A recent study warns that even if global warming is limited to 1.5°C, coastal cities will still face catastrophic flooding due to ongoing ice sheet melt and rising sea levels.

The study emphasizes that 1.5°C is not a safe threshold but merely a delay tactic, as ice melt and sea level rise will persist for decades regardless of emissions reductions.

Greenland and Antarctica are melting at alarming rates, with Greenland losing 280 billion metric tons of ice annually and West Antarctica’s Thwaites Glacier retreating rapidly, significantly contributing to sea level rise.

Historical climate data shows that past warm periods with similar temperature increases resulted in sea levels 6 to 20 meters higher than today, indicating severe future sea level rise.

Satellite data confirms the accelerating ice loss in these regions, which could make some areas uninhabitable due to rising seas.

Currently, about 230 million people live within 1 meter of high tide lines, and this number could increase to 300 million by 2050, leading to mass migrations and displacement.

The overall message underscores the inevitability of rising seas, urging urgent preparation, mitigation, and adaptation strategies to address the impending impacts.

Reducing global warming by even 0.5°C could delay ice sheet collapse and buy valuable time for adaptation, with solutions like coastal barriers and managed retreats being critical, but only if action is taken swiftly.

Climate models predict sea levels will continue to rise for centuries at 1.5°C warming, potentially making cities like Miami, Shanghai, and Mumbai uninhabitable by 2100 under current trajectories.