should be built to protect homes on the coast. Dune buildings should also be built to protect upland properties against the effects of storm tides and wave action.

Preventing sea level rise can only be done if humans work together to counteract. Until then we must take precautionary acts by using some of the methods above.

**By Nicole Phelan - ACS Cobham**

Possible Solutions Global climate change and sea-level rise are the most striking manifestations of man’s impact on the ecological balance of our planet. At this time, we can only speculate about the best way to overcome these difficulties. Because it is clear that nothing will be done in the absence of information, increasing public awareness must be a top priority. When the scientific community who have been studying these issues for decades are asked what the best options for dealing with the problems are, they suggest a combination of: mitigation to reduce further emissions; adaptation to reduce the damage caused by warming (e.g. loss of both life and property); and, more speculatively, geoengineering to reverse global warming. (“Global Warming,” Wikipedia) However, when scientists make their recommendations, they are—often necessarily—doing so in a vacuum. They are trying to determine the best, fastest way to correct the problem from a purely scientific perspective. They do not necessarily think about how their recommendations are affected by geographical and political borders; conflicting political ideologies; cultural, moral and ethical differences; domestic and international conflicts; competing demands for financial and natural resources; adherence to local and international laws; global competition; and the egos, aspirations and political agendas of so many policy makers and legislators.

There are global organizations focused on the issues of global warming and sea level rise. Two very important groups are the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), created in 1972 (in the wake to the catastrophic floods in Bangladesh in August 1970) to encourage international cooperation in environmental matters, and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), who basically act as the world’s central repository for all the scientific research conducted around the world in regards to global warming and sea level rise. The IPCC also shares reports on the various mitigation techniques endorsed by the scientific community and the costs and benefits of different approaches. While the work that these organizations do is invaluable, they do not have the authority to legislate or implement policy. With more than 200 sovereign states in the world (203 according to the UN as of 7 April 2009), there is no one person, office or organization with the knowledge, authority, political clout or financial resources necessary to implement and enforce global policies that would in fact reduce global greenhouse gas emissions. Every attempt by a single or small group of nations (e.g. the US or the EU) has failed to gain global support and meet its targeted result.  Believe it or not and with just a minimal amount of effort, there is quite a bit that each and every one of us can do to help halt the rapid acceleration of sea level rise. Simply put, each of us needs to actively work to reduce our carbon footprint. One easy way to shrink your carbon footprint is to conserve energy. Most of us waste energy when heating, cooling, and lighting our homes, and when running electrical appliances and gadgets. Small steps like replacing traditional light bulbs with energy-efficient CFL bulbs; switching off electrical appliances like TV’s, computers, printers, VCR’s, etc. when they are not in use, rather than just switching them to standby; unplugging mobile phone and iPod chargers when not in use; turning down thermostats and wearing warmer clothes in the winter months to stay warm; and turning off fans and air conditioners in summer months when not absolutely needed. A second step you can take to reduce your carbon footprint is to reduce the amount of waste you produce and recycle as much as possible. A third important step each of us can take is to reduce our water usage. Saving water also saves the energy used to pump it. So not using as much water can help cut the amount of greenhouse gas released and fight global warming. Be sure to turn-off faucets completely when done using them; take quick showers; do not use dishwashers and washing machines too often; use short toilet flushes whenever possible; and collect rain water for use in the garden, rather than running the hose. A fourth step that each of us can take is to encourage global awareness and responsibility. Share what you know about the consequences of global warming and the things that everyone can do to reduce their own carbon footprints with everyone and anyone you can get to listen. Help people to understand the real issues surrounding global warming and sea level rise. Educate people so that they encourage their governments and elected representatives to work together rather than at odds with the scientific community and other major greenhouse gas emitting nations to identify and implement policies that will in fact help to mitigate the effects of global warming and adapt to our changing world.