'We could lose our status as a state': what happens to a people when their land disappears

Small island countries press for guarantees as rising sea levels risk leaving their citizens stateless 'It's absolutely guaranteed': the best and worst case scenarios for sea level riseSmall island nations would rather fight than flee, but rising sea levels have prompted apocalyptic legal discussions about whether a state is still a state if its land disappears below the waves.The Pacific Islands Forum, which represents many of the most vulnerable countries, has invited international legal experts to consider this question and begun a diplomatic campaign to ensure that political statehood continues even after a nation's physical fabric is submerged. Continue reading...