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
Israeli media: For the first time, Prime Minister Netanyahu is signaling that he wants to end the war on Gaza
Israeli Channel 12, citing an American source: We want to have entered a path toward captive release and a ceasefire before Netanyahu arrives in Washington
Lebanese Ministry of Health: One martyr and two injured in the Israeli airstrike that targeted a motorcycle in the town of Mahrouna
Al Mayadeen correspondent to Southern Lebanon: An Israeli drone strike targeted a vehicle between the towns of Jwayya and Mahrouna.
Al Mayadeen's correspondent in South Lebanon: One martyred in the Israeli drone strike on a car in the town of Kawnin
Al Mayadeen's correspondent in South Lebanon: Israeli drone targets a car in the town of Kawnin
Naeini: If our national interests are attacked again, our response this time will be stronger and more destructive
Naeini: The war has proven that the settlers are defenseless against Iranian missile and drone forces
Naeini: Trump lacks an understanding of the true strength of the Iranian people and is so deluded as to believe he can change the reality of Iran's victory
Naeini: The defeat led to Trump's confusion and loss of balance, which was reflected in his ill-considered statements

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

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian attends a protest following the US attacks on nuclear sites in Iran, in Tehran, Iran, Sunday, June 22, 2025. (AP)

Iran declares victory as ceasefire forces Israeli retreat

  • Politics
  • 24 Jun 2025
Israeli workers survey the site where a missile launched from Iran struck in Haifa on Sunday, June 22, 2025. (AP)

True Promise 3, wave 20: 40 missiles launched, Kheibar-Shekan in first

  • Politics
  • 22 Jun 2025
Iran launches strikes on Israeli targets, despite alleged ceasefire

Iran victorious as ceasefire with 'Israel' takes effect

  • Politics
  • 24 Jun 2025
Iranian worshippers carry their country's flags in a protest to condemn Israeli attacks on multiple cities across Iran, after the Friday prayers ceremony in Tehran, Iran, Friday, June 20, 2025. (AP)

Iran warns of NPT withdrawal, Strait of Hormuz closure after US attack

  • Politics
  • 22 Jun 2025

Coverage

All
The Ummah's Martyrs

Read Next

All
In this June, 12, 2021, file photo, former Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani sits in a meeting in Tehran, Iran.
Politics

Iran strategically foiled Israeli-US scheme, Advisor Shamkhani says

Sheikh Naim
MENA

Let no one think they can subjugate Hezbollah: Sheikh Qassem

Screengrab from a video published by the al-Qassam Brigades shows confrontations with the Israeli occupation forces in Gaza, undated (Al-Qassam Brigades Military Media)
Politics

Al-Qassam releases video of deadly ambush with Israeli forces in Gaza

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General, Rafael Grossi, attends an IAEA Board of Governors meeting in Vienna, Austria, Monday, June 23, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Iran bars IAEA chief Grossi from nuclear facility inspections

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