“Rising seas are a crisis entirely of humanity’s making. A crisis that will soon swell to an almost unimaginable scale, with no lifeboat to take us back to safety,” Guterres said in a speech at the forum.
“The world must act, and answer the SOS before it is too late.”
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is urging high-emitting countries to act before it's too late. Photo / Adam Pearse
In a rare appearance at the annual forum, Guterres spoke largely about the impact of climate change – namely sea-level rise – on vulnerable island nations like those in the Pacific.
Yesterday, the topic was thrust back into the spotlight as a storm brought heavy rain, causing flash flooding. A 6.9-magnitude earthquake also hit north of Tonga’s main island, Tongatapu, almost necessitating evacuations.
Foreign Minister Winston Peters met with New Caledonia president Louis Mapou yesterday while at the Pacific Islands Forum in Tonga.
Guterres delivered his address today following the release of the World Meteorological Organisation’s report on the state of the climate in the South West Pacific and the UN climate action team’s report assessing the science behind sea level rise and global warming – reports he believed painted a “devastating” picture.
“Today’s reports confirm that relative sea levels in the Southwestern Pacific have risen even more than the global average – in some locations, by more than double the global increase in the past 30 years,” Guterres said.
“Ocean temperatures are increasing at up to three times the rate worldwide.
“The ocean is overflowing. The changes here in the Pacific region are visible since my last visit.”
United Nations Secretary General António Guterres addresses Pacific leaders at the opening ceremony of the Pacific Islands Forum in Tonga. Photo / Adam Pearse
He outlined the characteristics that made the Pacific so vulnerable to sea level rise, stating:
The South West Pacific had an average elevation of 1-2 metres above sea level.
About 90% of people lived within 5km of the coast.
About half of all infrastructure was within 500m of the sea.
“Without drastic cuts to emissions, the Pacific Islands can expect at least 15 centimetres of additional sea level rise by mid-century, and more than 30 days per year of coastal flooding in some places,” he said.
“These numbers may sound small. But a doubling in speed shows that the phenomenon is accelerating in an unusual and uncontrolled way.”
Guterres laid the blame squarely on developed countries with high emissions.
Yesterday, Guterres spoke during the forum’s opening ceremony of how 80% of emissions originated from developed countries and yet those most vulnerable to the result of climate change barely contributed at all.
From left: United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Tonga Prime Minister and Pacific Islands Forum chairman Hu’akavameiliku Siaosi Sovaleni and Forum Secretary-General Baron Waqa during the leaders' dialogue at the forum on Tuesday. Photo / Adam Pearse
“Global leaders must step up,” he said today. “To drastically slash global emissions; to lead a fast and fair phase-out of fossil fuels.”
He urged high-emitting countries to contribute to the Pacific Resilience Facility, a vehicle through which the Pacific could access funding to protect against the impact of a warming climate.
“Without new adaptation and protection measures, economic damage from coastal flooding could amount to trillions of dollars.”
The vehicle reportedly required almost $400 million more than had already been committed to reach its $500m target in two years.
Guterres yesterday said he would “do my best to mobilise international resources for the Pacific Resilience Facility”.
His warnings weren’t reserved for the Pacific solely, they extended to the “coastal megacities” like Dhaka, Los Angeles, Mumbai, Lagos and Shanghai that were “threatened by our swelling ocean”.
Foreign Minister Winston Peters prepares for the leaders' dialogue at the Pacific Island Forum on Tuesday, seen here sitting next to New Caledonia President Louis Mapou after the pair's bilateral meeting yesterday. Photo / Adam Pearse
Through its commitment to the Paris Agreement, New Zealand had a net zero emissions target by 2050 as part of a global effort to keep average temperature increases below 2C above pre-industrial levels, with an aim of achieving 1.5C.
Guterres cited evidence that suggested a 2C increase could lead to sea level rise of “up to 20 metres over a period of a millennia”.
“Around one metre of future sea level rise is already locked in. But its future scale, pace, and impact are not.
“Only by limiting warming to 1.5C do we have a fighting chance of preventing the irreversible collapse of the Greenland and West Antarctic ice sheets – and the catastrophes that accompany them.”
Adam Pearse is a political reporter in the NZ Herald Press Gallery team, based at Parliament. He has worked for NZME since 2018, covering sport and health for the Northern Advocate in Whangārei before moving to the Herald in Auckland, covering Covid-19 and crime.
