Urgent Call to Save Pacific Islands from Rising Seas

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres addressed the Pacific Islands Forum, emphasizing the urgent threat of rising sea levels due to climate change. He highlighted a report showing the South West Pacific is experiencing sea level increases at up to three times the global rate, endangering the region's population and infrastructure.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has issued a dire warning about rising sea levels in the Pacific Islands, where ocean temperatures are escalating at three times the global rate. Speaking at the Pacific Islands Forum in Tonga, Guterres spotlighted a report revealing that the South West Pacific is severely impacted by rising seas, with levels increasing more than double the global average over the past 30 years.

“I am in Tonga to issue a global SOS – Save Our Seas – on rising sea levels,” Guterres declared. He elaborated on the worsening impacts, such as more frequent and severe storm surges, coastal flooding, ruined fisheries, damaged crops, and contaminated freshwater, putting Pacific Island nations in grave danger.

The Secretary-General also addressed the need to phase out fossil fuels globally and emphasized the importance of increasing climate adaptation investments in vulnerable nations. He called for fulfilling financial commitments to help these countries cope with climate change, including doubling adaptation finance to at least $40 billion annually by 2025.