UN Chief Warns 'mass Exodus On A Biblical Scale' If Rising Sea Levels Are Not Controlled

UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned that the rising sea levels threaten “a mass exodus of entire populations on a biblical scale”. On Tuesday, the UN Secretary-General said in a statement that the current climate crisis is causing a rise in sea levels, the fastest in 3,000 years. According to Guterres, this treacherous phenomenon is also causing a “torrent of trouble” from London to Los Angeles. The United Nations Secretary-General was addressing the United Nations Security Council when he voiced these concerns.  

The UN chief informed that the coastlines in some of the nations have already seen triple average sea level rise, and if the situation continues this way, it can cause the disappearance of several low-lying communities and even countries in the coming decades. “We would witness a mass exodus of entire populations on a biblical scale, and we would see ever-fiercer competition for fresh water, land and other resources,” the UN chief warned on Tuesday. The UN chief reiterated his stance on Twitter.

“Rising seas are sinking futures - threatening the very existence of some low-lying communities and even entire countries. Cities on every continent will face serious impacts including Lagos, Bangkok, Mumbai, Shanghai, London, New York, and Santiago,” he wrote on Twitter. 

Rising seas are sinking futures - threatening the very existence of some low-lying communities and even entire countries.

Cities on every continent will face serious impacts including Lagos, Bangkok, Mumbai, Shanghai, London, New York and Santiago. https://t.co/YN2le22ug6

— António Guterres (@antonioguterres) February 14, 2023

Poverty worsens the impact of rising sea level 

After giving out the warning regarding the rising sea levels, Guterres said reducing carbon emissions, and addressing problems such as poverty can improve the situation since they worsen the impact of the rising sea levels. The UN chief also urged the international community to develop new International laws to protect the “homeless and stateless”. The UN chief asserted that the significant sea level rise is already inevitable with current global heating.

Commenting on the deplorable conditions of global warming, Guterres asserted, “Even if global heating is miraculously limited to 1.5C, there will still be a sizeable sea level rise.” A sea level rise of about 50cm by 2100 is likely, but the WMO said there would be a 2-3 metre rise over the next 2,000 years if heating were limited to 1.5C, and 2-6m if it were limited to 2C. A UN report in October said there was “no credible pathway to 1.5C in place”.