Major sea-level rises are now inevitable, even if we stop burning fossil fuels today.
That’s the assessment of scientists studying the fast-melting Greenland ice sheet in the Arctic.
Recommended Stories
list of 4 items- list 1 of 4Arctic warming 4 times faster than rest of planet: Climate study
- list 2 of 4Will embracing climate sabotage help save the planet?
- list 3 of 4Climate Wars: Why is the US so divided about climate change?
- list 4 of 4How should we adapt to climate change?
Researchers say the best-case scenario is a rise of 27cm, but global sea levels could go up by 78cm.
This means floods will become more destructive.
Last year saw record-breaking disasters including wildfires, heatwaves and droughts.
But a new United Nations report says many could have been avoided or had their impacts reduced.
So what does all this mean for attempts to deal with climate change?
Presenter: Nick Clark
Guests:
Yarrow Axford – Associate professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Northwestern University
Zita Sebesvari – Lead author of the United Nations University ‘Interconnected Disaster Risks’ report
Sharon George – Senior lecturer in Environmental Sustainability at Keele University