Generations-old fishing community faces heart-wrenching decision as coastlines vanish: 'This sea is my soul'

As heat-trapping air pollution warms up the Earth to a dangerous level, one of the major changes underway is a rise in sea level. The polar ice caps and various glaciers around the world are melting at an alarming rate, which leads to water creeping higher and higher on beaches everywhere.

One area under threat from this phenomenon is Alexandria, the second-largest city in Egypt, the Guardian reported.

What's happening?

Alexandria has existed since 331 B.C., and its famous lighthouse was one of the Seven Wonders of the World. In its time, it has weathered tidal waves that have sunken portions of the city.

However, by 2100, a report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change predicts that thousands of kilometers along the Nile River delta — including Alexandria — will be underwater.

To the busy community of fishers living in El Max outside Alexandria, that threat is distant and of less concern than the changes they are already facing, like a diminishing catch and eroding beaches. Though they see the danger, as disasters have struck neighboring Libya, there is still a hesitancy to move away.

"They want us to leave here, but I don't know where to go," resident Umm Amr said of the authorities, per the Guardian. "I grew up on the sand of El Max and lived here among good people who love each other. This sea is my soul, and I cannot live without it."

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Why is the fate of this fishing community important?

El Max and Alexandria are just some of the world's sinking cities threatened by rising sea levels. Coastal communities everywhere are at risk, and even whole island nations, especially when storms whip the waters even higher.

Aside from property damage, the potential loss of life, and the destruction of historic landmarks, the damage to coasts worldwide could also affect seafood production and other ocean-based industries, harming even those who live well inland.

What's being done about the rising sea level?

The most direct solution is to cool down the planet by reducing the creation of heat-trapping air pollution. You can help with that by choosing electric cars and appliances over gas.

There are also many organizations looking for ways to restore the ice caps by refreezing the ice.