You know those stories about how if the Arctic melts, the world's sea levels will rise? All wrong, all wrong. You can rest assured, it isn't going to happen.
See, when water freezes, it expands. So, when the Arctic melts, it is actually going to contract.
Okay, I'm lying. I'm deceiving you. Typical, typical. Yes, when ice melts, it does contract. True. But we have another couple things to consider.
1.) Ice that floats above the level of the Arctic Sea is going to add volume to the sea when it melts. Some icebergs are very tall, say 75 meters. When that melts, that counts for a walloping increase in water.
2.) When water warms, it expands. So, its a matter of whether the warm and therefore expanded water will be greater than what the frozen and therefore expanded water was.
Let's get back to the idea that when the icebergs come down, it means the world's sea levels will rise. Did you know that some people say, don't worry -- it's just the Earth passing through cycles it has endured before? Don't get your shirt sleeves twisted before you try slipping your arms in them.
Thing is -- even if that were true -- you've got to concede that people weren't living on the shores of Florida and New York back all those eons ago. There weren't people, period. So, there wasn't anyone around to be impacted by the rising waters.
Regardless whether you believe man-made emissions are causing icebergs to melt, they are melting. And, that means the water levels in Florida are going to rise by as much as six feet. Some house floors will be beneath the water level. Are you fine with that? No problemento? Somewhere between 250 million to 400 million people will be displaced.
Right now, from the back of the crowd, I hear a guy yelling, "Do something! Do something!" He's right. See, if we increase our efforts to curb emissions, the sea might only rise two feet. That's a lot of difference, two feet versus six. Homes can be saved.
(Index -- Climate change info)
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