The idea of entire cities being plunged underwater might sound like the plot of the latest science fiction blockbuster. But it could become a reality in just 75 years, according to a terrifying new study. Scientists from Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore, have predicted that global sea levels could rise by a staggering 6.2 feet (1.9 metres) by 2100 if carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions continue to increase. 'The high-end projection of 1.9 metres underscores the need for decision-makers to plan for critical infrastructure accordingly,' said Dr Benjamin Grandey, lead author of the study. If global sea levels were to rise by 6.2ft (1.9 metres), towns and cities around the world could be plunged underwater - including several in the UK.

They might be the front line of climate change; however, we still don't know much about what's going on at the underwater front of Greenland's glaciers. A planned robotic dive there could change that and expose some of the mysteries, hopefully revealing just how much these ice rivers will contribute to sea-level rise as a result of human-caused global warming. The new mission, led by researchers at The University of Texas, is set to launch in midsummer 2023 and will deploy a submersible robot to study three of Greenland's glaciers: Kangilliup Sermia, Umiammakku Sermiat, and Kangerlussuup Sermia, which are all located on the island's west coast. This is going to be the first time scientists will have a close-up look beneath Greenland's glaciers. The researchers will send a remotely operated submarine called Nereid Under Ice (NUI) to the glaciers' undersides, where they meet the ocean.

Climate models are critical tools for developing strategies to manage the risks posed by sea-level rise to coastal communities. While these models are necessary for understanding climate risks, there is a level of uncertainty inherent in each parameter in the models. This model parametric uncertainty leads to uncertainty in future climate risks. Consequently, there is a need to understand how those parameter uncertainties impact our assessment of future climate risks and the efficacy of strategies to manage them. Here, we use random forests to examine the parametric drivers of future climate risk and how the relative importances of those drivers change over time. We find that the equilibrium climate sensitivity and a factor that scales the effect of aerosols on radiative forcing are consistently the most important climate model parametric uncertainties throughout the 2020 to 2150 interval for both low and high radiative forcing scenarios. The near-term hazards of high-end sea-level rise are driven primarily by thermal expansion, while the longer-term hazards are associated with mass loss from the Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets. Our results highlight the practical importance of considering time-evolving parametric uncertainties when developing strategies to manage future climate risks.

Rising sea levels are not just predicted to change the landscape of the US, but it will also reshape where millions of people call home. Scientist used artificial intelligence to map where people will migrate once their coastal residence are under six-feet of water. The technology estimates nearly 13 million Americans will be forced to move by the end of the century, with many heading inland to land-locked cities such as Atlanta, Houston, Dallas, Denver and Las Vegas. The model also predicts suburban and rural areas in the Midwest will experience disproportionately large influx of people relative to their smaller local populations. The technology estimates nearly 13 million Americans will be forced to move by the end of the century, with many heading inland to land-locked cities such as Atlanta, Houston, Dallas, Denver and Las Vegas.

His work is focused on the ethics of technology, including such topics as artificial intelligence (AI) and ethics, the ethics of space exploration and use, the ethics of technological manipulation of humans, the ethics of mitigation of and adaptation towards risky emerging technologies, and various aspects of the impact of technology and engineering on human life and society, including the relationship of technology and religion, particularly the Catholic Church. He spoke to Charles Camosy.] Camosy: Can you tell us how you became interested and indeed expert in AI ethics? Green: My undergraduate degree was in genetics from the University of California, Davis, and I worked in molecular biology and biotech there, but ultimately I discovered that lab work was not for me. I had dreamed of being a scientist since I was a child, so this was very confusing and I didn't know what to do with myself, so I made what turned out to be one of the best decisions of my life and joined the Jesuit Volunteers International.