United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres issued a “global SOS” on climate change on Tuesday during his visit to Tonga for a meeting of the Pacific Islands Forum.
Guterres’ trip coincided with the release of a new report from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) saying the region faces a “triple threat”: rising sea levels, ocean warming and ocean acidification.
“This is an insane situation: rising sea levels are a crisis entirely of human origin, a crisis that will soon swell to almost unimaginable proportions, with no lifeboat to bring us back to safety,” Guterres said in the Tongan capital of Nuku’alofa.
The WMO report shows that sea levels in the southwestern Pacific, where Tonga and many other island nations are located, have risen above the global average. At the same time, sea surface temperatures have risen three times faster than the global average since 1980.
Marine heat waves have roughly doubled in frequency, intensity and duration since 1980, the report said. Higher temperatures can destabilize marine ecosystems, threaten fishing grounds and coral reefs and promote the growth of toxic algae.
Meanwhile, rising CO2 levels in the seas are accelerating ocean acidification, which can destroy coral reefs and harm marine life.
Guterres described the findings as “an SOS for sea level rise.”
“A global catastrophe is putting this Pacific paradise at risk,” he said.
“Global average sea level is rising at an unprecedented rate. The ocean is flooding.”
“The reason is clear: Greenhouse gases – overwhelmingly generated by the burning of fossil fuels – are cooking our planet. And the sea is soaking up the heat – literally.”
Although the Pacific Islands are responsible for only 0.02% of global emissions, they are particularly vulnerable because their average elevation is only one to two meters above sea level.
According to Guterres, about 90% of the population lives within 5 kilometers of the coast and half of the infrastructure is within 500 meters of the sea.
“The raging seas are coming our way – along with the devastation of fisheries, tourism and the Blue Economy. Around a billion people around the world live in coastal areas that are threatened by our swelling ocean,” he said.
“But while some sea level rise is inevitable, its magnitude, pace and impact are not. That depends on our decisions.”
He reiterated his call for drastic cuts in greenhouse gas emissions and increased investment in climate adaptation.
Guterres is currently touring the Pacific region. In Tonga, he addressed the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders’ Summit, which brings together leaders from a group of 18 countries in the region.
