On Wednesday, at the high-level meeting to address the existential threats posed by sea level rise at the UN General Assembly, nations around the world reaffirmed their commitment to action even as the Secretary-General António Guterres issued dire warnings on the impending crisis.
“Our world is in dangerous waters,” Guterres said on Wednesday, adding “Global sea level is now rising faster than at any time in the past 3,000 years as greenhouse gases are heating our planet, expanding seawater and melting ice.
Convened by Philémon Yang, the President of the UN General Assembly, the multi-stakeholder meeting affirmed several important areas that needs addressing, including the need for non economic losses from the sea level rise to be included in the loss and damage funds – “To address the specific needs of vulnerable communities.”
There were proposals to reform international financial institutions and the green climate fund by closing the gaps in financing, to provide states with direct access to the funds and simplify applications procedures.
“Rising seas mean a rising tide of misery,” Guterres said.
As per IPCC estimates, by 2050, global sea levels will rise by an average of 15 to 30 centimetres, with the possibility of once a century extreme sea-level events becoming an annual phenomenon from the end of this century.
As per projections, Sri Lanka could expect a sea level rise of between 0.2 to 0.6 metres by 2050, which will impact lives and livelihoods of coastal communities.
