Coastal home owners face huge losses from rising sea

Sea levels are widely expected to rise about one meter (3.3 feet) this century due to climate change, faster than the 18-59 cms (7-23 inches) outlined in a United Nations Climate Panel report in 2007.

And coastal communities around the world are already feeling the destructive effects of more frequent and violent ocean storms — a portent of rising seas.

Powerful storms along China’s coast are washing salt onto farmland, severely reducing crop yields and there are fears saltwater may be contaminating vital fresh water aquifers.

The first wave of climate change refugees have started leaving their island homes in the South Pacific as storm surges contaminate fresh water supplies and flood coastal crop lands.

Reuters