United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said on Tuesday (27), local time, that ocean temperatures are rising in the Pacific Islands at a rate three times higher than the rest of the world, and their population has been “uniquely exposed” to the impact of rising sea levels.
Speaking to reporters in Tonga, where the Pacific Islands Forum is being held, Guterres highlighted the findings of a report that showed the Southwest Pacific has been hit hardest by sea level rise, in some places more than double the global average over the past 30 years.
“I am in Tonga to issue a global SOS – Save Our Seas – about rising sea levels,” he said.
“Sea level rise is amplifying the frequency and severity of storm surges and coastal flooding. These floods inundate coastal communities. They ruin fisheries. They damage crops. They contaminate freshwater. All of this puts Pacific Island nations in grave danger,” he added.
Guterres explained that water expands as it warms, contributing to sea level rise.
Climate change and security are dominating discussions at the annual week-long leaders’ meeting, where the 18 members of the Pacific Islands Forum include atoll nations threatened by rising sea levels, such as host Tonga, and one of the world’s biggest coal exporters, Australia.
Asked by a reporter about Australia’s fossil fuel exports, Guterres said fossil fuels should be phased out globally, although “the situation in different countries is different” and there would be different ways to do this.
Sea levels rising fastest in Pacific, report finds
The report released Tuesday local time by the World Meteorological Organization showed that ocean temperatures in the Southwest Pacific are rising at up to three times the global rate.
“The Pacific islands are exceptionally exposed. This is a region with an average elevation of just one to two meters above sea level,” Guterres said.
“Half of the infrastructure is 500 meters from the sea,” he added.
Without cuts to global emissions, the Pacific Islands could expect an additional 15 cm of sea level rise by 2050 and 30 days a year of coastal flooding, he said.
The UN chief called on global leaders to “massively increase investments in climate adaptation” in vulnerable countries.
A “loss and damage” fund to help poor nations deal with costly climate disasters was approved at last year’s UN climate summit after years of lobbying by groups including the Pacific Islands, but the challenge remains attracting significant contributions to the fund from richer nations.
“Developed countries must meet their financial commitments — including the pledge to double adaptation finance to at least $40 billion per year by 2025,” Guterres said.
This content was originally published in UN Chief Issues “SOS” for Pacific Islands Due to Rising Sea Levels on CNN Brasil.
Source: CNN Brasil
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