– Low-lying coastal areas are home to around 900 million people. Rising sea levels bring a flood of misery, Guterres said on Wednesday at a meeting on the dangers that could arise from rising sea levels.
– Greenhouse gases, largely triggered by the burning of fossil energy sources, heat up our planet, expand the water in the sea and melt the ice, said Guterres.
According to a study cited by the UN Climate Panel (IPCC), five countries – the Maldives, Tuvalu, the Marshall Islands, Nauru and Kiribati – could risk being uninhabitable by 2100, leading to the emergence of 600,000 climate refugees.
In his speech on Wednesday, Guterres warned of flooded communities, polluted fresh water, destroyed crops, destruction of infrastructure, destruction of biodiversity and deterioration of economies dependent on fisheries, agriculture and tourism.
We cannot leave billions of people’s hopes and longings dead in the water, said the UN chief.
Norway is among the 19 member countries of the UN’s ocean panel, which on Wednesday reached agreement on a declaration that emphasizes the need for increased efforts for the oceans.
– Clean and productive seas are more important than ever. A sustainable ocean economy will be able to create more prosperity for everyone and is crucial to achieving the climate goals. We have had a good discussion among the leaders in the Ocean Panel about how important it is that we jointly contribute to action and good results during the UN’s next ocean conference, says Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre (Ap) who leads the work of the panel together with Palau’s president.
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2024-09-26 09:10:17
