Save polar bears

Sea level rise has been estimated to be on average between +2.6 millimetres (0.10 in) and 2.9 millimetres (0.11 in) per year ± 0.4 millimetres (0.016 in) since 1993.^[3]

Additionally, sea level rise has accelerated in recent years.^[4] For the period between 1870 and 2004, global average sea levels are estimated to have risen a total of 195 millimetres (7.7 in), and 1.7 millimetres (0.067 in) ± 0.3 millimetres (0.012 in) per year, with a significant acceleration of sea-level rise of 0.013 millimetres (0.00051 in) ± 0.006 millimetres (0.00024 in) per year per year.

According to one study of measurements available from 1950 to 2009, these measurements show an average annual rise in sea level of 1.7 millimetres (0.067 in) ± 0.3 millimetres (0.012 in) per year during this period, with satellite data showing a rise of 3.3 millimetres (0.13 in) ± 0.4 millimetres (0.016 in) per year from 1993 to 2009.^[5] Sea level rise is one of several lines of evidence that support the view that the global climate has recently warmed.^[6] In 2014 the USGCRP National Climate Assessment projected that by the year 2100, the average sea level rise will have been between one and four feet (300mm-1200mm) since the date of the 2014 assessment. Current rates of sea level rise have roughly doubled since the pre 1992 rates of sea level rise of the 20th century.^[7]

In 2007, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) stated that it is very likely human-induced(anthropogenic) warming contributed to the sea level rise observed in the latter half of the 20th century.^[8] The 2013IPCC report (AR5) concluded, "there is high confidence that the rate of sea level rise has increased during the last two centuries, and it is likely that GMSL (Global Mean Sea Level) has accelerated since the early 1900’s.^[9]

Sea level rises can considerably influence human populations in coastal and island regions and natural environments like marine ecosystems.^[10][11] Sea level rise is expected to continue for centuries.^[12] Because of the slow inertia, long response time for parts of the climate system, it has been estimated that we are already committed to a sea-level rise of approximately 2.3 metres (7.5 ft) for each degree Celsius of temperature rise within the next 2,000 years.^[13] It has been suggested that besides CO2 emissions reductions, a short term action to reduce sea level rise is to cut emissions of heat trapping gases such as methane and particulates such as soot.^[14][15]