UN warns “mass exodus of biblical scale” as sea levels rapidly rise. Source: NPS Climate Change Response, Wikimedia Commons
The UN secretary general has warned of a “mass exodus of entire populations on a biblical scale,” as sea levels rise at a rapid pace.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said major cities across the world, including London, Shanghai, Bangkok, Mumbai, and New York, are expected to face disastrous impacts from rising sea levels.
“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,” Mr Guterres said.
Mr Guterres also said rising sea levels will significantly impact access to food, water, and healthcare.
“I have seen with my own eyes how people in small island developing states in the Western Pacific are facing sea-rise levels up to four times the global average,” Mr Guterres said.
“In the Caribbean, rising seas have contributed to the devastation of local livelihoods in the tourism and agriculture sectors.”
Polly Hemming from the Australian Institute’s Climate and Energy Program told SBS News that Australia has to stop new coal and gas projects in order to combat rising sea levels.
“Australia is one of the world’s biggest fossil fuel exporters and we have a role to play in the absolute chaos that sea level rise is going to cause,” Ms Hemming said.
“If we think this is bad, it is going to get much, much worse.”
Ms Hemming said the UN’s report shows that the number one priority in Australia needs to be stopping new fossil fuel projects.
Recent data from the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) shows that global sea levels have risen faster since 1900 than in any other preceding century in the past 3,000 years.
This data also shows that the main cause of sea level rise since the end of the 20th century is the burning of fossil fuels.
