United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres issued a "global SOS" in Tonga on Tuesday, urging governments to step up climate action to "save our seas".
Guterres arrived at a hotel in Tonga's capital on Tuesday bearing grim news.
"I am in Tonga to issue a global SOS – 'save our seas' – on rising sea levels. The worldwide catastrophe is putting this Pacific paradise in peril. Global average sea levels are rising at rates unprecedented in the past 3,000 years. The ocean is overflowing," he said.
The UN chief delivered the findings from two UN climate reports at this year's Pacific Islands Forum. Both centered around how climate change is impacting the Pacific region, especially its most valuable asset - the ocean.
"Changes to the ocean are accelerating with devastating impacts. The reason is clear – greenhouse gases overwhelmingly generated by burning fossil fuels are cooking our planet, and the sea is taking the heat, literally," Guterres said.
Scientists say the sea level in parts of the Pacific has risen by more than double the global increase in the last 30 years, meaning water is taking up more space.
That's particularly devastating for many Pacific Island countries where the highest point is just a few meters above sea level, and more than 90 percent of the population live within 5 kilometers of the ocean.
The reports also found that rising seas are amplifying the frequency and severity of storm surges and coastal flooding.
The impacts from climate change are an increasing concern for leaders of the 18 nations that make up the Pacific Islands Forum.
"Every Pacific leader here has the same thing. They are faced with increasing severe weather events that have a real impact on people's lives, because out here, a lot of communities don't have access to a supermarket, they eat what they grow in their gardens. And if that is disrupted that growth by climate change, then they are now in big trouble," said Tim Flannery, councilor with Climate Council of Australia.
Flannery believes Guterres' first visit to the Pacific Islands Forum will help shed light on the impacts of climate change to the rest of the world. And he's hopeful it will inspire the steps needed to better address it.
UN chief issues "global SOS" over fast-rising sea levels
