- Escalating Pacific ocean levels: Guterres issues alarm over impending "worldwide disaster"
"I'm in Tonga to broadcast a worldwide SOS due to the escalating sea levels," expressed António Guterres on a Tuesday. "This tropical haven is under threat from a worldwide calamity." The 18 member states of the Pacific Island Forum (PIF) had previously pleaded for additional assistance from the leading dischargers of greenhouse gases at their gathering the day prior.
As per a new report by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the Pacific region is experiencing a specific threat. While the global average sea level escalated by 9.4 centimeters over the past 30 years, it surged by 15 centimeters in specific Pacific areas, as per the UN organization. "It's becoming increasingly evident that we won't have much time left to alter the course," mentioned WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo.
However, not all island states face the same predicament: While the sea level rise around Kiribati and the Cook Islands remains close to the average, it was three times higher around Samoa and Fiji, according to the report. The tiny island nation of Tuvalu could vanish entirely within 30 years, as per calculations.
Pacific nations demand more climate action
"For nations with low-lying coastlines, it's a matter of existence," noted Tuvalu's Minister of Climate Change Maina Talia to news agency AFP during the summit's margins. "The disasters are stacking up, and we can't keep rebuilding and surviving each new typhoon or flood," he added.
Pacific nations have been advocating for stronger climate action and support for years. However, due to their limited financial resources and geographical isolation, these pleas have mainly been disregarded by the major industrial nations.
Vital resources being lost
The sparsely populated Pacific islands contribute barely 0.02 percent to global greenhouse gas emissions. According to UN data, the majority of the population of these countries reside within five kilometers of the coast. The rising sea levels are gradually destroying essential resources. "In 2020, Pacific island countries such as Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea, and Micronesia suffered more than one percent of their GDP due to sea level rise," said Roseanne Martyr, top scientist at the climate research institute Climate Analytics.
The warming of the Pacific is also a danger, as it intensifies storms. Furthermore, the escalating ocean acidification is destroying coral reefs and disrupting marine food chains.
The rise in sea levels around certain Pacific nations like Samoa and Fiji has surged three times higher than the average, posing a significant threat to their existence. According to the UN, the tiny island nation of Tuvalu could potentially vanish entirely within 30 years due to these escalating sea levels.
