Rising sea levels in the Pacific Ocean are putting islands at risk of catastrophic impacts, the United Nations chief has warned, adding the rest of the world must respond to these threats "before it is too late."
What's happening?
As CNN detailed, UN Secretary-General António Guterres issued a global SOS (tweaking it to mean "save our seas") from the Pacific Islands Forum in Tonga. The August plea was to "massively increase finance and support for vulnerable countries" amid rising sea levels.
"The ocean is overflowing," Guterres said. "This is a crazy situation: Rising seas are a crisis entirely of humanity's making. A crisis that will soon swell to an almost unimaginable scale, with no lifeboat to take us back to safety."
The statement came after the release of two UN reports on how the climate crisis is affecting the world's oceans.
Pacific Ocean temperatures have risen three times faster than the global average since 1980, according to the World Meteorological Organization. This increase in ocean temperatures leads to sea level rise, ocean heat waves, melting glaciers, and coral bleaching.
Meanwhile, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported sea levels have risen globally by 8-9 inches since 1880. In 2023, sea levels were nearly 4 inches higher than they were 30 years earlier.
The UN report, "Surging seas in a warming world," states that oceans have absorbed about 90% of excess global heat since 1971, with the unsustainable temperatures attributed to humans burning dirty fuels such as gas and oil.
"Human activities have weakened the capacity of the ocean to sustain and protect us and — through sea level rise — are transforming a lifelong friend into a growing threat," said WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo.
Why is this plea important?
According to Guterres, the Pacific Islands account for just 0.02% of global fossil fuel emissions. However, these islands are particularly vulnerable.
"This is a region with an average elevation just 1 to 2 meters above sea level, where around 90% of people live within 5 kilometers of the coast, and where half the infrastructure is within 500 meters of the sea," Guterres said.
Rising sea levels around the Pacific Islands put islanders at risk of displacement, damaged crops, pregnancy complications, and contaminated water sources.
Sea levels could rise by over 2 feet by 2100, an NOAA report suggests. This increase would affect more than the Pacific Islands; it is a global problem.
"Surging seas are coming for us all," Guterres said. "The world must look to the Pacific and listen to science. … If we save the Pacific, we also save ourselves."
Other areas of the world are facing similar concerns. Just this month, over 250 people died in Vietnam during Typhoon Yagi, according to Reuters. The outlet reported that "hundreds of thousands of children have lost their homes and are lacking access to clean water, sanitation and healthcare," citing UNICEF.
It illustrates how quickly one bad weather event can affect a major area when sea levels are elevated, as they have reportedly risen by around 20 centimeters (8 inches) there over the last 50 years.
What's being done about rising sea levels?
As sea level rise is a global problem, a full global solution is needed to address it — although individual actions, like investing in solar panels and avoiding dirty fuel when possible, certainly help.
Fortunately, there are plenty of organizations making strides to prevent sea level rise. For example, scientists at MIT are developing ways to tap into the power of geothermal energy, which would decrease reliance on dirty fuels that contribute to rising sea levels.
"We need to protect every person on Earth," Guterres said. "That means building up countries' data capacities to improve decision-making on adaptation and coastal planning."
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