Scientists warn seas to rise faster than expected

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Sea levels could rise twice as much as previously projected, climate scientists warned as they presented the latest research on global warming. A 2007 report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change predicted a sea level rise of 7 to 23 inches (18 to 59 centimeters) by the end of the century. But scientists meeting Tuesday in Copenhagen dismissed those estimates as too conservative, saying new data suggests that sea level rise could exceed 39 inches (1 meter) and is unlikely to be less than 20 inches (50 centimeters). "This means that if the emissions of greenhouse gases is not reduced quickly and substantially even the best-case scenario will hit low-lying coastal areas, housing one-tenth of humans on the planet, hard," organizers said in a statement at the three-day congress hosted by the University of Copenhagen.