Indonesia could lose as many as 2,000 islands by 2030 due to global warming, the country's environment minister has warned. Rachmat Witoelar said studies by UN experts showed that sea levels are expected to rise by about 89cms by 2030.
He said that would mean about 2,000 mostly uninhabited islands being submerged. But he added: "We are still in a better position. Island countries like Saint Lucia, Fiji and the Bahamas are likely to disappear." Indonesia, which consists of 17,000 islands, has been trying to avert such a scenario by reducing its reliance on fossil fuels and switching to bio-fuels, he said.