A rising tide: Melting ice sheets and sea level rises

How much are sea levels rising by? What does it mean for us and for the generations to come? And what can we do about it? 

 

Take your ears on a round-the-world trip, from the icy polar north to the lush tropical paradise of the Marshall Islands, to find out how we got here and ways to fix it.  

 

Along the way, we'll ask: 

-Is Greenland turning into Swiss cheese? 

-Who is most at risk from rising seas? 

-Could mangrove forests save the world? 

 

About the episode: 

 

As polar ice sheets melt our sea levels are rising - over 20cm globally since the start of the industrial revolution and the rate is accelerating. What does this mean for the half of us globally who live within a few kilometres of coastline? Tori & Khalil speak to scientists and activist Selina Leem from the Marshall Islands - forecast to be uninhabitable within a decade due to sea level rise - to find out what’s happening and how we can support nature to fight back the rising tides. 

 

Contributors this episode: 

Selina Leem - Climate activist from the Marshall Islands 

Laura Tenenbaum - Climate expert and former NASA scientist 

Dr. Mark Spalding - Senior marine scientist with the Nature Conservancy and mangrove expert 

Dr Bethan Davies - Glaciologist from Newcastle University

Iris Moeller - Professor of Geography at the University of Dublin 

 

Join the conversation on social media using #OurBrokenPlanet and tag us: 

Instagram: @natural_history_museum 

Twitter: @NHM_London 

TikTok: @its_NHM 

 

Learn more about how you can take action for nature at nhm.ac.uk/podcast

 

Resources for this episode: 

 

What you can do to help the planet: https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/what-you-can-do-to-help-the-planet.html 

 

How does climate change affect the ocean? https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/quick-questions/how-does-climate-change-affect-the-ocean.html 

 

How to cope with eco anxiety: https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/how-to-cope-with-eco-anxiety.html