How can inevitable sea level rises be dealt with?

Major sea-level rises are now inevitable, even if we stop burning fossil fuels today.

That’s the assessment of scientists studying the fast-melting Greenland ice sheet in the Arctic.

Researchers say the best-case scenario is a rise of 27cm, but global sea levels could go up by 78cm.

This means floods will become more destructive.

Last year saw record-breaking disasters including wildfires, heatwaves and droughts.

But a new United Nations report says many could have been avoided or had their impacts reduced.

So what does all this mean for attempts to deal with climate change?

Presenter: Nick Clark

Guests:

Yarrow Axford – Associate professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Northwestern University

Zita Sebesvari – Lead author of the United Nations University ‘Interconnected Disaster Risks’ report

Sharon George – Senior lecturer in Environmental Sustainability at Keele University