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illuminem summarises for you the essential news of the day. Read the full piece on CNN or enjoy below:
🗞️ Driving the news: Global sea levels are rising at an accelerating rate, with NASA satellite data confirming a 4-inch increase since 1993 and projections indicating another 6 to 12 inches by 2050
• This trend, driven by ocean warming and melting ice sheets, presents an existential threat to coastal communities — particularly in vulnerable regions like the U.S. Gulf Coast and low-lying Pacific nations
• Scientists warn the pace of rise is now outstripping adaptation efforts, even as the Trump administration dismantles key monitoring programs
🔭 The context: For nearly two millennia, sea levels remained relatively stable. That changed with industrial-era fossil fuel use, which heated the atmosphere and oceans, causing thermal expansion and ice melt
• The West Antarctic Ice Sheet — potentially unstable — is a major wildcard for future sea level projections, with some scenarios forecasting several feet of rise by 2100
• Yet federal budget cuts in the U.S. threaten vital observation tools such as NASA’s Earth-monitoring satellites and NOAA’s sea-level research programs
🌍 Why it matters for the planet: Rising seas threaten to permanently inundate coastal lands, amplify storm surges, erode shorelines, degrade freshwater resources, and displace millions
• While adaptation is possible — through managed retreat, resilient infrastructure, and ecosystem restoration — accelerated sea level rise could outpace efforts, especially in the Global South
• Without global emissions reductions, the future could involve irreversible impacts over centuries, with long-lasting consequences for human settlements and ecosystems
⏭️ What's next: Scientists emphasize the urgent need for emissions cuts to limit longer-term sea level rise and for investments in climate resilience
• However, the U.S. withdrawal from international climate cooperation and curtailment of Earth science programs under the Trump administration may weaken global capacity to monitor and prepare
• Coastal nations like Fiji are already relocating communities, while U.S. states such as Louisiana face mounting land loss — highlighting the need for both mitigation and adaptation
💬 One quote: “It’s like we’re putting our foot on the gas pedal… sea level has a persistent rise.” — Benjamin Hamlington, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory
📈 One stat: Since 1993, global sea level has risen by more than 4 inches, with the rate of rise more than doubling in just three decades
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