The New York Times reports:
On sea level, one of the biggest single worries about climate change, the new report goes well beyond the one from 2007, which largely sidestepped the question of how much the ocean could rise this century.
The new report lays out several scenarios. In the most optimistic, the world’s governments would prove far more successful at getting emissions under control than they have been in the recent past, helping to limit the total warming.
In that circumstance, sea level could be expected to rise as little as 10 inches by the end of the century, the report found. That is a bit more than the eight-inch rise in the 20th century, which proved manageable even though it caused severe erosion along the world’s shorelines.
At the other extreme, the report considers a scenario in which emissions, which have soared in recent years, continue at a runaway pace. Under those conditions, sea level could be expected to rise at least 21 inches by 2100 and might rise a bit more than three feet, the draft report said.
Hundreds of millions of people live near sea level, and either figure would represent a challenge for humanity, scientists say. But a three-foot rise in particular would endanger many of the world’s great cities — among them London, Shanghai, Venice, Sydney, Miami, New Orleans and New York.
Repent ye sinners! Your sins of burning fossil fuels has incurred the Divine wrath of Gaia and she will make sea levels rise in a great flood to wipe out civilization unless you repent by paying a carbon tax, or drive a ugly Prius. Naysayers be damned for they are deniers of the prophets of Science; our holy scripture!
The sad thing is they don’t know they are doing religion not science. Tectonic activity far outpaces average sea level change anyway, Relax and have a beer.
This is old news. Even back when Al Gore and the IPCC shared the Nobel Prize, their estimates were far apart. I would ask warmists “If the science is settled, why does the IPCC estimate a foot or two while Al Gore was claiming 20-30 feet.
That is like saying we agree on the temperature when your thermometer reads 10 degrees F and mine reads 100 degrees. Yes, we both agree that temperature exists, but we have no idea what it really means and how to measure it.
“Hundreds of millions of people live near sea level, and either figure would represent a challenge for humanity, scientists say. But a three-foot rise in particular would endanger many of the world’s great cities — among them London, Shanghai, Venice, Sydney, Miami, New Orleans and New York.”
Last time I drove thru New Orleans, it was already below sea level and sinking. It will keep sinking and flooding in the future, whether the wife drives an SUV or not. Grow up, people! Git off’n th’ damn shore line. You’ve only got ’bout ‘nother 90 or so years to do it!
Except that CO2 production is not associated with “soaring” temps after all and the “soaring” temps don’t associate all that well with sea level rise.
When haven’t we had a problem with shoreline erosion, flooding and the like? People have tended to live near water for ease of transportation, food supplies and water supply. Other than vastly improved transportation and infrastructure this is nothing new. When is this sea level increase supposed to happen? Seems to be pretty constant at 2-3 mm/year. Is it supposed to happen just before 2100, so we don’t have time to adjust and adapt?
BTW: They mentioned New Orleans and sea-level rise. When I lived in New Orleans I think the highest elevation I lived on was -6 feet. They can throw some more dirt on the levee’s if sea level becomes a problem.
‘which proved manageable even though it caused severe erosion along the world’s shorelines.’
Anyone else think this sounds very much like they are blaming humans for ALL sea-level rise, not just the last few decades?