The city of Miami should take the time to celebrate the Heat's second consecutive NBA Championship, because in the future, rising sea levels could submerge the city, creating a new Atlantis. We're just joking—it will probably be another 100 or so years before Miami goes underwater, but the coming decades could see the city begin to sink as sea levels creep into roads, drinking supplies and building foundations. University of Miami chairman of the department of geological sciences Harold Wanless seems convinced of this, bluntly stating "It's not a question of if. It's a question of when." So much for the future being unwritten.
The reason is rather simple. Sea levels are rising thanks to global warming, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration estimates that it could rise by over six feet by century's end. While Florida's southern area isn't the only place that's royally fucked (Boston and New York are in trouble, as well), they have a very specific problem because roughly 75 percent of the 5.5 million inhabitants reside right on the coast.
So, in short, anyone who lives in or frequents Miami right now should live it up. Though you'll be long dead by the time the city will allegedly become an underwater treasure, things don't exactly look pleasant for the not-so-distant future.
But nobody's really thinking about any of that right now because the Heat are your 2013 NBA Champions once again.
[via Rolling Stone]
