UN Secretary-General Warns Rising Sea Levels Threaten Us All

UN Secretary-General António Guterres says big polluting nations have a clear responsibility to cut emissions – or face global disaster.

“The Pacific is the most vulnerable region in the world right now,” he told the BBC at the Pacific Island Forum Leaders Meeting in Tonga. “There is a huge injustice in the Pacific and that is why I am here.”

“Small islands don’t contribute to climate change, but everything that happens because of climate change is multiplied here.”

But eventually “rising seas will hit us all,” he warned in a speech at the forum, as the United Nations released two separate reports on rising sea levels and how they threaten Pacific island nations.

World Meteorological Organization Climate situation in the Southwest Pacific The report said the region faces three main impacts: rising sea levels, warming oceans and acidification – the acidity of the seas increases as seawater absorbs more and more carbon dioxide.

“The reason is clear: greenhouse gases – mainly produced by burning fossil fuels – are burning our planet,” Mr. Guterres told the forum.

“The seas are warming – literally.”

This year’s theme – transformational resilience – was tested on opening day when the new auditorium was flooded by heavy rain and buildings had to be evacuated due to earthquakes.

“This is a really stark reminder of how volatile our region is and how important it is that we prepare for anything,” Joseph Sikulu, Pacific director at 350, a climate change campaign group, told the BBC.

Not far from the venue was a street parade, with dancers representing the region, including Torres Strait Islanders, Tongans and Samoans. At the start of the parade, a large banner read: “We are not drowning, we are fighting”. Another banner read: “Sea levels are rising – so are we”.

It reflects a challenge that threatens to wipe out their world – the UN Climate Action Group has released a report called “Rising Seas in a Warming World” shows that global average sea levels are rising at a rate unprecedented in the past 3,000 years.

Sea levels have risen an average of 9.4 centimeters (3.7 inches) over the past 30 years, but in the tropical Pacific Ocean that figure has risen as much as 15 centimeters, the report said.

“It’s important for leaders, especially those of Australia and Aotearoa, to come and see these things for themselves, and see the resilience of our people,” Mr Sikulu said.

“A core part of Tongan culture is the ability to continue to be cheerful through adversity, and that’s how we build resilience and witness that, I think is important.”

This is the second time Secretary-General Guterres has attended the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting. The annual meeting brings together leaders from 18 Pacific Islands, including Australia and New Zealand.

As leaders gathered for the official opening ceremony, heavy rains caused widespread flooding. Shortly afterwards, a magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck the Tonga region, highlighting just how vulnerable it is.

In 2019, Mr. Guterres traveled to Tuvalu, where he sounded the alarm about rising sea levels. Five years later, he said he has seen real change.

“We see everywhere a huge commitment to combat, a commitment to reduce the negative impacts of climate change,” he told the BBC. “The problem is, the Pacific islands are also suffering another huge injustice – the international financial instruments that are available to support countries in difficulty are not designed for countries like this.”

Mr Guterres visited local communities whose livelihoods are threatened by rising sea levels on Monday. They have waited seven years for a decision on funding for a sea wall.

“The bureaucracy, the complexity, the lack of sense of urgency because it is a small, remote island,” he said, citing failures of the international financial system, especially for small developing island states.

“There are promises of increased money for adaptation in developing countries but the truth is we are not there yet, …

Many Pacific Islanders at the conference pointed to Australia as the region’s biggest donor and emitter.

Earlier this year, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Australia would increase its gas exploration and use until “2050 and beyond”, despite calls to phase out fossil fuels.

Asked by the BBC what message he had for regional emitters like Australia, Mr Guterres said: “Big polluters have an essential responsibility.”

Without that, the world will exceed the 1.5C threshold set in the 2015 Paris Agreement. The agreement aims to limit global warming to “well below” 2C by the end of the century and “continue efforts” to keep warming within the safer limit of 1.5C.

“Only by limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius do we have a chance of preventing the irreversible collapse of the Greenland and West Antarctic ice sheets – and the catastrophe that would come with it,” Mr. Guterres said.

“That means cutting global emissions by 43% from 2019 levels by 2030 and by 60% by 2035.”

However, last year, global emissions increased by 1%.

“The G20 has an obligation to represent 80% of emissions – they have an obligation to come together to ensure emissions are reduced now,” Mr Guterres said.

Referring to the G20 and the companies that contribute the most to global emissions, he added: “They have a clear responsibility to reverse the current trend. It is time to say ‘enough’.”