WHAT THE EARTH WOULD LOOK LIKE IF ALL THE ICE WAS MELTED

The urgent problem of global warming impacts everyone. National Geographic has released a series of maps that show how the Earth would appear visually different if all of the ice on the planet melted, even though it might be difficult to tell right now because of the presence of polar ice caps. There are far fewer land masses above sea level in the world depicted in the maps. The thawing of all the glacial bodies would result in a 216-foot rise in water levels. Consequently, a large portion of the continents' present coastal regions would be underwater.

"There are more than five million cubic miles of [ice], and no one really knows how long it would take to melt it all," according to National Geographic. 5,000 years or more, according to some scientists. However, if we consume all of the planet's gas, oil, and coal reserves, adding an additional five trillion tons of carbon to the atmosphere, we will make the planet extremely hot, with an average temperature of maybe 80 degrees Fahrenheit rather than the current 58. Much of it could get too hot for people to live in. Additionally, it would probably be devoid of ice for the first time in over 30 million years.