Small island nations that say climate change threatens their very existence are asking the U.N. Security Council to do more to address the issue as a matter of international peace and security, according to AP. At a council meeting Thursday on the challenges facing small island states, the Marshall Islands and Micronesia asked that the council put the impact of climate change on its formal agenda for regular discussion. One-fifth of the U.N.'s 193 member countries are classified as small island developing states, and many have expressed alarm at the prospect of rising sea levels amid global warming. Current council president New Zealand hosted the meeting to fulfill a campaign promise it had made while seeking a seat on the 15-member council.
