The conclusion of a new scientific research, published in the journal Science Advances, has found that over the centuries, land which is presently inhabited by a billion people would be lost under water. Burning the world’s entire coal, oil and gas would melt the whole Antarctic ice-sheet, causing the oceans to rise by more than 50m.

Ricarda Winkelmann, at the Postdam Institute for Climate Impact Research in Germany, who led the research, said it is the first time they have seen that there is enough fossil fuel to melt all of Antarctica.

Winkelmann said, “This would not happen overnight, but the mind-boggling point is that our actions today are changing the face of planet Earth as we know it, and will continue to do so for tens of thousands of years to come”. Winkelmann said if we want to avoid Antarctica to become ice-free, we have to keep coal, gas and oil in the ground.

The Antarctic ice cap is the largest on Earth, but presently it is contributing just around 10% of the sea level rise being driven by climate change because despite warming, the continent temperatures are still largely below freezing.

In May 2014, scientists said a huge part of the west Antarctic ice sheet has already doomed due to the long-term effect of greenhouse gases that were already emitted into the atmosphere. They said that the melting of this part of the ice sheet is likely to raise sea level by around four meters over the course of a few centuries.

The recent study has shown that in case all the world’s fossil fuel resources are extracted and burned then the much larger east Antarctic ice sheet would also melt ultimately. The study was based on detailed computer models, accounting for warming air and ocean temperatures, ice flow and potential changes in snowfall.