(Nuku’alofa) UN Secretary-General António Guterres launched a “global SOS” on Tuesday at the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) summit on rising waters in the Pacific Ocean, which released research showing a faster rise than the global average.
“I am in Tonga to send a global SOS – Save Our Cheese [Sauvez nos mers] -, sea level rise. A global disaster threatens this Pacific paradise,” Mr. Guterres said.
Pacific islands, sparsely populated and heavily industrialized, collectively emit less than 0.02% of annual global greenhouse gas emissions.
This vast collection of low-lying volcanic islands and coral reefs is threatened by rising sea levels.
Photo by Mike Seger, Reuters Archives
Antonio Guterres, UN
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has been monitoring readings from tide gauges installed along Pacific coasts since the 1990s.
According to a new report released by the UN’s climate agency, sea levels have risen by about 15 centimeters in some parts of the Pacific over the past 30 years.
According to this study, the world average is set at 9.4 cm.
Populations, economies and ecosystems in the Southwest Pacific region are significantly affected by the cascading effects of climate change, WMO Secretary-General Celeste Salo describes in the foreword to this report on Climate in the Southwest Pacific.
“It is becoming increasingly clear that we will quickly run out of time to stop the trend. »
“A Question of Survival”
In some places, including Kiribati and the Cook Islands, sea level readings match or fall below the global average.
But elsewhere, particularly in the capitals of Samoa and Fiji, the observed height is three times higher.
In Tuvalu, the terrain is already so small that children use the tarmac of the international airport as a playground.
Even with modest sea-level rise, Tuvalu could be completely submerged within 30 years, experts say.
“Disasters keep coming and we’re losing our ability to rebuild, we’re losing our ability to withstand a new typhoon or a new flood,” Tuvaluan Climate Minister Maina Thalia said Monday on the sidelines of the FIP summit.
“For small island states, it’s a question of survival,” he added.
The plight of Pacific countries has been neglected in the past, particularly because of their isolation and their low economic weight.
The region is seen by researchers as an indicator of what might happen in other parts of the world.
“This new report confirms what Pacific leaders have been saying for years,” Australian climate scientist Wes Morgan said.
Climate change is their biggest security threat. Pacific nations are fighting for survival, and ending climate pollution is essential to their future.
Wes Morgan, Australian climatologist
Countries in the South Pacific, surrounded by millions of square kilometers of sea, are particularly vulnerable to sea level rise. According to the United Nations, the majority of its population lives within five kilometers of the coast.
Rising sea levels swamp land, depleting essential water and food sources.
Higher water temperatures lead to more violent natural disasters, while ocean acidification affects the marine food chain.
