Three Feet of Sea Level Rise Very Possible by Century's End

A preview of the next major United Nations climate change report is taking a stronger stance on the role of humans in causing global warming and predicting a possible sea level rise that would endanger cities such as London, New York, and Shanghai.

1 minute read

August 20, 2013, 5:00 AM PDT

By Jonathan Nettler @nettsj


"An international team of scientists has found with near certainty that human activity is the cause of most of the temperature increases of recent decades, and warns that sea levels could rise by more than three feet by the end of the century if emissions continue at a runaway pace," reports Justin Gillis. 

"The scientists, whose findings are reported in a summary of the next big United Nations climate report, largely dismiss a recent slowdown in the pace of warming, which is often cited by climate change contrarians, as probably related to short-term factors. The report emphasizes that the basic facts giving rise to global alarm about future climate change are more established than ever, and it reiterates that the consequences of runaway emissions are likely to be profound."

"The new document is not final and will not become so until an intensive, closed-door negotiating session among scientists and government leaders in Stockholm in late September," notes Gillis. "But if the past is any guide, most of the core findings of the document will survive that final review."

Monday, August 19, 2013 in The New York Times

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