A Flooded World

A briefing by the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE) discussing research on accelerated sea-level rise and the necessary emissions reductions for Canada to meet global climate targets.

• A study by nineteen climate scientists, including former NASA researcher James Hansen, suggests that global sea levels could rise by several meters within 50 to 150 years if greenhouse gas emissions continue to increase. This multi-meter rise could occur even if the United Nations Framework on Climate Change's target of limiting global temperature increases to 2 degrees C is met.
• Research from February 2016 predicts that 20% of the global population may be forced to migrate from coastal areas due to rising oceans unless climate change is halted soon. This scenario would result in the submergence of major cities including New York, London, Rio de Janeiro, Cairo, Calcutta, Jakarta, and Shanghai, with social and economic impacts lasting thousands of years.
• To maintain a global temperature increase below 1.5 degrees C relative to pre-industrial levels, the International Panel on Climate Change states that greenhouse gas emissions must be reduced by 70 to 95% by 2050 compared to 2010 levels.
• In 2010, Canada's greenhouse gas emissions totaled 707 megatonnes, with the largest contributors being the transportation sector (24%), the oil and gas industry (23%), and the electricity sector (14%).
• The electricity sector is identified as the fastest route for emissions reductions in Canada. Ontario reduced emissions by nearly 20% since 2005 by closing six coal-fired power plants. Alberta's decision in 2015 to accelerate the closure of its coal-fired power plants is projected to cut its emissions by 17% by 2030, reducing Canada's total emissions by 6% and providing $300 million in annual health benefits.

APA

Perrotta, K. (2016). A Flooded World. Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment. https://cape.ca/time-for-action-a-flooded-world/

Chicago

Perrotta, Kim. A Flooded World. Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment, 2016. https://cape.ca/time-for-action-a-flooded-world/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Perrotta |first1=Kim |title=A Flooded World |publisher=Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment |date=29 March 2016 |url=https://cape.ca/time-for-action-a-flooded-world/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{perrotta2016flooded, author = {Perrotta, Kim}, title = {{A Flooded World}}, institution = {Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment}, year = {2016}, month = mar, url = {https://cape.ca/time-for-action-a-flooded-world/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }