Bangladeshi Environment Minister Sajeeda Choudhury warned this weekend that if sea levels rise in line with climate change predictions, approximately 20 million Bangladeshis would become environmental refugees and industrialized nations would have an obligation to find room for them. The U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change predicts that up to 17.5 percent of Bangladesh’s landmass could be lost under rising waters. British Environment Minister Michael Meacher acknowledged that Choudhury may have a valid point and said that governments should try to prevent the problem by working to stop climate change, with the first step being ratification of the Kyoto Protocol. “The message is mainly to the U.S., which is responsible for 25 percent of emissions,” Meacher said.
