Sea level rise will cause ‘catastrophic inland migration’, scientists warn

The loss of ice from the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets has quadrupled since the 1990s. Photograph: Bernhard Staehli/Shutterstock

Sea level rise will become unmanageable at just 1.5C of global heating and lead to “catastrophic inland migration”, the scientists behind a new study have warned. This scenario may unfold even if the average level of heating over the last decade of 1.2C continues into the future.

The loss of ice from the giant Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets has quadrupled since the 1990s due to the climate crisis and is now the principal driver of sea level rise.