With coastal areas bracing for rising sea levels, new
research indicates that cutting emissions of certain pollutants can greatly
slow down sea level rise this century.
The research team found that reductions in four pollutants
that cycle comparatively quickly through the atmosphere could slow the annual
rate of sea level rise by roughly 25 to 50 percent.
“To avoid potentially dangerous sea level rise, we could cut
emissions of short-lived pollutants even if we cannot immediately cut carbon
dioxide emissions,” says Aixue Hu of the National Center for Atmospheric
Research (NCAR), the first author of the study. “This new research shows that
society can significantly reduce the threat to coastal cities if it moves
quickly on a handful of pollutants.”