The UN Secretary-General on Tuesday issued a “global SOS” on rising sea levels in this vast group of volcanic islands and coral atolls.
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If it were written in the sand, it would quickly be erased by the waves. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has launched a “Worldwide SOS”Tuesday, August 27, on the occasion of the Pacific Islands Forum, threatened by rising waters. According to a new report from the World Meteorological Organization released the same day, the rise due to global warming is indeed faster than the global average in this vast group of volcanic islands and coral atolls. In thirty years, sea levels have risen by an average of 9.4 cm on a global scale, but by 15 cm in certain areas of the Pacific, the report warns. Even though the Pacific islands, sparsely populated and with little heavy industry, collectively emit less than 0.02% of annual global greenhouse gas emissions, responsible for climate change.
These low-lying islands are being hit hard by the effects of climate change and are trying to survive. In Tuvalu, cement blocks are being scattered along the coasts to slow down erosion. In Fiji, they are tires.
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The underlying phenomenon of sea level rise is also making flash coastal flooding more frequent, particularly increasing “the occurrence of more intense and more destructive storms”, reports World Weather Attribution. “Disasters follow one another and we lose the ability to rebuild, to resist a new cyclone or a new flood”lamented Tuvaluan Climate Minister Maina Talia on the sidelines of the summit.
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Many Pacific island communities have already been abandoned to the sea. In Fiji, for example, the ocean has swallowed up the cemetery of the small village of Togoru, and its inhabitants fear that they will soon have their feet in the water.
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Since the 19th century, the Earth’s average temperature warmed by 1.1°C. Scientists have established with certainty that this increase is due to human activities, consumers of fossil fuels (coal, oil and gas). This warming, unprecedented in its speed, threatens the future of our societies and biodiversity. But solutions – renewable energies, moderation, reduction of meat consumption – exist. Discover our answers to your questions on the climate crisis.