1 of 3 | United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on the Security Council to take on climate change. Photo by Benedikt von Loebell/UPI |
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Feb. 15 (UPI) -- U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told the Security Council it must muster the "political will" to do more against climate change, saying that coastal cities, and countries are feeling the effects of rising sea levels.
In his address to the council on Tuesday, Guterres cited a World Meteorological Organization report, which found that the global average sea levels have risen faster since 1900 than over any preceding century in the last 3,000 years. The report stated that even if global heating was limited to 1.5 degrees, there will still be a sizeable sea level rise.
"Rising seas are sinking futures," Guterres said. "Sea-level rise is not only a threat in itself. It is a great multiplier. For the hundreds of millions of people living in small island developing states and other low-lying coastal areas around the world, sea-level rise is a torrent of trouble."
Guterres said countries like Bangladesh, China, India and the Netherlands are all at risk.
"Mega-cities on every continent will face serious impacts, including Cairo, Lagos, Maputo, Bangkok, Dhaka, Jakarta, Mumbai, Shanghai, Copenhagen, London, Los Angeles, New York, Buenos Aires and Santiago," Guterres said.
"The danger is especially acute for nearly 900 million people who live in coastal zones at low elevations -- that's 1 out of 10 people on Earth."
Guterres called for more concerted action to reduce emissions and ensure climate justice. He said developing countries need resources to adapt and build resilience against climate disasters. He said wealthy countries must deliver on a $100 billion loss and damage fund.
He added that the countries must broaden their understanding of the root causes of insecurity that include poverty, discrimination and inequality, violations of human rights and environmental disasters like rising sea levels.
Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, said climate researchers from NASA have identified trends where climate change is challenging the population.
"My point is this: The climate crisis is at the forefront of our agenda and will remain one of our top priorities in 2023," Thomas-Greenfield said. "It is an issue we're working on at every level of our government."
