UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 24 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday called for efforts to tackle the root causes of sea-level rise, primarily by capping greenhouse gas emissions.
"Any overshoot of the 1.5-degree limit (on man-made global temperature increase) must be as small and short as possible. Global emissions must peak immediately, and fall 60 percent by 2035," he told a high-level meeting on sea-level rise.
"We must triple renewable energy, double energy efficiency, slash methane emissions, halt and reverse deforestation, and transition away from fossil fuels -- fast and fairly," he said. "The G20 (Group of 20) must lead, and COP31 (UN Climate Change Conference) in Türkiye must deliver."
Guterres also stressed the importance of protecting people from rising waters -- by embedding sea-level rise resilience in national adaptation plans, development budgets, infrastructure and land-use decisions; and drawing on science, data, and the knowledge of indigenous peoples and local communities.
Around 770 million people live less than 5 meters above the high-tide line. Without significant adaptation and mitigation, the risks facing coastal cities and communities could increase tenfold by 2100, he said.
Sea-level rise is a threat multiplier. It batters economies, trade, infrastructure, and food systems; erases cultural heritage and identity; fuels instability; and it threatens the territorial integrity of some nations, he said.
Guterres also called for closing legal gaps.
The International Court of Justice and the International Law Commission stated that continued statehood is possible, even if territory is lost. States have called for maritime zones and boundaries to be preserved as coastlines shift. People's rights do not disappear because their homes do. And those people must be protected, he said.
"We need legal clarity consistent with the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea -- and international cooperation is essential to reach the arrangements that affected states and local communities deserve," he said.
Rising seas are sinking futures. In 2024, the global sea level rose almost 6 mm, the highest annual increase ever recorded. And the pace is accelerating.
According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, even in the best-case scenario, sea levels are projected to rise by as much as half a meter by century's end. Without drastic emissions cuts, that rise could reach a meter. Meanwhile, Greenland and West Antarctica are losing ice faster, risking irreversible change, Guterres said.
Sea-level rise is measured in millimeters. But its toll is measured in millions of shattered lives, uprooted communities, and stolen futures. Those on the front lines must be front and center in every decision, he said. "We cannot allow countries and cultures to vanish beneath the waves -- or leave the aspirations of billions dead in the water. The SOS has gone out. The world must answer." ■
