What Happens If The Polar Ice Caps Melt?
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From its affect on the land, to its effect on all life on Earth, join us as we reveal to you what would happen if all the ice on the Earth melts.
10. Proves Global Warming Is Real
Believe it or not, there are some people in the world right now that still don't believe Global Warming is a thing, even though it's been proven time and time again in a variety of ways. And global warming is honestly a major factor in why the ice caps are melting.(climate change)
9. Rising Sea levels ( current events)
Without a doubt, one of the biggest worries when it comes to the polar ice caps melting is the question of what they'll do to the natural bodies of water in the world. Meaning, the oceans that the ice caps mostly inhabit. Ironically enough, from the point of 1801-1900, the ocean did rise on its own, but only by about 2 inches. This is important to note because this was before the true rise of the internal combustion engines, and thus gas emissions by the human race weren't as massive as they are now. So this proves that there are many factors that lend to what is going on in the world.
However, in contrast, from 1901-2000, the oceans rose 7.5 inches. Which means over the course of 100 years, humanity tripled what the world did on its own in terms of making the oceans rise.
8. The Loss Of Islands
There are many ways to define parts of the world, but one of the most important parts that people forget about is "above sea level". Meaning how far you are in height from the nearest source of major water like an ocean.
7. Transplanting (news)
So the loss of land of any kind is a very bad thing. But what you might forget in the shock of that is that there are people who live in those areas that will have lost their homes, jobs, and potential histories in the rising waters caused by the melted polar ice caps. And every single one of them...will need a new place to go.
According to predictions, should the waters rise like they're expected to, by 2050, there will be 150 million people needing a new home because of these events. That's a lot of people, and more than likely a lot more than you were expecting to see here, right? But that's not the worst of it, if the 8 feet of rising waters happen like it's expected to by 2100, that number is expected to be closer to 2 billion people. Which at present it close to 1/4 of the Earth's population as it stands right now.
6. The Worst Case Scenario
I know what you're thinking, "wait, it can get worse than that?" Yeah, it can. Remember, the last few estimates that we made were JUST for the waters raising the 8 feet that is EXPECTED to happen over the course of the nest 80+ years or so. But that's not all the ice caps melting, that's just the progression of them.
So, what WOULD happen if all the ice caps melt? Nothing good, that's for sure.
In rough estimates, if all the glaciers on Earth, mixed with the combined ice of Greenland and Antarctica melted fully,..
5. East Coast Problems
Want to know what'll happen to the eastern side of the United States? Because of its relationship with the Atlantic Ocean, should all the ice caps melt.. adn what about greenland?
4. A Drowned World
In South America, the 220+ feet of rising water would heavily affect all sides of the continent (as they border both the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. The northern side would gain a great deal of water and thus permanently alter the shape of South America as a whole. And in terms of losses, they would lose Rio De Janeiro, Buenos Aires and Montevideo to the waters. Among others of course.
3. The Antarctica Solution
Remember how I mentioned that the 200+ feet of water rising would have to include Antarctica melting? Well that's the thing, the continent is still a land mass, it's just one that is so cold that it has a massive layer of permafrost on it and it's freezing temperatures make hard to colonize. . What about the weather?
2. Human Status Quo
Lost in all of this is that should the world flood heavily like this, regardless of it being the possible scenario or the worst case scenario, there's one thing that is undeniable. And that is simply that humanity will have a lot to do in order to fight off the new status quo.
By that, I mean that in the worst case scenario, many key places and establishments in the world today would be gone.
1. Animal Status Quo
Forgot about the creatures of the world, huh? Well if various parts of the world (inhabited by humans or not) are drowned, the animals are going to need a new place to live as well. What's more, they're natural instincts will inform them that something is wrong, and warn them that they need to move on. But move on to where?That's the problem.
Animals live in a natural balance with the environment.