UNITED NATIONS – The UN secretary-general warned Tuesday that global warming could force a mass exodus “on a biblical scale” as people flee low-lying communities and legal shelters, especially in preparation for refugees. called upon to implement the framework.
“The threat is particularly acute for the nearly 900 million people living in coastal areas at low altitude – that’s one in ten people on Earth,” Antonio Guterres told the UN Security Council.
“Low-lying communities and entire countries could disappear forever … We would see mass exodus of entire populations on a biblical scale,” he said.
It is not only the small island states that are at risk due to sea level rise, he added.
Countries such as Bangladesh, China, India and the Netherlands are at risk, Guterres said, while “mega-cities on every continent will face severe impacts” – from Cairo to Jakarta to Los Angeles to Copenhagen.
The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) says sea level rose 15–25 cm (6–10 in) between 1900 and 2018.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres speaks ahead of the G20 summit on November 14, 2022 in Bali, Indonesia. (Achmad Ibrahim/AP)
If the world warms by only two degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) compared to the pre-industrial era, those levels will rise again by 43 centimeters by the year 2100.
But if it warms by three or four degrees Celsius, sea levels could rise by up to 84 centimeters, the IPCC says.
The problem must be addressed “in a legal and human rights framework”, Guterres warned.
He added that rising sea levels mean land shrinking, which could lead to potential disputes over land and sea space.
“The current legal regime must look to the future and address any gaps in the existing framework,” including international refugee law, he said.
It should also provide for the future of states that face losing their land area entirely.
Vehicles sit in floodwaters at Palm Isle Apartments following Hurricane Ian on September 29, 2022 in Orlando, Florida. (AP Photo/John Roux)
Guterres said the Security Council has a “crucial” role to play in addressing the “catastrophic security challenges posed by rising sea levels”.
The issue has been controversial in the past: In 2021, Russia vetoed a resolution linking climate change and global security, which was supported by a majority of the council members.
