Climate change: It’s only getting worse

Once again a climate change denier is trying to convince us that we are safe from flooding “until the next glacial period begins,” presumably many hundreds of years from now.

Unfortunately, the actual situation is not so simple, is probably closer in time, and is far more threatening to our safety, than previously thought.

Consider the factors that have been omitted:

The land is also sinking or “subsiding,” thus magnifying the overall effect on sea level.

Erosion of surface soil due to loss of vegetation, and saturation of the soil by excess rainfall also magnifies the increase in sea level.

Sea level is increasing at an accelerating rate due to global forces that climatologists until recently did not think was possible.

Let’s not forget the effects of hurricanes, which appear to be occurring at an increased frequency and can override any model of basal sea level change.

Thus, we are far from immune from the forces of nature that are clearly becoming more threatening to our environment. We can look forward to these untoward effects occurring with more intensity and higher frequency in the future as a result of our ill-advised withdrawal from the Paris climate accord.

This story was originally published June 14, 2017 at 6:00 AM with the headline "Climate change: It’s only getting worse."