The increased amount of freshwater in the marine environment threatens the delicate ecosystem of coral reefs that surround the islands. The melting of polar ice caps increases the amount of freshwater in the ocean, as well as causing sea levels to rise. The environment and economy of Maldives are threatened as sea levels rise and become less salty. Fishing is the nation’s second-largest industry. As the islands slowly sink underwater, they can support fewer tourists and tourist facilities, such as hotels. Tourism supports more than 25 percent of the Maldivian economy. Sea-level rise will likely create climate refugees because of changes in both economy and habitat. Maldives rises only 2.4 meters (eight feet) above sea level at its highest point. Maldives Maldives, an island nation in the Indian Ocean, is perhaps the country most threatened by sea level rise. The loss of wetlands also makes damage from storms like Hurricane Katrina more likely. The wetland ecosystem will be lost to more saltwater habitat, and fishermen will have to go further from shore to pursue fish. Sea-level rise puts the productive fisheries around the delta at risk as wetlands are submerged. Most land is eroding near the Mississippi delta. state of Louisiana loses about 65 square kilometers (25 square miles) to the sea every year. The loss of land could lead to as many as 20 million climate refugees from Bangladesh. Scientists predict Bangladesh will lose 17 percent of its land by 2050 due to flooding caused by climate change. In 1995, Bangladesh’s Bhola Island was half- submerged by rising sea levels, leaving 500,000 people homeless. For instance, about half the population of Bangladesh lives less than five meters (16.5 feet) above sea level. Rising sea levels already cause problems in low-lying coastal areas of the world. Sea-Level Rise The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) predicts that sea levels will rise a total of 0.18 to 0.6 meters (seven inches to two feet) between 19. In 2020 the Institute for Economics and Peace put the number of people at risk of displacement by 2050 at over 1 billion. A 2021 World Bank reported estimated that the climate crisis could drive more than 200 million people to move within their countries by 2050. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) says 36 million people were displaced by natural disasters in 2009, the last year such a report was taken. The International Red Cross estimates that there are more environmental refugees than political refugees fleeing from wars and other conflicts. Environmental refugees include immigrants forced to flee because of natural disasters, such as volcanoes and tsunamis. Climate refugees belong to a larger group of immigrants known as environmental refugees. Others effects, such as drought, make it impossible for people in the region to support themselves. Some of these effects, such as sea level rise, can put land completely underwater, making it uninhabitable. Rising temperatures also lead to droughts and desertification-the transformation of arable land to desert. This can cause flooding and make sea levels rise. ![]() Rising temperatures associated with global warming cause glaciers and ice caps to melt. Greenhouse gases trap heat in the atmosphere. Human activities like burning fossil fuels and cutting down forests contribute to global warming because they release greenhouse gases. Global warming is the most recent period of climate change. Climate change has happened many times since Earth was formed billions of years ago. ![]() ![]() Climate change is caused by natural events, such as volcanic eruptions, as well as human activities. ![]() Climate refugees are people who must leave their homes and communities because of the effects of climate change and global warming.
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