“With unmitigated emissions, a hundred of millions people’s lives will be impacted by sea level rise”

Having received the 11th Frontiers of Knowledge Award in Climate Change, John Church explains in this interview how changes in global sea level are a critical indicator of global warming. Drawing on his research in physical oceanography and geoscience, Church explains how the combination of thermal expansion of the oceans and melting land ice has accelerated sea level rise in recent decades. His reflections underscore the importance of monitoring, understanding, and modeling these trends to anticipate coastal impacts, guide adaptation policies, and protect vulnerable communities from future climate risks.

The BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award in the Climate Change category has gone in this eleventh edition to Anny Cazenave (France), John A. Church (Australia) and Jonathan Gregory (UK), for their outstanding contributions, the committee states, “to detecting, understanding and projecting the response of global and regional sea level to anthropogenic climate change.”