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Global sea levels could rise twice as fast as previously thought, according to a study published yesterday (May 20) in PNAS. Experts surveyed by the study authors estimate that, if emissions continue on their current trajectory, accelerated ice melt in Greenland and Antarctica could contribute to rises of 2 meters and lead to the displacement of nearly 200 million of people.
“To put this into perspective, the Syrian refugee crisis resulted in about a million refugees coming into Europe,” study coauthor Jonathan Bamber of the University of Bristol tells BBC News. “That is about 200 times smaller than the number of people who would be displaced in a 2m sea-level rise.”
Previous estimates for sea-level rises come from a 2013 report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Using computer models of future warming, that assessment predicted that if emissions are not reduced, the planet ...
