Already, average sea level rise has doubled in a decade due to the destabilisation of the Arctic and Greenland ice shelves.

CNN: Climate change action: Too little, too late?

And with scierntists predicting an average sea level rise of between 38 and 55cm by 2100, some small island states could disappear beneath the waves.

BBC: By BBC News Online Environment Correspondent Alex Kirby

Scientists suggest regions that have seen high sea level rises over the past 20 years will not necessarily continue to see higher than average sea-level rises in the future.

CNN: New satellite data reveals sea-level rise

Mean sea level: average height of the sea surface over a 19-year period.

UNESCO: L O S S A R Y

That is part of the reason why the sea level is now rising at 3-3.5mm a year, twice the average annual rate in the 20th century.

ECONOMIST: Getting warmer