Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Russian Ministry of Defense: 37 Ukrainian drones destroyed in 4 hours over regions of Russia and the Black Sea.
Sheikh Qassem: Our supporters make up more than half of Lebanon's population, and all of these people are united under the banner of protecting Lebanon, its Resistance, its people, and its integrity.
Sheikh Qassem: There will be no phased handing in of our arms. [The Israelis] must first enact the agreement before we start talking about a defensive strategy.
Sheikh Qassem: Be brave in the face of foreign pressures, and we will be by your side in this stance.
Sheikh Qassem: Stripping us of our arms is like stripping us of our very soul, and this will prompt us to show them our might.
Sheikh Qassem: We will not abandon our arms, for they gave us dignity; we will not abandon our arms, for they protect us against our enemy.
Sheikh Qassem: The US efforts we are seeing are aimed at sabotaging Lebanon and constitute a call for sedition.
Sheikh Qassem: If you truly want to establish sovereignty and work for Lebanon’s interests, then stop the aggression.
Sheikh Qassem: The United States, which is meddling in Lebanon, is not trustworthy but rather poses a danger to it.
Sheikh Qassem: The United States is preventing the weapons that protect the homeland.

UN's Guterres sounds 'global SOS' as Pacific Ocean levels surge

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Agencies
  • 27 Aug 2024 09:18
3 Min Read

A recent report from the World Meteorological Organization reveals that sea levels have risen by about 15 centimeters in some parts of the Pacific over the past 30 years.

Listen
  • x
  • View of a rock formation at the Pacific Ocean in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California state, Mexico on August 4, 2023. (AFP)
    View of a rock formation at the Pacific Ocean in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California state, Mexico on August 4, 2023 (AFP)

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres issued a global climate "SOS" during a Pacific islands summit on Tuesday, revealing research indicating that sea levels in the region are rising significantly faster than the global average.

"I am in Tonga to issue a global SOS -- Save Our Seas -- on rising sea levels. A worldwide catastrophe is putting this Pacific paradise in peril," he warned.

The Pacific islands, though sparsely populated and with minimal heavy industry, contribute less than 0.02% of global emissions annually.

However, these volcanic islands and low-lying coral atolls are situated in a tropical zone increasingly threatened by rising ocean levels.

The World Meteorological Organization has been tracking tide gauges on the Pacific's iconic beaches since the early 1990s.

A recent report from the leading UN climate monitoring body revealed that sea levels have risen by about 15 centimeters in some parts of the Pacific over the past 30 years.

In comparison, the global average rise was 9.4 centimeters, according to the report.

"It is increasingly evident that we are fast running out of time to turn the tide," stressed the forecasting agency's top official Celeste Saulo.

Dive deeper

At certain locations, particularly in Kiribati and the Cook Islands, sea level rise was comparable to or slightly below the global average.

Related News

Kiribati explores deep-sea mining deal with China

Ex-Pacific leaders call on Australia to approve Indigenous vote

However, in other areas, including the capital cities of Samoa and Fiji, sea levels were rising nearly three times faster.

In Tuvalu, a low-lying Pacific nation, land is so limited that children often play on the tarmac of the international airport as a makeshift playground.

Scientists have cautioned that even under moderate climate scenarios, Tuvalu could be nearly completely submerged within the next 30 years.

"It's disaster after disaster, and we are losing the capacity to rebuild, to withstand another cyclone or another flood," Tuvalu Climate Minister Maina Talia said on the summit's sidelines as quoted by AFP.

"For low-lying island states, it's a matter of survival for us," Talia added.

The challenges faced by Pacific islands have often been neglected due to their isolation and limited economic influence.

However, scientists now view the region as a crucial indicator of climate change, offering early warnings about potential issues that could affect other parts of the world.

"This new report confirms what Pacific leaders have been saying for years," Australian climate researcher Wes Morgan told AFP.

"Climate change is their top security threat. Pacific nations are in a fight for survival, and cutting climate pollution is key to their future," Morgan added.

Why it matters

Encircled by vast expanses of tropical ocean, the South Pacific faces a unique threat from rising sea levels.

According to the United Nations, most residents live within five kilometers of the coast.

Increasing sea levels are consuming limited land and contaminating crucial food and water supplies.

Additionally, warmer ocean temperatures are intensifying natural disasters, and ocean acidification is gradually destroying coral reefs that support essential marine food chains.

  • Kiribati
  • Samoa
  • Fiji
  • United Nations
  • Tuvalu
  • Pacific islands
  • Cook Islands
  • Antonio Guterres
  • World Meteorological Organization
  • Pacific Ocean
STOP THE HEAT: A Climate Change Coverage

STOP THE HEAT: A Climate Change Coverage

Most Read

Tom Artiom Alexandrovich, executive director of the defense division of the Israeli National Cyber Directorate, undated (Social media)

Israeli-born US prosecutor drops Israeli officer child sex crime

  • Politics
  • 19 Aug 2025
Almost instantly after the Helsinki Accords were signed, organisations sprouted to document purported violations, whose findings were fed to overseas embassies for international amplification. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Zeinab el-Hajj)

How ‘Human Rights’ became a Western weapon

  • Opinion
  • 23 Aug 2025
Israeli soldiers stand on the top of armoured vehicles parked on an area near the Israeli-Gaza border, as seen from southern Israel, Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025 (AP)

Palestinian fighters target Israeli soldiers, vehicles in Gaza

  • Politics
  • 21 Aug 2025
Launch of a ballistic missile from Yemen toward the occupied Palestinian territories. (YAF military media)

Yemeni Forces announce firing hypersonic missile at Al-Lydd Airport

  • Politics
  • 22 Aug 2025

Coverage

All
The Ummah's Martyrs

Read Next

All
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a press conference at the Prime minister's office in al-Quds, Occupied Palestine, Sunday, Aug. 10, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Netanyahu deliberately derailing truce with Gaza occupation: Hamas

Irish President Michael Higgins arrives to deliver his speech during a 42nd World Food Day celebration at FAO headquarters in Rome, on Oct. 16, 2023. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
Politics

Irish president renews call for UN military intervention in Gaza

US Ambassador to Turkey and Special Envoy to Syria Tom Barrack speaks during an interview with The Associated Press at the US Embassy in Aukar, northern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, Monday, July 21, 2025 (AP)
Politics

US envoy, Netanyahu discuss restraining attacks on Lebanon, withdrawal

Smoke billows following Israeli airstrikes in multiple areas in Sanaa, Yemen, Sunday, Aug. 24, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Ansar Allah vow sustained Gaza support despite Israeli strikes

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS