Rising seas and disappearing coastlines
Seas keep rising as oceans warm and ice melts. The IPCC projects 0.28–1.01 m of global rise by 2100 depending on emissions — and much more over the following centuries.
How this affects people
Two things raise the sea: water expanding as it warms, and meltwater from glaciers and the ice sheets of Greenland and Antarctica. Both are accelerating.
Low-lying atoll nations such as Tuvalu, Kiribati and the Marshall Islands face existential risk, while densely populated deltas — the Ganges–Brahmaputra, Nile and Mekong — face flooding, salt intrusion into farmland and displacement.
Sea-level rise is slow compared with a storm, but it makes every storm surge and high tide reach further inland.
Look at what keeps the problem going
- 01Thermal expansion of a warming ocean
- 02Melting mountain glaciers
- 03Ice loss from Greenland and Antarctica
- 04Local land subsidence from groundwater pumping in deltas
What could happen next
The future leaves room for choices. Compare the outlooks, check what supports them and notice where the evidence becomes less certain
More frequent high-tide flooding
Year to year, the change is millimetres, but it compounds king tides and storms. Coastal communities already see more nuisance flooding and erosion.
The future is not a timetable. These summaries reflect published scenarios and trends, with deeper uncertainty at longer horizons. Choices made now matter.
Where could a useful response begin?
Begin with a question you can investigate. Compare the sources and follow related briefings to see how the problem connects to other lives and places. This prototype does not accept proposals yet.
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