The Adverse Effects of Melting Ice Caps and Rising Sea Levels
Ellen Su
Environmental Studies
Department of Fashion Business: LIM College
The Adverse Effects of Melting Ice Caps and Rising Sea Levels
Professor K. Roberts
23 June 2025
Abstract
Melting ice caps and rising sea levels are responsible for the current devastation affecting the entire planet. When glaciers and ice sheets melt, they raise the volume and temperature of the ocean water. This leads to coastal flooding, erosion, and contaminates freshwater sources with saltwater. Earth’s most valuable resource is limited, so all humans must do their part in enacting positive change. The rising sea levels lead to the influx of hurricanes, storms, a decline in coastal livable areas, erosion, landslides, and a deficit of residential properties in accident-prone regions. For instance, Southern California is often affected by fires and erosion. From Florida to South Australia, melting ice caps pose a threat to Earth’s landscape and climate. This paper describes this phenomenon.
The Adverse Effects of Melting Ice Caps and Rising Sea Levels
Melting ice caps and rising sea levels are the core elements responsible for the current drastic devastation affecting the United States and the entire globe. The melting ice of glaciers and ice sheets causes excess water to enter the ocean, expanding the volume of water. Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets are the main perpetrators of coastal flooding, erosion, and saltwater intrusion into freshwater sources.
Only 3 percent of the planet’s water is freshwater, so this news serves as a permanent reminder that Earth’s most valuable resource is limited. Human greed has created a dangerous spiraling tornado of millions of people continuously desiring more materialistic items: constant shopping for new apparel, shoes, accessories, giant gas-guzzling vehicles, and expansive homes. All of the excess products come at the cost of global warming. The luxurious life most people desire is a direct example of people investing in the upscale of their lives, not the stability of the environment.
Sea level rise fluctuates in volume, as demonstrated in specific regions affected by flooding, such as Florida and South Australia (Bradbrook et Burke, 2025). “King tides, rain and strong winds have battered South Australia's coast, destroying three historic jetties and flooding properties with seawater,” (Bradbrook et Burke, 2025) is a current example of the diverse storms debilitating South Australia, severely impacted by the rising sea levels. If the Greenland ice sheet were entirely melted, it would raise global sea levels by 20 feet (World Wildlife Fund, 2025). Low-lying coastal areas are gravely endangered. The 2025 Pacific Palisades, CA fire (CA Fire Department, 2025) and the 2023-2024 landslides in Palos Verdes, Southern California, are two well-known examples of how residential areas are destroyed due to erosion (Hubler et al., 2023). Erosion is another adverse effect of the melting ice caps and rising sea levels, damaging residential communities throughout the country.
Increased accidents lead to high insurance premiums and reflect one part of the economic crisis that Gen-Z faces. Housing and healthcare costs have outpaced wage growth in New York City at a staggering rate. “The Williamsburg and Greenpoint neighborhoods saw average rent increase by 78.7 percent between 1990 and 2014, compared to 22.1 percent in the city as a whole” (Kinney, 2016). Brooklyn and Manhattan are now the two most expensive boroughs in the 5-borough New York City. This adverse effect pushes low-income and middle-class New Yorkers out of the city. The affluent come from all parts of the world to invest in multi-million-dollar real estate for a healthy return in the future, redefining the demographic.
“10% of the land area on Earth is covered with glacial ice. Almost 90% is in Antarctica, while the remaining 10% is in the Greenland ice cap (World Wildlife, 2025). Glacial ice melting correlates with flooding, pricier housing costs, landslides, soil erosion, and damage to freshwater sources. When the ice melts, it creates warmer air temperatures, shifting the natural conditions of various geographical locations. “The glacial melt we are witnessing today in Antarctic and Greenland is changing the circulation of the Atlantic Ocean and has been linked to the collapse of fisheries in the Gulf of Maine and more destructive storms and hurricanes around the planet” (World Wildlife, 2025). The storms and hurricanes are also interconnected with the melting ice caps. As sea water surges, its conditions affect the entire planet’s climate, landscape, and atmosphere.
Melting ice caps and rising sea levels create unusual weather, raise sea temperature, erode land, and contaminate freshwater sources. These adverse effects reduce livable areas consisting of residential coastal communities, lessen the amount of safe drinking water, and induce frequent occurrences of natural disasters. All living beings feel the change in weather, climate and notice the turbulent seas.
Enacting change begins with becoming aware of the environmental havoc. Transitioning to solar energy, wind power, and hydroelectric power would reduce the amount of greenhouse gases constantly released into the atmosphere. By installing energy-efficient appliances throughout apartment buildings and residential neighborhoods, and reducing deforestation, we can lessen the impact of the melting ice caps and rising sea levels (Iberdrola, 2025).
A tax deduction could be applied in the instance of a billionaire or multimillionaire investing in renewable energy. We can slow the rate of this issue through global initiatives to protect our environment and lobbying for change to implement strategic sustainable methods across the country. The Solaire, in Battery Park City, was one of the first sustainable residential buildings in the city, constructed with recycled materials, solar panels, and a green roof (Thomas, J, 2025). Renewable energy earns its seat at condo board meetings because people care about ethical, sustainable initiatives, rather than pure profit.
To conclude, we enact change by enforcing strict legal guidelines on the amount of carbon emissions permitted, switching to renewable energy within America, and making America great again by protecting the environment: the most precious entity of them all. There is no immediate, magical initiative to stop the melting of glacial ice, but these methods collectively contribute to greener energy and help protect the environment’s dwindling natural resources. We owe our livelihoods to protecting the beautiful planet, home to 8.7 million fauna species (Thompson, 2023) and 391,000 flora species (Dasgupta, 2016).
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Image Description: Knit glacier melting, near Anchorage, Alaska
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