Earth Equity News

London Gathering Hears Dire News on Warming Impacts. By Nigel Morris, London Independent, April 29, 2008. "As many as one billion people could lose their homes by 2050 because of the devastating impact of global warming, scientists and political leaders will be warned today [at a conference here organized by the Institute for Public Policy Research]. They will hear that the steady rise in temperatures across the planet could trigger mass migration on unprecedented levels. Hundreds of millions could be forced... on the move because of water shortages and crop failures in most of Africa, as well as in central and southern Asia and South America... There could also be an effect on levels of starvation and on food prices as agriculture struggles to cope with growing demand in increasingly arid conditions. Rising sea levels could also cause havoc with coastal communities in southern Asia, the Far East, the south Pacific islands and the Caribbean... North and west Africans could head towards Europe, while the southern border of the U.S. could come under renewed pressure from Central America. The conference will hear a warning from the UN High Commissioner for Refugees that the developed world should start preparing for a huge movement of people caused by climate change."