Sea levels set to 'rise far more rapidly than expected'

New research factors in collapsing Antarctic ice sheet that could double the sea-level rise to two metres by 2100 if emissions are not cut

Sea levels could rise far more rapidly than expected in coming decades, according to new research that reveals Antarctica's vast ice cap is less stable than previously thought.

The UN's climate science body had predicted up to a metre of sea level rise this century - but it did not anticipate any significant contribution from Antarctica, where increasing snowfall was expected to keep the ice sheet in balance.