A sea level rise of only a few meters would inundate thousands of square kilometers of highly populated and developed land. In Amsterdam, London, Rotterdam, Portsmouth or other low-lying coastal areas; communities, highways, factories, ports, railroads and many types of industry would be flooded.
The complete melting of Greenland would raise sea levels by 7 meters (23 feet). But even a partial melting would cause a one-meter (three-foot) rise. Such a rise would have a devastating impact on low-lying island countries which would be entirely submerged.