Keith Alverson, Head of Climate Adaptation and Terrestrial Ecosystems at the United Nations Environment Programme: "Off the west coast of the USA, sea level has been going down for the last 20 years"

Bracing for an unknown future with a hotter climate | Environment | DW.DE | 22.06.2012

 When it comes to adapting to a changing climate, it is essential to concentrate on local developments, explained Keith Alverson, Head of Climate Adaptation and Terrestrial Ecosystems at the United Nations Environment Programme. He used the example of sea-level change, which varies in different parts of the world.

"Something a lot of people don't realize is that sea level rise is not a global signal. Off the west coast of the USA, sea level has been going down for the last 20 years," Alverson explained. At the same time, rising seas threaten to completely submerge island states like the Maldives.