By BREANA ROSS

The idea that sea levels are rapidly rising and eventually will engulf most of the land that we call home is not exactly the most uplifting topic. Most people find the topic rather disheartening.

It’s one of those “what you don’t know won’t hurt you” topics. Yes, the truth can be disappointing but it is the job of the news media to tell readers what they need to know, even if it may not be what they want to know.

New findings about the dangers and speed of sea level rise were published this week. Reports revealed that melting ice in Antarctica could cause sea levels to rise by one meter, or three feet, within the next century. Factoring in melting ice all around the world, sea levels could rise five to six feet by the end of the century, making some areas impossible to live on.

So what makes this newsworthy? Why does the news media feel that readers and viewers should be aware of rising sea levels expected to occur in a century when we will all surely be dead by then?

The answer is simple. We, as humans, are the ones contributing to this problem. It is a domino effect. Every time we do something that harms the environment, we are contributing to the emission of heat trapping gases into the environment, thus contributing to the greater issue of climate change. As temperatures rise, so do sea levels.

The news media present us with this information to show the effects of our actions. Though we may not be alive to see and experience the effects of rising sea levels, the next generations will be. Our actions today are affecting how others will live in the future. Although rising sea levels seems to be a distant phenomenon that we do not want to think about, it is something we need to think about.