Despite a frigid beginning to 2015 along the U.S. eastern seaboard, Earth is showing glaring symptoms of burning more fossil fuels that release in excess of 96 million metric tons of heat-trapping greenhouse gases daily into the atmosphere.
On March 24, the Esparnza Base recorded its highest temperatures since the inception of record keeping on Antarctica at 63.5 degrees.
March also delivered scintillating temperatures to the entire Australian ocean region. It was the hottest January to March ever recorded along the Great Barrier Reef.
The Totten Glacier of Eastern Antarctica has begun to quickly melt—it alone could raise global oceans by 11 feet. It’s now loosing 300 gigatons or 180 miles by 180 miles of ice annually.
What’s occurring in the Northern Hemisphere is equally frightening and Floridians are rightfully very worried.
As Greenland’s melt accelerates, superglacial lakes beneath the glaciers are converging, which in turn is speeding up the melting process. Greenland’s glaciers contain enough water to raise oceans globally by 20 feet.
This much we do know: Greenland is melting far quicker than climate models predicted.
Miami has lost almost four inches of its coastline to rising sea levels. Those rising sea levels are now driving Florida’s coastal salt water into its fresh water aquifers, forcing some cities to shut down wells due to saltwater contamination.Â
It’s time to prepare for rising sea levels by future-proofing all towns and cities along all coasts.
This colossal endeavor could be funded by redirecting the subsidies of $1.9 trillion from coal, oil, gas and fracking into protecting all coastal communities worldwide.
Ladies and gentlemen it’s time to save our species; failing to plan is planning to fail.
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Dr. Reese Halter’s latest book is Shepherding the Sea: The Race to Save our Oceans.