Consequences of Global Warming Part 1: Sea Level Rise

It is without a doubt that the Earth is warming and many scientists explain this phenomenon through what they call global warming. But whether or not humans are to blame for climate change is a touchy political issue that is best left to a more appropriate individual to discuss.

The chief consequence of global warming cited by research reports is sea level rise due to the melting of Arctic ice and thermal expansion of the seas. Stefan Lovgren wrote a piece called "Warming to Cause Catastrophic Rise in Sea Level?" in the National Geographic in 2004 states that "thermal expansion has already raised the oceans 4 to 8 inches". And further went on to explain that if Greenland were to melt, it would raise sea levels by 7 meters.

A large proportion of Bangladesh is below sea level and a large percentage of its land is expected to be flooded. Not only is Bangladesh one of the world's most densely populated countries, the majority of their people live near coastal waters. Thus, the effects of sea level rise will cause a massive refugee crisis in the country. The majority of the refugees are expected to flee to India and not neighboring Myanmar due to their history of hatred towards South Asians i.e. the expulsion of South Asians in 1962.

But India is not without its own problems. A U.N. report in 2007 predicted that the Ganges river could disappear by 2030. The Himalayan glaciers are the source of the river and that is under threat if temperatures rise.

As a result, India is expected to deal with an increasing burden on its dwindling natural resources from climate refugees from Bangladesh. The climate change impact on this very small geographical area only highlights the global problem.

Elsewhere in Asia, U.N. expers predicted that Indonesia could lose about 2,000 of its 17,000 islands by 2030. Another island nation, the Philippines, is also very vulnerable to changes in climate. The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) projects a bleak picture for the country. Navotas city, dubbed as the "Fishing Capital of the Philippines", has a population of about a quarter million people. Half of the city was projected to be under water by Rean Tirol, manager of WWF. They even went on to make grave predictions for the entire nation when they stated entire islands would be submerged.

The impacts of sea level rise is not only concentrated in Asia. 80% of Nigeria's coastline is at risk of being swept away according to scientists David Moffat and Olof Linden, who presented their findings in a research entitled, "Perception and Reality: Assessing Priorities for Sustainable Development in the Niger Delta".