Environment

On August 27, while attending the Pacific Islands Forum Summit, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres sent a “global SOS” on rising sea levels in the Pacific.

“I am in Tonga to send a global SOS – Save our Seas – on rising sea levels. A global catastrophe is threatening this Pacific paradise,” he warned. In making the announcement, the UN chief unveiled research showing that sea levels are rising faster than the global average.

The sparsely populated Pacific islands, which account for less than 0.02% of global annual greenhouse gas emissions, are therefore at risk from rising sea levels.

The WMO, or World Meteorological Organization, has been closely monitoring measurements from tide gauges installed on Pacific beaches since the 1990s. The weather agency has also published a new report showing that sea levels have risen by about 15 centimetres in some parts of the Pacific over the past 30 years. The global average is 9.4 centimetres.

(MH with AsD - Source: Agencies - Illustration: Unsplash)