The new study, conducted by 22 experts, concluded that rising sea levels could double previous estimates, forcing 180 million people to abandon their homes. The fear is that 700,000 square miles of ice could be lost between Greenland and Antarctica, resulting in the “conservative” estimate of a three-foot rise to rocket to more than six feet. BBC Environment Correspondent Matt McGrath explained: “In 2013, the UN’s climate panel predicted that global sea levels driven by melting ice sheets would rise by around three feet by the end of this century.

“However, many scientists believed that estimate was far too conservative.

“They are also worried that current climate models are struggling to fully assess the impacts of melting ice on oceans.

“Now 22 leading researchers forecast that if the world warms by five degrees Celsius by 2100, sea levels could rise by more than six feet.

“Bangladesh and the Nile Delta would be particularly badly hit.

“Major global cities including London, New York and Shanghai would come under threat.

“Millions of people would be displaced.

“While the chances of this happening are put at only around five percent, experts consider this a serious risk and are urging politicians to tackle climate emissions urgently.”

A five-degree temperature rise by 2100 is one of the worst-case scenarios within the spectrum of climate change possibilities.

But lead author Professor Jonathan Bamber from the University of Bristol said: “For 2100, the ice sheet contribution is very likely in the range of 7-178cm but once you add in glaciers and ice caps outside the ice sheets and thermal expansion of the seas, you tip well over two metres.

“When you start to look at these lower likelihood but still plausible values, then the experts believe that there is a small but statistically significant probability that West Antarctica will transition to a very unstable state and parts of East Antarctica will start contributing as well.

“But it’s only at these higher probabilities for 5C that we see those type of behaviours kicking in.”

In this scenario, they calculate that the world would lose an area of land equivalent in size to Libya.

Professor Bamber explained that the Syrian refugee crisis would be about 200 times smaller than the number of those displaced by a two metres sea-level rise.

Commenting on the five percent likelihood, the Professor concluded: “If I said to you that there was a one in 20 chance that if you crossed the road you would be squashed you wouldn’t go near it.

“Even a one percent probability means that a one in a hundred-year flood is something that could happen in your lifetime.

“I think that a five percent probability, crikey – I think that’s a serious risk.”

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