UN Secretary-General António Guterres has issued a grave warning about the dangers posed by rising sea levels. Addressing a summit during the UN General Assembly, Guterres highlighted the plight of 900 million people living in low-lying coastal regions.
The rising sea levels, he noted, signify a growing flood of misery, bringing with it submerged communities, contaminated drinking water, ruined crops, devastated infrastructure, and crippled economies. Fisheries, agriculture, and tourism are also at risk.
Scientists report that the global sea level has increased more in the 20th century than in any other century in the last 3,000 years, with the rise accelerating. From 1901 to 2018, sea levels rose by 20 centimeters, including an eight-centimeter rise since 1993 alone.
Guterres attributed this to greenhouse gases from burning fossil fuels, which heat the planet, expand seawater, and melt ice. He stressed the need not to abandon the hopes and dreams of billions of people.
The Pacific region, particularly vulnerable to climate change, could see countries like the Maldives, Tuvalu, the Marshall Islands, Nauru, and Kiribati become uninhabitable by the century's end, displacing 600,000 people. Despite contributing just 0.02% of global greenhouse gas emissions, these islands face severe consequences.
The rising sea levels are a stark reminder of the urgent need for global climate action to prevent further environmental and humanitarian crises.
