Thousands of Katrina Evacuees Seen as Climate Refugees

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http://www.enn.com/today.html?id=11079

>The number of "climate refugees" will grow unless the world cuts the amount of greenhouse gases it releases, said Lester Brown, president of Earth Policy Institute in Washington D.C.

"What we're looking at is the potential not of displacing thousands of people, but possibly millions of people as the result of rising seas and more destructive storms in the years and decades ahead if we don't move quickly to reduce CO2 emissions," he said.

Most scientists believe greenhouse gases including carbon dioxide released from burning fossil fuels contribute to global warming. <


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Not everyone agrees the evacuees should be considered "climate refugees." Bill O'Keefe, a board member of Washington D.C.-based think tank the George C. Marshall Institute and a consultant to the oil industry said last year's hurricanes were a result of a 20- to 30-year cycle in storm intensity. <<