Is Sea Level Rise a Known Threat? A Discussion Based on an Online Survey

Since the last century, global warming has been triggering sea level rise at an unprecedented
rate. In the worst case climate scenario, sea level could rise by up to 1.1 m above the current level,
causing coastal inundation and cascading effects, thus affecting about one billion people around
the world. Though widespread and threatening, the phenomenon is not well known to citizens
as it is often overshadowed by other effects of global warming. Here, we show the results of an
online survey carried out in 2020–2021 to understand the level of citizens’ knowledge on sea level
rise including causes, effects, exacerbation in response to land subsidence and best practice towards
mitigation and adaptation. The most important result of the survey is that citizens believe that it
is up to governments to take action to cope with the effects of rising sea levels or mitigate the rise
itself. This occurs despite the survey showing that they actually know what individuals can do and
that a failure to act poses a threat to society. Gaps and preconceptions need to be eradicated by
strengthening the collaboration between scientists and schools to improve knowledge, empowering
our society.