The UN secretary-general warned on Tuesday of the risk of an exodus “on a biblical scale” due to rising sea levels caused by global warming, calling for “filling the gaps” in international law , especially for refugees.
“The danger is particularly acute for nearly 900 million people who live in low-lying coastal areas — one in 10 people on Earth,” António Guterres told the Security Council.
“Communities living in low-lying areas and entire countries could disappear forever,” he added.
“We would be witnessing a mass exodus of entire populations, on a biblical scale”.
While some small, sparsely populated island states are at risk of disappearing altogether, the impact of rising sea levels, caused by melting glaciers, expanding ocean warming and now mainly melting ice caps, is much wider.
“Whatever the scenario, countries like Bangladesh, China, India and the Netherlands are all at risk,” insisted António Guterres.
“Mega-cities on all continents will suffer severe impacts, such as Cairo, Lagos, Maputo, Bangkok, Dhaka, Jakarta, Bombay, Shanghai, Copenhagen, London, Los Angeles, New York, Buenos Aires and Santiago.”
According to UN climate experts (IPCC), sea level rose by 15 to 25 cm between 1900 and 2018, and is expected to rise another around 43 cm by 2100 in a world at +2°C per year. compared to the pre-industrial era, but 84 cm in a world at +3°C or +4°C.
The rise in water levels, beyond the engulfment of certain areas, is accompanied by an increase in storms and submersion waves: water and land are contaminated by salt, making territories uninhabitable even before to be drowned.
In this context of populations who will be forced into exile, the UN Secretary General called for “filling the gaps in the existing legal frameworks” at the global level.
“This must include refugee law,” he insisted. But also provide solutions for the future of States that will totally lose their land territory.
He also considered that the Security Council has “an essential role to play” in “addressing the devastating security challenges posed by the rising waters”.
A controversial issue within the Council.
Russia had in 2021 vetoed a resolution establishing a generic link between global warming and security in the world, a resolution supported by the majority of the members of the Council.