Sea level rise may by up to 1.5m

Sea levels could rise 50cm more this century than had been expected, according to a report which found that Antarctic ice will melt faster than previously thought.

Climate scientists at two US universities said the most recent UN report on the effects of global warming had underestimated the rate at which the ice covering the continent would melt.

That report, issued in 2013, said the worst case of man-made climate change would mean a sea-level rise of between 52cm and 98cm by 2100. The new study suggests the real rise could be 1.5m, posing an even greater threat to cities from New York to Shanghai.