This article, by Matheus Pupo, is part of a series highlighting members of the Office of Sustainability’s Experts Database. In a collaboration with instructor Hannah Monroe’s course, LSC 561: Writing Science for the Public, students interviewed campus sustainability experts and produced short feature stories.
As climate change intensifies, the urgency for collective action to protect our environment has become obvious. Scientists emphasize the critical need for both individual, daily actions and broader policy changes to address the global challenge. Sustainability offers a pathway to adapt to and mitigate climate change while minimizing human impact on the environment, and one UW–Madison faculty member has employed a wide range of research aims to advance sustainability efforts.
Feng He is a senior scientist in Atmospheric, Oceanic, and Space Sciences at the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies. His research aims to predict the effects of warmer oceans on Antarctic ice sheets. Warmer oceans could cause a collapse in polar ice sheets, causing sea levels ti rise considerably.
“We want to reproduce past climate change to predict the future,” He said.
It turns out that the Ea
rth’s climate today is similar to what it was more than 125,000 years ago, during another warm period. It’s a wake-up call, He said, reminding us that we are walking into familiar territory in terms of climate.
“At that time,” He explained, “sea level was about six to nine meters higher than the pre-industrial time.”
Six to nine more meters of sea level rise would cause widespread damage or submergence of infrastructure in coastal cities or islands. Many coastal megacities lie on river deltas that are also major centers for agriculture, fisheries, and hydrocarbon production.
“Right now, 70 percent of the world’s largest cities are near the coast,” He said. “This means that 40 percent of the U.S. population is on a coast. If we have large and very fast sea level rise, infrastructure wouldn’t have enough time to accommodate that.”
Coastal lowlands, which rise less than 10 meters above sea level, are particularly susceptible to the climate change effects forecast for the twenty-first century, including the threat of inundation by accelerating sea level rise and increases in severity and frequency of tropical storm surges. Venice, a city renowned for its intricate canal system, faces increasingly frequent and severe inundations. When sea levels rise, the iconic St. Mark’s Square regularly finds itself underwater during extreme high tides. These floods not only threaten the city’s architectural treasures but also disrupt daily life for residents and businesses. As we confront the reality of rising sea levels, the challenges faced by Venice underscore the urgency of global action to address climate change and mitigate its impacts worldwide.
“With similar temperatures and even greater concentration of carbon dioxide as the last time the polar ice sheets melted, eventually polar ice will melt,” He said.
He also said that multiple meters of sea level rise will continue to make storms worse. This could threaten inland water tables, potentially mixing freshwater aquifers with sea water.
“This is the biggest challenge for the future of climate change,” He said.
However, He highlighted the scarcity of comprehensive data covering the crucial period of transformation. While records dating back to 1850 demonstrate gradual environmental changes, the full scope of rapid climate change remains uncertain due to data limitations. This incomplete coverage impedes our understanding of the true extent and pace of climate shifts. With much of the available data focusing on the acceleration phase, a significant gap in knowledge persists.
“Although there is an extra challenge posed by outdated instruments, we have available data as a starting point,” He said. “Understanding how regional changes correlate with larger-scale trends and how these insights can be used as a tool [can] inform strategies and policies worldwide.”
There are several actions we can take to address climate change now, He said. Transitioning to renewable energy sources more quickly is essential, as fossil fuels not only contribute to pollution but also can cause serious health risks.
“I own an electric car, and I do feel like I’m doing something good,” He said. 