Climate change could drive up sea levels by twice as much as previously predicted, a scientist on Tuesday warned at a conference in the capital city of Australia.

In a 2007 report, scientists working for the United Nations concluded sea levels could rise by 18 to 59 cm by the end of this century.

According to Australia Associated Press, Tim Naish, an Antarctic researcher at New Zealand's Victoria University of Wellington, said new data suggested sea levels could rise by a meter or more within that time.

Naish told the Australian Earth Sciences Convention that a sea level rise of one meter could have devastating effects for coastal communities around the world, including those in Australia.

His work examining sediment cores from Antarctica's sea floor indicated if the planet were two to three degrees warmer, it would have a dramatic effect on the polar ice sheet.