Going south

This chart shows how Antarctic ice would be affected by different emissions scenarios. (GtC stands for gigatons of carbon.) Credit: Ken Caldeira and Ricarda Winkelmann.

This disturbing new graphic and research just published by Ken Caldeira and Ricarda Winkelmann on Science Advances shows the predicted impacts on Antarctic ice of burning all remaining fossil fuels. Here is a quote from the press release:

New work from an international team including Carnegie’s Ken Caldeira demonstrates that the planet’s remaining fossil fuel resources would be sufficient to melt nearly all of Antarctica if burned, leading to a 50- or 60-meter (160 to 200 foot) rise in sea level. Because so many major cities are at or near sea level, this would put many highly populated areas where more than a billion people live under water, including New York City and Washington, DC.

At this rate, my novel Shackleton’s Man Goes South—in part a story of climate change refugees fleeing to the safety of a post-melt Antarctica—is starting to look like a future work of non-fiction.

You can still download Shackleton’s Man Goes South free and DRM-free in all ebook formats direct from publisher the Science Museum.

Listen to audiobook extracts of Shackleton’s Man Goes South on my Soundcloud page