"Let me state what the official IPCC prediction is: Sea levels could go up as much as three-quarters of a meter in this century, but there is a reasonable probability it could be much higher than that"

This quote by Steven Chu is referring to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) prediction of water level rise in this century. According to the IPCC, sea levels could rise by as much as three-quarters of a meter, however there is an affordable likelihood that it could be much greater than that. This means that the water level might increase significantly more than the anticipated three-quarters of a meter, and this might have major implications for coastal communities and environments. The rise in sea levels is triggered by the melting of glaciers and ice sheets due to international warming, and this might cause flooding, erosion, and other ecological catastrophes. It is important to act to reduce global warming and its impacts, in order to avoid more water level increase and its associated repercussions.