Why the New Sea Level Alarm Can't Be Ignored
The physics of ice predicts that sea level will rise twice as much by the end of the century as previously estimated.
There are days when even a born optimist starts to waver in his conviction. The release of a new study projecting that sea level could rise between five and six feet by 2100—when many children born today will still be alive and have been forced to move inland—made Thursday one of those days.
There have been lots of other studies, you might say. True: The last sea-level alarm (in what seems an endless series) came just a month ago. That analysis showed that in the 20th century, sea level rose faster than at any time in the past 2,800 years, and that our fossil-fuel emissions were very likely responsible.
Climate has changed naturally even within human history, that study said,
