Those who feel Global warming is not responsible for Sea Level Rise should know that a town in Louisiana has been swallowed by the sea. The island has lost 98 percent of its land area since 1955 and the residents are being relocated to higher ground by the authorities. It will cost the administration nearly $11.7 million for the 500-plus acre of land. The majority of the people are Native Americans, and it will be a relief for those who are affected. They want the resettlement to be done on priority because the next hurricane season is approaching.
Daily Mail UK reports that the island used to be the full-time home to tribes of Native Americans for more than 170 years after they were uprooted from their previous locations. There was a ban on them to acquire land elsewhere and they were forced to adapt to the inhospitable swampland in Louisiana.
Result of global warming
The Trump administration feels global warming is a non-issue. They have shown reluctance to sign the 2015 Paris accord on climate change but, in 2016, Isle de Jean Charles in Louisiana became the first community in the U.S. to receive federal assistance for relocation from the region threatened by climate change. Funds were also allotted for acquiring suitable land, build houses and shift the people to their new address.
The proposed location is less prone to floods, hurricanes and tropical storms. Incidentally, the loss of land due to sea level rise is more in coastal Louisiana compared to anywhere else in the United States.
This is the tip of the iceberg. The Louisiana model could be replicated in other coastal regions that face similar risks in the country.
Sea level rise is linked to climate change
Emission of greenhouse gases coupled with the melting of glaciers due to global warming leads to sea level rise. This, in turn, affects the lives of those who live in coastal regions. Louisiana is the best example of what can happen unless CO2 emission is kept in check. Obviously, the use of fossil fuels must be banned to check the menace.
It is an issue that has to be addressed and not swept under the carpet.
According to CNN, in a recent study, researchers used satellite data from 1993 onwards to observe the levels of the world's oceans and how they have risen. They found a rise of nearly 2.8 inches over the 25 year period which is in keeping with the generally accepted norms. However, if the emission of greenhouse gas continues, the sea level rise might go beyond permissible limits. That will pose a serious threat to the people who live in coastal areas.
