UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres issued a global call to action during his visit to Tonga on August 27, 2024.
- He urged immediate steps to address the accelerating crisis of rising sea levels. The UN secretary-general at the Pacific Islands Forum in Tonga, highlighted the unprecedented rate at which global sea levels are rising.
- He issue a global SOS – Save Our Seas – on rising sea levels.
Key concerns
- Pacific region is experiencing the most severe impacts of sea level rise, with relative sea levels rising at a rate more than double the global average in some areas.
- Irreversible damage to the planet’s climate system, including the collapse of the Greenland and West Antarctic ice sheets, which would lead to catastrophic sea level rise.
- Emissions from group of 20 (G20) and other developed countries, particularly as they continue to expand oil and gas production.
- Expansion of seawater as it warms and the melting of glaciers and ice sheets.
Sea level rise consequences
- An existential threat to coastal communities worldwide, particularly low-lying island nations like Tonga.
- Increased frequency and intensity of storm surges,
- Coastal flooding, and
- Saltwater intrusion.
Solutions
- A drastic reduction in greenhouse gas emissions to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
- Phasing out fossil fuels,
- Investing in renewable energy,
- Adapting to the impacts of climate change,
- Need for increased financial support for vulnerable countries, particularly those in the Pacific region, to help them cope with the consequences of rising sea levels.
- All G20 countries to come together, to use the best technologies available within the G20 to use the financial resources that exist within the G20 and in multilateral development institutions,
(Updated on 28 August)
