If all existing ice melted away, sea level would rise about 200 feet (60 m). Some of the rise would come from the meltwater itself. But a considerable amount of the rise would come from thermal expansion (as water warms, it expands). Were this to happen, some estimates suggest that up to half the world's population would be affected. That would, indeed, be catastrophic! Fortunately, not even many anthropogenic global warming (AGW) pessimists believe this will happen. Most experts, including the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), predict a rise of several inches to a maximum of 3 feet (1 m) during this century. Nonetheless, even this rise would be extremely damaging to some coastal areas.

Low-lying coastal plains tend to be very fertile; hence, they attract farmers. In some countries, people flock to coastal areas to live because of their scenery and recreational potential. Many of the world's largest cities are located on coasts, where they grew as seaports. A number of low-lying island countries would be threatened, including the Bahamas.

Of the mainland countries that face a severe threat from a rising sea level, none is in greater jeopardy than Bangladesh. Most of the small South Asian country was formed by silt deposits from the Ganges (Ganga) and Brahmaputra rivers. Bangladesh is so low in elevation that during severe (and frequent) flooding, more than half of its land area is under water. Most of the country's nearly 160 million people live very near sea level. Even a slight rise in the sea would submerge the land on which they now live and upon which they depend for their living. (Bangladesh is about the size of the state of Georgia. But its population is more than half that of the United States and nearly five times greater than that of Canada.)

In the United States, many coastal areas would be threatened, even by a slight rise in sea level. Nearly all cities and other coastal settlements along the entire Gulf of Mexico would be in serious jeopardy. This is particularly true of New Orleans, much of which already lies below sea level. So would low-lying areas along the Atlantic coast of Florida, Georgia, the Carolinas, and Virginia. New York and Boston are among the northeastern cities that would be affected by a rising sea. Given time to adapt, however, measures can be taken to protect cities and lands. (Sixty-five percent of the Netherlands lies at elevations below sea level.)

Much has been written about the melting of Arctic sea ice. However, because it is already in the sea, melting sea ice does not cause sea level to rise. Is the melting of sea ice really a bad thing? It is, of course, another indicator used by some scientists and others to "prove" that global warming is occurring. On the highly positive side, were the Arctic Ocean opened to shipping, thousands of miles of travel would be saved. Vessels could pass through the Arctic between Europe and Asia without going through the Panama Canal or around the southern tip of South America. This would greatly reduce the amount of fossil fuel burned by ships. Shipping costs, hence, the price of shipped goods, would drop--a benefit to hundreds of millions of people. According to the Arctic Research Center at the University of Illinois, Arctic ice cover is no longer disappearing. In the winter of 2008-2009, the expanse of global sea ice (which includes the Arctic and elsewhere) was equal to that of three decades ago.

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