Global warming is having a significant impact on all aspects of the environment; ice sheets are melting, plants and trees are blooming earlier, and heat waves are becoming more intense. 

The rapid rise of sea levels is among the effects of global climate change that scientists have long anticipated will happen. Sea-level rise and coastal flooding are already a concern to many coastal areas across the world. As the effects of climate change worsen, entire neighborhoods could become submerged and endanger people's lives. 

Global warnings 

The United Nations reported that the Security Council discussed in February the effects of sea-level rise on international peace and security. Participants cautioned the community that tensions are intensifying as coastlines disappear, territories are lost, resources become scarce, and large populations are displaced.

According to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, the globe would witness a “mass exodus of entire populations on a biblical scale.” He was warning of the impending global security crisis that rising sea levels foreshadow. 

Guterres noted the phenomenon will affect people's lives and livelihoods in various ecosystems around the world, including the Caribbean, North Africa, and river basins at the base of the Himalayas. He claimed that this will result in an increase in competition for fresh water, land, and other resources.

Coastal regions should be protected 

Dr. Amin El-Meligi, professor of physical chemistry at the National Research Center in Egypt, told Jusoor Post that global warming caused the melting of glaciers and ice sheets, which led to a rise in global sea levels.

“When temperature increases, water gets warmer and thermal expansion happens, causing the sea level to rise,” he said, adding, “Many studies showed that ice has been melting since 1880, leading the sea level to rise 20-25 cm. The highest melting rates have happened during the last two or three decades.” 

El-Meligi explained that greenhouse gas emissions, including carbon dioxide and methane, are caused by human activities and are the main driver of climate change. He stressed that the Paris Agreement’s goal is to limit global warming to 1.5°C before 2050, which, if exceeded, would cause a disaster. 

“The world is trying to replace fossil fuels that increase carbon emissions with renewable energy such as solar, wind, hydro, and others,” El-Meligi told Jusoor Post. 

He added that countries with coastal regions, such as Holland, have set protective measures for different scenarios in order to keep their citizens safe. Those countries build coastal barriers to protect coastal regions. 

“Whole cities may not disappear; however, some islands would. Egypt’s Alexandria and Delta are among the threatened areas, and the government is establishing projects to protect them,” El-Meligi said. 

Loss of Arctic Sea ice

A major report warned that the recent climate catastrophe has caused the world's ice to undergo a widespread collapse, with the Arctic Sea ice set to disappear and cause a disastrous sea-level rise, according to the Guardian.

Sea ice loss will expose the cold, dark Arctic water to absorb heat instead of reflecting it, accelerating the rate of global warming. Moreover, it will disrupt the ecosystem of the area, hurting many creatures like polar bears and seals that depend on the sea ice for hunting, according to the State of the Cryosphere Report. 

The report refers to the loss of 5% of glacier ice in the Alps during one summer and record-low sea ice around Antarctica. In 2022, it also noted shell damage to crustaceans in the Arctic Ocean, an indication that the saltwater is becoming more acidic because of greenhouse gas emissions.

Warming scenarios 

Dr. Sami Ashraf, a researcher at the General Administration for Scientific Research in Egypt, told Jusoor Post that there are many global scenarios on the future climate situation, one of which focuses on a warming scenario called RCP8.5.

“RCP8.5 is a high-emissions scenario,” Ashraf said. “It implies that this is a foreseeable outcome if society does not make significant efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.”

He added that such high emissions lead temperatures to increase, in turn resulting in rising sea levels and threatening vulnerable regions. Egypt’s Delta is among the most vulnerable regions and might be affected by such a scenario.