BBC News Online: World: Americas

Bangladesh exposed to global warming, Annan

The United Nations Secretary General, Kofi Annan, has warned that a rise in sea level could lead to the disappearance of much of the world's largest delta, Bangladesh.

Mr Annan said a recent report by the United Nations Panel on Climate Change, predicted more extreme droughts, floods and storms and the inundation of low-lying islands and coastal areas could lead to the displacement of hundreds of millions of people.

Mr Annan, who's in Bangladesh as part of a South Asia tour, described the prevailing model of economic development in the industrialised countries, and in parts of the developing world, as short-sighted and hazardous for the environment.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service