And what if climate refugees have no place to go?

PARIS, Nov 29 (AFP) Nov 29, 2009 — The UN refugee agency says some 24 million people worldwide have fled their homes due to environmental factors, and warns their ranks could grow tenfold by mid-century, spurred greatly by climate change. Sheer numbers and the lack of legal status under international law mean a vicious humanitarian […]

Climate change to cost trillions, say economists

By Richard Ingham PARIS (AFP) — Estimates vary widely on the costs of damage from climate change, easing these impacts and taming the carbon gas stoking the problem, but economists agree the bill is likely to be in the trillions of dollars. Figures depend on different forecasts for greenhouse-gas emissions and the timeline for reaching […]

Rising sea levels: A tale of two cities

By Michael Hirst in Rotterdam and Kate McGeown in Maputo When people talk about the impact of rising sea levels, they often think of small island states that risk being submerged if global warming continues unchecked. But it’s not only those on low-lying islands who are in danger. Millions of people live by the sea […]

World's largest ice sheet melting faster than expected

East Antarctic sheet shedding 57bn tonnes of ice a year and contributing to sea level rises, according to NASA aerial survey By Ian Sample, science correspondentwww.guardian.co.uk, Sunday 22 November 2009 18.00 GMT  The world’s largest ice sheet has started to melt along its coastal fringes, raising fears that global sea levels will rise faster than […]

Insurance giant warns climate ‘tipping points’ in sight

By James Murray, BusinessGreen, Monday 23 November 2009 at 14:24:00 The world is dangerously close to climatic “tipping points” that could result in catastrophic environmental, social and economic consequences, according to a major new study commissioned by the WWF and global insurance giant Allianz. The report from the UK’s Tyndall Centre warns that, unless carbon […]

Kiribati: Land of the rising sea

On the front line of climate change, the people of the Pacific Islands are desperately looking for higher ground. Adam Morton reports from Kiribati. When a coconut tree dies the decay starts at the top. The leaves fall, then the fruit. All that is left is a desiccated trunk, cut off at half-mast. In areas […]

Graph of the Day: Sea Level Rise at Australia coastline, Early 1990s – June 2009

The net relative sea level trend in mm/year after subtracting the effects of the vertical movement of the platform and the inverse barometric pressure effect utilising all the data collected since the start of the project up to the end of June 2009. Australia National Tidal Centre, Bureau of Meteorology, The Australian Baseline Sea Level […]

Thailand's rising tide of problems

By Fiona Walker Thailand’s coast is best known to many Scots for its beaches and backpackers. But just round the corner from the sunbathers is a world where the rising sea level has taken their homes. Not just once – some families have had to move 11 times to escape the encroaching water and the […]

Sea level rise eroding island in Scotland

By Fiona Walker When you talk to people in South Uist about climate change, many already know what may be in store for them. They really live the weather, noting down its changes and understanding its impact upon their lives. Where Seumas MacDonald grew up he says people used to plough land that’s now under […]

Rising CO2 will cause catastrophic sea level rise finds Antarctic study

Sea levels could rise by up to six metres if the world fails to get pollution under control according to the latest study in the Antarctic.   By Louise Gray, Environment CorrespondentPublished: 1:56PM GMT 18 Nov 2009 The British Antarctic Survey found that during past periods of high carbon dioxide, temperatures in Antarctica were up […]

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