Experts have been talking about climate change for decades now, and it continues to be a major issue. While a lot has been done to make the world more energy efficient, the overall demands for energy has also grown at a rapid pace, largely offsetting the benefits of efficiency.

Most climate experts agree that the impact of greenhouse gasses will have a major impact on every part of the globe, but one area where it can most easily be seen is in Antarctica. In 2024, a group of hundreds of scientists held a summit in Australia to talk about the impact and what can be expected in the future. Recently, they released a statement explaining what they believe, and issuing a number of warnings about what may happen if major steps aren’t taken to reduce human impact on the climate. One point in the statement reads:

“Nowhere on Earth is there a greater cause of uncertainty in sea-level rise projections than from East Antarctica, in Australia’s backyard. The East Antarctic Ice Sheet alone holds enough water to raise global sea levels by approximately 50 meters [164 feet] if completely melted. Implications for our coastal cities and infrastructure are immense.”

Having the sea-level rise by this much would impact every coastal region of the world, displacing billions of people. While this rise in water would occur over the course of decades, the impact would be devastating, especially on the poor of the world who can’t simply pack up and leave.

Another issue to take into account with these types of warnings is that even when the sea-level rises by a relatively small amount, it can have a big impact during storms. The deeper waters and the fact that they go up closer to manmade structures can result in much more devastation and loss of life.

When it comes to the world’s climate, Antarctica has a huge role to play, which is commented on in the statement:

“The services of the Southern Ocean and Antarctica – oceanic carbon sink and planetary air-conditioner – have been taken for granted. Global warming-induced shifts observed in the region are immense. Recent research has shown record-low sea ice, extreme heatwaves exceeding 40°C above average temperatures, and increased instability around key ice shelves. Shifting ecosystems on land and at sea underscore this sensitive region’s rapid and unprecedented transformations. Runaway ice loss causing rapid and catastrophic sea-level rise is possible within our lifetimes. Whether such irreversible tipping points have already passed is unknown.”

Climate scientists also make it clear that this is not just a potential problem that could present itself in the future. Sea-levels rising and ice in this region melting has already been happening for years, and it is only getting worse. The Australian Antarctic Program Partnership (AAPP) says that the global sea level has already gone up by 10.5 centimeters (just over 4 inches) in the last 30 years.

If major changes aren’t made in the way humanity adds greenhouse gasses to the environment, things will only continue to get worse.

If you thought that was interesting, you might like to read about the mysterious “pyramids” discovered in Antarctica. What are they?