Many countries face the risk of being 'swallowed' by sea water

According to Secretary General Guterres, sea levels will increase significantly even if global warming is limited to 1.5 degrees Celsius - the ambitious goal of the international community. Based on recent data from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the global average sea level will increase about 2-3m in the next 2,000 years if the earth warms only 1.5 degrees Celsius. With an increase of 2 Celsius, sea level can rise up to 6m and with an increase of 5 degrees Celsius, sea level will increase by 22m.

The United Nations Secretary General said that the global temperature increase has exceeded the threshold of 1.5 degrees Celsius and is heading towards an increase of 2.8 degrees Celsius - a 'death sentence' for vulnerable countries, including many island nations. small. Even countries such as Bangladesh, China, India and the Netherlands are threatened by rising sea levels, while 'megacities on every continent will face severe impacts' , including: Cairo, Lagos, Maputo, Bangkok, Dhaka, Jakarta, Mumbai, Shanghai, Copenhagen, London, Los Angeles, New York, Buenos Aires and Santiago.

Secretary General Guterres affirmed that the consequences at that time were hard to imagine. Low-lying communities and entire countries could disappear. The world will witness a massive migration of the entire population on an extremely large scale as well as the competition for fresh water, land and other resources will become more fierce than ever. Currently, there are nearly 900 million people living in low-lying coastal areas.

AP said that in November last year, Secretary General Guterres commented that the world was heading towards irreversible 'climate chaos' and called on global leaders to get the world back on track in the future. implementing emissions reduction goals, continuing to finance climate change response as well as helping developing countries accelerate the transition to using renewable energy. In Mr. Guterres's view, this scenario requires countries to take more coordinated actions to reduce emissions and ensure climate justice, especially the allocation of necessary resources for climate change. the developing countries.

Marvin Fry

Update 03 April 2024