UN Official Calls on World Leaders to Witness Pacific Sea-Level Rise

Amina Mohammed wants the world’s most powerful leaders to stand on a Pacific atoll and see the water rising around them. The UN deputy secretary-general made the appeal in Palau, where Pacific leaders are meeting to discuss climate change, crime and regional security.

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the other side of that story

Mohammed pointed to last week’s deadly floods in Nepal as “the other side of that story.” A UN report published Monday said warming oceans and melting glaciers are driving sea-level rise at a record pace. It estimated that as many as 1.2 billion people could be displaced by 2050, while Pacific island countries are experiencing sea-level rise at twice the global average.

The UN is pressing G20 leaders to attend a meeting hosted by Tuvalu in October, before the next UN climate summit in Türkiye. Mohammed said leaders should “turn up and really engage with the world on what they need to do,” although concerns remain that few leaders from outside the Pacific will make the journey.

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We think they should turn up and really engage with the world on what they need to do

Tuvalu is preparing to relocate its population after scientists predicted that much of its land could eventually be inundated. Palau Environment Minister Steven Victor said Pacific countries were “not begging for any handouts,” but had fewer resources to protect communities facing the greatest risks. “We need them to come and see,” he said.

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not begging for any handouts

The UN report also identified a major financing gap. Developing countries need an estimated $310 billion to $365 billion for adaptation, but received only $26 billion in adaptation finance in 2023. Coral reefs face their own mounting pressure. A study covering 37,000 reefs in 120 countries found a 9.5% decline in global hard-coral cover over four decades. Since 2010, major bleaching events have occurred every five to six years, leaving reefs less time to recover.

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We need them to come and see