Environmental decay may prompt refugee surge-study

OSLO (Reuters) - A deteriorating environment could drive about 50 million people from their homes by 2010 and the world needs to define a new category of "environmental" refugee, a U.N. study said on Tuesday.

Desertification, rising sea levels, flooding and storms linked to climate change might displace hundreds of millions of people, according to the report by the U.N. University's Institute for Environment and Human Security.

"We're ringing a kind of scientific and political alarm bell," Janos Bogardi, head of the Bonn-based Institute, told Reuters. "We need to act."

He said the estimated figure of 50 million environmental refugees -- roughly the population of Ukraine or Italy -- was in some ways a worst case that would demand billions of dollars in extra aid.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20051011/sc_nm/environment_refugees_dc

because it might make someone feel bad or something :shrug:

i'm now back in my home

a lot of ppl aren't, a lot of ppl never will be

i'm getting a refugee today, his family has lost 7 houses

call it like it is, keep it in their face, this issue is causing homelessness & not just of the poor but of the middle class, yr home could be next, there are no guarantees

"Desertification, rising sea levels, flooding and storms linked to climate change might displace hundreds of millions of people, according to the report by the U.N. University's Institute for Environment and Human Security.
"


:popcorn:

and obscene, planet killing consumption. It has to start with those of us who have a modicum of awareness. If we wait for the politicians who are owned by the military - industrial complex to act, we are all dead. We may be anyway, but we can't take this lying down.

I think the world leaders have to open their eyes to it and people have to start electing earth friendly politicans because the disasters are in their face all the time now.

chance to win based on their looks and how they appear/stand/talk... shortness vs. tallness, etc.

Ya know, the things that REALLY count? :sarcasm: