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OSLO, Norway (AP) - Melting glaciers, ice sheets and snow cover could speed the rate at which the planet heats up, causing rising sea levels, flooding and water shortages that impact as many as 40 percent of the world's population, a U.N. report said Monday.
The study, released before World Environment Day on Tuesday, highlighted the risk the receding ice cover could accelerate global warming, because the icepacks cool the planet by reflecting heat into space.
Even though much of the ice is in remote areas, such as polar regions and Greenland, the impact will be felt worldwide, U.N. Environment Program executive director Achim Steiner said.
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