Even if the nations of the world get their acts together and limit global warming as specified in the Paris Climate Accord, the seas will still rise just over a meter, according to scientists.

The new study from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research predicts the ocean level rising 0.7 to 1.2 meters by the year 2300, even if global warning is halted at 1.5 C degrees above pre-industrial levels.

"We need to realise that climate change is happening," said Associate Professor Pete Strutton from the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies at the University of Tasmania to Gizmodo Australia.  "Even if we stop emitting today, the effects of our past emissions will be felt for centuries to come and every year that we delay action has consequences for the future."

But it can get worse, and time is of the essence.  For every five years that nations of the earth fail to act, another 20 centimeters of water will be added to the rising seas.  "The next 30 years really matter," said the Potsdam Institute's Matthias Mengel, lead author of the study which appears in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

"For millions of people around the world living in coastal areas, every centimeter can make a huge difference - to limit sea-level rise risks, immediate carbon dioxide reduction is key," said study co-author Carl-Friedrich Schleussner.