00:00Now, you might want to book your dream vacation to Miami Beach as soon as you can, because
00:05this whole area might be underwater in the next 75 years.
00:10But it's not just Florida.
00:12Parts of Louisiana, California, and Washington are also expected to be among the first American
00:18states affected by sea level rise.
00:21If you live in the United States, you can check for yourself whether your address is
00:25on the list of cities that will disappear.
00:28Search for Sea Level Rise Viewer on Google.
00:31That will take you to a tool created by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
00:36And it helps us visualize what coastal flooding might look like in the future.
00:40Now, you see that dark area in blue?
00:43Those are the sinking cities of the US.
00:46And by that, I mean cities that could be submerged by 2100.
00:50That's in the worst-case scenario, if ocean levels were to rise by as much as 10 feet.
00:55Hopefully, it won't come to that.
00:59As you probably know by now, sea levels are going up because the Earth is getting warmer.
01:04When the planet heats up, ice at the north and south poles melts.
01:09And all that extra water flows into the oceans.
01:11Plus, warmer water expands and takes up more space.
01:15So, between the melting ice and the expanding oceans, sea levels slowly rise over time.
01:21And that means more flooding and even the possibility of some cities ending up underwater.
01:27Right now, statistics show that sea levels are expected to rise by around 6 feet by the year 2100.
01:34The problem is that this could cause major coastal flooding, and not just during storms or heavy rains.
01:40Even on clear days, some areas could end up underwater.
01:44And that brings us to a question.
01:46How do we actually know how high ocean waters are?
01:51These days, experts can measure sea level with incredible accuracy, thanks to satellite altimeters.
01:57That's basically a special type of radar that measures how high something is.
02:02It figures out the height of the ocean by timing how long it takes for a radar pulse to travel
02:07from the satellite down to the surface of the sea and then bounce back.
02:12When scientists combine that data with the satellite's exact location, they can map even the tiniest
02:18changes in sea level all over the world.
02:21Right now, coastal flooding predictions are showing us something serious.
02:25The rate of global sea level rise has doubled over the past three decades.
02:30And there are plenty of tools online that help us to visualize just how big this problem could
02:34become in the future.
02:36The Sea Level Rise viewer I mentioned earlier focuses on areas within the United States.
02:42But if you don't live there, you can still check if your address might be in danger.
02:47Just look up the interactive map from Climate Central.
02:50If you set the water level to 10 feet above the high tide line, you'll see that a lot
02:55of countries could be seriously affected.
02:58Let's take a look at South America.
03:00In Argentina, for example, rising waters could flood many parts of Buenos Aires province.
03:06Head over to Brazil, and you'll see that a lot of cities, including Rio de Janeiro, would
03:11be affected.
03:13We might have to say goodbye to that iconic wave-patterned sidewalk along Copacabana Beach.
03:19And both of the city's airports would be flooded too.
03:22Things don't look much better in Europe.
03:25Major cities like Lisbon in Portugal, Valencia in Spain, and Rome in Italy could end up partly
03:30underwater.
03:31Honestly, the worst situation in Europe is probably in the Netherlands.
03:36Right now, about a quarter of the country is literally below sea level.
03:40And nearly half of it sits just three feet above.
03:44So if sea levels rise, they are facing some serious risks.
03:48This entire red zone, which includes cities like Amsterdam and Rotterdam, would be below
03:53the surface if the ocean rose by 10 feet.
03:57Fortunately, the Netherlands is probably the country with the most experience in fighting
04:02back against the sea.
04:03For years, they have tackled the threat with massive infrastructure.
04:07Things like giant canals, windmills, and dikes – all designed to manage the water.
04:12And thanks to their efforts, the Dutch have reclaimed about 20% of their land from the
04:17sea.
04:18That's right, they're actually expanding.
04:20Unfortunately, some countries are at much higher risk than others.
04:24According to estimates, about five of them are in serious danger of disappearing in the
04:29near future.
04:31First up is Fiji, a tropical paradise loved by tourists.
04:35This nation is in a tough spot because of its low-lying landscape.
04:39There, extreme warming could cause sea levels to rise by as much as 6 feet by the year 2100.
04:46It doesn't help the fact that Fiji sits right in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, where massive
04:51storms can quickly turn things into chaos.
04:55That means people there need to brace themselves for more frequent flooding, and they're already
05:00taking action.
05:01To protect against coastal erosion, some communities are lining the seashore with old tires to keep
05:07sand from washing away in stronger waves.
05:10Others are planting mangroves across the coast.
05:13These trees can reduce the height of waves hitting the shore by an average of 31%.
05:18Plus, they help cut down wind speeds, which really matters during cyclones.
05:25Next on the red list is Vanuatu.
05:27This chain of islands, located between Australia and Fiji, could be underwater sooner than we
05:33think.
05:34And they're already making changes.
05:36Vanuatu is one of the first Pacific nations to relocate an entire community to safer ground.
05:42Back in 2005, people living in vulnerable areas on the north island of Tegua moved to higher
05:47land.
05:49With temperatures continuing to rise, they're bracing for even more intense tropical cyclones.
05:54That means heavier rainfall, more flooding, and a much higher risk to both homes and infrastructure.
06:01The Marshall Islands are also facing a serious risk.
06:04This country is home to around 39,000 people and lives on the opposite side of the world from
06:10the United Kingdom.
06:11It's an extremely low-lying island nation built on what's basically a coral reef.
06:16According to NASA, sea levels there have risen by almost 4 inches over the past 30 years.
06:22And they could rise by about 7 and a half inches over the next 30.
06:27And that's no small thing.
06:28If nothing is done, the islands could face more than 100 days of flooding every year by
06:33the end of the century.
06:36People over there are afraid of losing their homes.
06:39Studies also show that up to 40% of the buildings in the capital city, Majuro, could end up underwater
06:45in the future.
06:46But this country isn't ready to give up, and they're reinforcing the infrastructure.
06:51The Solomon Islands are also being slowly swallowed by the sea.
06:55This region has been experiencing sea-level rise at nearly three times the global average.
07:01Over the years, satellite images have shown that five vegetated reef islands have already
07:06vanished beneath the waves.
07:08On the bright side, the people there are working hard to protect their homes.
07:12They're building stone walls along the coast and planting mangroves to hold back the water.
07:18But the worst case might be Tuvalu, as it could become the first country to turn completely
07:23uninhabitable because of rising seas.
07:26This island chain, located about halfway between Australia and Hawaii, sits only about 9 feet
07:32above sea level.
07:34And in its narrowest spot, in a place called Funga Fale, the land is just about 65 feet wide.
07:40You can see how vulnerable the situation is, right?
07:44I mean, even before the higher tides arrive, the country's limited farmland could be affected
07:49by saltwater.
07:50These islands are a powerful example of resilience.
07:54And a reminder that sinking cities don't have to mean disappearing ones.
07:58While the challenges are real, the global response to sea-level rise is growing stronger
08:03every day.
08:04Around the world, communities are adapting, innovating, and coming together to tackle the
08:09threat of rising water.
08:11That's it for today!
08:12So hey, if you've pacified your curiosity, then give the video a like and share it with
08:16your friends.
08:17Or if you want more, just click on these videos and stay on the Bright Side!
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