Salon.com > South China Sea http://www.salon.com Thu, 23 May 2013 01:58:00 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 Rising sea levels could moot Asian islands dispute http://www.salon.com/2012/11/08/rising_sea_levels_could_moot_asian_islands_dispute/ http://www.salon.com/2012/11/08/rising_sea_levels_could_moot_asian_islands_dispute/#comments Thu, 08 Nov 2012 17:47:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13066323 Tense disputes over South China Sea (SCS) territories may soon be rendered moot -- but for no diplomatic reasons. According to the Diplomat, an Asia-Pacific-focused publication, rising sea levels linked to climate change could submerge the disputed, resource-rich islands and upturn territory claims premised on a U.N. convention relating to above sea level land.

The 1.3-million-square-mile area of the SCS has become an increasing focus of dispute, "With unproven oil reserves in the range of 28 to 213 billion barrels, massive mineral deposits in the seabed, and millions of tons of potential fisheries," according to the Diplomat. China and six other Southeast Asian nations are currently arguing over the low-lying islands.

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