Sea-level rise is one of the major challenges identified in the recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s Special Report ‘Global Warming of 1.5°C’. It is almost certain that we will experience at least one meter of sea-level rise, with some models estimating this will happen within the next 80 years, inducing serious implications in the form of damage to infrastructure, loss of land and displacement of communities. Even if we succeed in limiting the temperature increase to 1.5 degrees, sea levels will continue to rise for centuries to come, owing to the emissions we have already locked in. While living on the coast has always come with a certain level of flooding and erosion risks, climate change will alter our coastlines and we must prepare for this new reality.
This Report explains the factors responsible for the rise in sea level and the impact of the same, and goes on to suggest certain mitigation strategies that the government could look into, for devising efficacious policy solutions to manage the issue.