Energy & Science
Sea-Level Rise From Melting Land Ice May Double If Paris Pact Fails
New research about the Earth’s iciest places concludes that strict emissions limits are crucial to limiting coastal flooding.
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Current national climate goals are so weak that even with them, melting glaciers and ice sheets are on track to raise sea levels twice as fast as they would if countries fulfilled their pledges under the Paris Agreement, says a new study published today in the journal Nature.
If nations meet only the targets in place today, land-based ice may contribute 25 centimeters to global oceans by 2100. If they fully uphold the international climate treaty, which calls for limiting warming to between 1.5° Celsius to 2°C, that estimate falls to 13cm.