How does mankind prepare for the effects of climate change? The seas are already rising causing flooding during high tides and storms. This is occurring with a few inches rise. By 2100 a conservative expectation is over a foot with six feet being possible. In a couple of centuries the world’s glaciers may have melted causing the seas to rise more than two hundred feet. This rise would flood the world’s coastal cities and many of the interior ones like Washington D.C., London, New Orleans, Houston, Paris, Cairo, and many others. How does a city prepare? Do what New Orleans has tried to do and build not just 20 foot dikes but over 200 foot ones, encircling the cities? Miami has zoned for the streets to be raised over 10 feet so ground floors will become basements.    

            The past few years has seen mega-droughts and extreme temperatures along the Pacific and Southwest states. Even Alaska has had triple digit temperatures, melting permafrost.

            The changing climate is causing extremely heavy rains and flooding in great swaths of America. Atmospheric rivers are dumping a foot or two of rain and many feet of snow inland from the Pacific Coast and in Europe. One violent storm after another has been and will continue to hit Texas, the Southeast, and the Mid Atlantic States. Europe and Asia are also being hit by these events. The Gulf Coast was known for category one and two hurricanes but now the Atlantic and Gulf are much warmer making the three and four category storms common. Warm oceans mean heavier rain from storms using ocean air.

            As the world’s population continues to grow, more land will be used for housing and with the oceans rising causing cities to be abandoned land formerly used for agriculture will be used for housing. We have eight billion people with another five by 2100. Where will the food, land, and water come from for all those people?

            The world’s political leadership needs to be united in their efforts to reduce the increase in the warming gases and the effects of the damage to the existing environment. Today’s leaders are working on that vision but many people are trying to claim that it isn’t happening and climate change is another hoax just so they can become leaders of their countries. These people’s followers are anti science which means they vote for people who cater to those voters and disbelieving zealots. If those people take power in their countries they will try to stop reduction efforts.

            A concerted effort of all countries is necessary or mankind’s future is dim.