18 Feb 2009

First climate change refugees

I have just read in The Ecologist that lying off the coast of Papua New Guinea, the Carteret Islands are slowly being engulfed by a rising sea (see article here).

Photo by Pip Starr. www.starr.tv

As the sea level rises the islanders drinking water and crops have been poisoned by salt and one entire island has been cut in half by the waves. The 1000 Islanders are now being evacuated and their home abandoned to the waves. These are the first people to be officially labelled as climate change refugees.

Dan Box will be blogging live on his journey to the Carteret Islands at: www.journeytothesinkinglands.wordpress.com

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