New Study: Sea Levels Higher Than Thought, Millions More at Risk Globally

• A new study reveals climate change's rising seas threaten millions more people than previously estimated due to underestimated coastal water heights.
• Researchers found about 90% of previous studies underestimated baseline coastal water heights by an average of 30 cm, especially in the Global South, Pacific, and Southeast Asia.
• The discrepancy stems from a "methodological blind spot" in measuring sea and land altitudes, with many studies incorrectly assuming a "zero-metre" sea level baseline.
• More accurate baselines suggest that a 1-meter sea level rise could inundate 37% more land and threaten an additional 77 to 132 million people.
• Climate activist Vepaiamele Trief from Vanuatu shares real-world impacts like eroded beaches and submerged graves, emphasizing the human cost of these miscalculations.