NUKUʻALOFA, (Tonga), Aug 27 (Bernama-WAM) -- United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres issued a global SOS—Save Our Seas—on Monday, warning of unprecedented rates of sea level rise not seen in the past 3,000 years.
Speaking at a press conference following the Pacific Islands Forum in Tonga, Guterres noted the dramatic changes in the Pacific since his last visit, Emirates News Agency (WAM) reported.
He emphasised that rising sea levels are wreaking havoc on coastal cities and economies worldwide.
The UN released reports on Monday highlighting the worsening sea level rises, accelerated by a warming Earth and melting ice sheets and glaciers.
The reports also pointed out that the Southwestern Pacific is suffering not only from rising oceans but also from other climate change effects such as ocean acidification and marine heat waves.
Next month, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) will hold a special session to discuss the issue of rising seas.
A report commissioned by Guterres’ office revealed that sea levels in Nuku’alofa have risen 21 centimetres between 1990 and 2020, twice the global average of 10 centimetres. Other Pacific locations have experienced even higher rises of 31 centimetres and 29 centimetres, respectively.
“This puts Pacific Island nations in grave danger,” Guterres said, noting that about 90 per cent of the region’s population lives within three miles of the rising oceans.
Guterres urged the global community to work towards limiting the rise in global temperatures to 1.5 degrees Celsius and called on governments to fulfill the commitments they made at the COP28 conference.
He emphasised the importance of submitting national climate action plans by next year and reaching agreements at the next climate conference, scheduled for later this year, to enhance innovative financing and establish new financial goals.
“Rising seas are a crisis entirely of humanity’s making,” Guterres warned.
“A crisis that will soon swell to an almost unimaginable scale, with no lifeboat to take us back to safety.”
-- BERNAMA-WAM
