Global warming could flood Florida coasts

MIAMI, April 23 (UPI) -- Scientists studying the consequences of global warming in south Florida say rising sea levels could flood coastal cities and damage fresh water supplies.

The Miami-Dade County Climate Change Task Force presented a set of recommendations to help slow or prevent social, environmental and economic damage to the region, The Miami Herald reported Tuesday. Recommendations included promoting the use of hybrid cars, limiting development and changing building and zoning codes.

The task force said a three-foot rise in sea level would send high tide into downtown Miami, while a five-foot rise would swallow much of the Everglades. Scientists called the 2005 United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's assessment of a two-foot rise by 2100 ''alarmingly conservative," the newspaper said.