The United Nations has raised alarm about sea level rise, saying that globally it’s rising faster and higher than ever before. Antonio Guterres, UN General Secretary, who recently visited the Pacific Islands of Tonga and Samoa, warned that major cities on every continent in the world are at risk.
He said people living in coastal areas of densely populated countries like China, India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and the Netherlands will witness catastrophic flooding. The UN chief highlighted that Bangkok, Mumbai, Buenos Aires, London, Shanghai, Lagos, New York and, London face a similar fate.
The global body said that small islands with low-lying land areas, especially in the Pacific Ocean, face the most critical threats. People of Fiji, Vanuatu and, Solomon Islands are already experiencing the climate impacts, forcing populations to relocate.
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Sea Level Rise is a Real Danger
Sea level rise is very much real and it’s happening even as you are reading this article. A report stated that about 410 million people could be at risk, by 2100, from coastal flooding as sea levels rise higher. NASA highlighted that sea levels, globally, have risen by over 10cm between 1993 and 2024; the level has risen by about 21cm since records began in 1880.
Experts say melting glaciers are contributing to sea level rise because of increasing global temperatures. According to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Greenland and Antarctica are losing 270 billion and 150 billion tonnes of ice respectively, every year. Moreover the heat stored in the oceans has contributed to a third and a half of the global sea level rise.
The World Economic Forum stated that countries and islands have already began to take action through implementing policies and helping populations relocate to higher grounds. Maldives and South Korea are reportedly making developing floating homes.
