“I am in Tonga to issue a global SOS – Save Our Seas – regarding rapidly rising sea levels. A global catastrophe is endangering this Pacific paradise“, he declared.
The most exposed despite the little environmental damage they generate
The islands, with sparse populations and few heavy industries, generate less than 0.02% of annual global CO2 emissionsHowever, it is increasingly threatened by rising ocean levels.
What does the report say?
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has monitored tide gauges installed on Pacific beaches since the 1990s.. Research released by the climate watchdog reveals that the seas have risen about 15 centimeters over the last 30 years in some parts of the Pacific.
The world average was 9.4 centimetersaccording to the report.
“The populations, economies and ecosystems of the entire South-West Pacific region are severely affected by the cascading effects” of climate change, warned the Secretary General of the WMO, Argentinean Celeste Saulo, in the document.
“It is increasingly evident that we are running out of time to turn the tide.“, he added.
The islands could cease to exist
The rise in some places, such as Kiribati and the Cook Islands, was similar to or slightly below the global average. But in others, such as the capitals of Samoa and Fiji, the increase was almost three times the average. In Tuvalu, the land area has shrunk so much that children use the runway at the international airport as a playground.
According to experts, even in a moderate scenario of sea level rise, this archipelago could disappear completely within 30 years.
“It’s one disaster after another, and we are losing the ability to rebuild, to withstand another cyclone or another flood,” Tuvalu’s climate minister Maina Talia told AFP.
“We must not turn a blind eye to climate change and rising sea levels,” Talia said. “For low-lying island states, it is a question of survival.”
Because of their remote location and low economic weight, the distress of these countries has been ignored in the past, but researchers present the region as a warning of what may happen elsewhere on the planet. “This new report confirms what Pacific leaders have been saying for years,” Australian climate researcher Wes Morgan told AFP.
Climate change threatens global security
“Climate change is the main security threat“Pacific nations are in a fight for survival and ending pollution is essential to their future,” he added.
Surrounded by millions of square kilometers of ocean, South Pacific countries are particularly threatened by rising seas since most of their inhabitants live less than five kilometres from the coast, according to the UN..
In addition to submerging the land, this phenomenon reduces essential sources of water and food..
Another looming threat is the ever-rising ocean temperature. It also triggers most violent natural disasters and acidifies the water, affecting the marine food chain.
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Courtesy of BBC
Source: Ambito
