Five islands disappear due to climate change

At least five tiny Pacific islands have been completely lost due to rising sea-levels and coastal erosion, according to a new study published in Environmental Research Letters. The islands, a part of the Solomon Archipelago, have suffered the consequences of sea level rises of between 7 -10mm over the last 20 years.

“This is the first scientific evidence that confirms the numerous anecdotal accounts from across the Pacific of the dramatic impacts of climate change on coastlines and people,” wrote author Simon Albert writer for the academic website The Conversation.

The authors of the study said that the case of these five islands in the Pacific is a warning to the world. They expect that “many areas will experience long-term rates of sea-level rise similar to that already experienced in the Solomon Islands in all but the very lowest-emission scenarios.”

Sixfurther islands have been severely eroded and have declined in area by more than 20 percent between 1947 and 2014.