Reining in emission now can cut 0.6m of future sea-level rise: Study

Decisive climate action taken now could spare future generations around 0.6 metres of sea-level rise that would otherwise reshape coastlines for centuries to come, new research has found, underscoring the urgent need for emissions mitigation despite the irreversible nature of rising seas.

- Jayashree Nandi

The study, published in Nature Climate Change, reveals that under current policies, greenhouse gas emissions from 2020 to 2050 alone would commit the world to an additional 0.3 metres of sea-level rise by 2300 — beyond what historical emissions until 2020 have already locked in.

If emissions continue on their current trajectory until 2090, the world would face a global rise of about 0.8 metres. However, roughly 0.6 metres of this increase could still be avoided if immediate emissions reductions consistent with the Paris Agreement’s 1.5°C pathway are implemented, according to the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA).