How Can Science Fiction Serve as a Medium to Convey the Impacts of Global Sea Level Rise to the General Public?

Abstract:

Climate change as a result of globalization has yielded negative environmental impacts such as rising sea level, which can be attributed to such factors as thermal expansion, melting glaciers and the loss of ice sheets. This study will examine the impacts of rising sea level on five locales: Vunidogoloa, Shishmaref, Hong Kong, Majuro and New York. The effects of rising sea level in these areas are saltwater inundation leading to flooding, ocean bluff and shoreline erosion, susceptibility of coastal land reclamations to flooding, chronic coastal erosion and inundation due to swell waves and storm events and beach erosion respectively. Despite the tremendous impacts of rising sea levels on the noted locales, a general awareness for these impacts remains minimal. This exploration will investigate the relationship between the science fiction genre and scientific fact as a means of raising awareness on the impacts of rising sea levels. An analysis of preexisting literature and case studies will serve as the basis of scientific fact to create a piece under the science fiction genre. The role of cultural and economic variability on differing social and environmental impacts across the selected locales will be considered. Consequently, the results of the exploration will be exhibited through the science fiction medium to summarize the complexities of rising sea level for a broader audience.