Rising sea levels a catastrophic threat to humans and other creatures

DEAR News Of The Area,

I WOULD like to acknowledge that I do not have a Bachelor of Marine and Antarctic Science (with a major in Oceans, Ice, and Climate) or Earth and Environmental Sciences, or Oceanography.

I can and do read regularly about climate change and the effects it is having on our Earth.

Sea level rise is a major issue for many who live close to the sea around the world.

It is one of many indicators that indicate the effects humans are having on this beautiful planet, and we all need to make ourselves aware and act to reduce the effects of climate change.

What’s the difference between global and local sea level?

Global sea level trends and relative sea level trends are different measurements. Just as the surface of the Earth is not flat, the surface of the ocean is also not flat – in other words, the sea surface is not changing at the same rate globally. Sea level rise at specific locations may be more or less than the global average due to many local factors: subsidence, upstream flood control, erosion, regional ocean currents, variations in land height, and whether the land is still rebounding from the compressive weight of Ice Age glaciers.

Here are some examples:

New York. Like many coastal cities around the world, New York is at immediate and growing risk from rising sea levels. The 520 miles of shoreline of their city of islands include working waterfronts, beachfront communities built right up to the Atlantic Ocean, and neighborhoods built on landfill and historic marshlands. In New York the sea level has risen eight inches since 1970, and the city has spent billions on mitigation works. Reading articles and talking with a neighbour whose daughter lives in New York some cannot use the basement or ground floor areas of their apartments because of sea level rises. The city has a budget for climate change mitigation, stating investments made today will shape New Yorkers’ lives for decades to come.

The New York City Mayor’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is charged with ensuring that the city’s $115.1 billion expense budget (Fiscal Year 2026) and planned capital funding of $196.7 billion (Fiscal Years 2025-2035) are managed responsibly and effectively so the city has the resources to meet its needs now and in the future.

Papua and New Guinea

Tens of thousands of people hae been displaced because of sea level rise.

Two years ago fisher Siri James lived on the southern coast of Papua New Guinea, in a small village near Pariva beach. But as the tides continued to rise, James was forced to move further in from the shore.

“It’s not easy moving inland, I was born and raised by the seas, I am a fisherman. I know the flow of tides and currents, I know when the wind will come strongly and when it will rain – but now I don’t understand why everything is changing,” says James, who is in his early 40s.

He says the tides “seem to be growing every day”.

Oceans around Papua New Guinea are rising rapidly. Current modeling projects an increase of 15 cm by 2030, with estimates soaring between 20 to 60 cm by 2090, depending on global emission.

Extreme natural fluctuations tied to the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) severely exacerbate these rates. During El Niño events, temporary localised sea level changes can spike by up to 30 mm per year.

High ocean temperatures are melting ice sheets, intensifying storms, and causing king tides to swallow low-lying atolls and islands.

Sir David Attenborough has warned that rising sea levels and ocean warming present catastrophic threats to coastal cities and marine ecosystems globally.

Regards,

Colin Hutton,

Thora.