http://www.monbiot.com/archives/2007/07/03/a-sudden-change-of-state/
The IPCC predicts that sea levels could rise by as much as 59cm this century(2). Hansen’s paper argues that the slow melting of ice sheets the panel expects doesn’t fit the data. The geological record suggests that ice at the poles does not melt in a gradual and linear fashion, but flips suddenly from one state to another. When temperatures increased to 2-3 degrees above today’s level 3.5 million years ago, sea levels rose not by 59 centimetres but by 25 metres. The ice responded immediately to changes in temperature(3).
It sucks that they just rebuilt Wembley and now it is going to drown. But how fast is sea level actually rising, outside of the ivory tower?
According to the University of Colorado, sea level has been rising at 2.1 mm / year since 2005. At that rate, it will take 11,900 years for sea level to rise 25 metres. Dr. Hansen will be almost 12,000 years old at that time.
Only problem is, by then we will almost undoubtedly be back in an ice age.
http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/files/2008/06/snowball-earth.jpg
