What will our planet look like when all the ice melts?

Because of global warming, glaciers are starting to melt, which in turn leads to an increase in global sea levels. Since 1961, over 9 trillion tonnes of ice have already melted, with sea levels increasing by 1 mm each year. What results can we expect from this trend?

Increasing sea levels might force many geographical landmarks underwater. This will particularly affect islands and cities built on them, like Venice. Asia will be dramatically transformed: Calcutta, India and Shanghai, China (cities with a combined 19 million population set to increase in the future) are at serious risk. In the United States, Florida is at risk.

In 2013, scientists from National Geographic calculated the amount of time it will take for all the ice on our planet to melt. If the temperature remains at the current level, this process will take around 5 thousand years. However, since our climate keeps getting warmer, this process is likely to happen much faster.

Flooding isn’t the only consequence of global warming. Climate change poses a great risk to many types of plants and animals. This spring, scientists have documented the first mammal extinction caused by climate change.