Greece’s Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis called on the world to act to prevent rising sea levels as the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned on Wednesday that surging sea levels are creating “a rising tide of misery.”
In his speech at the Sea Level Rise high-level meeting held during the UN General Assembly, Mitsotakis emphasized that the rising sea levels due to global warming pose a serious threat to coastal areas and communities.
He highlighted that nearly 37 percent of the world’s population lives near coastlines and that 50 percent of global tourism occurs in these regions, stressing that immediate action is necessary to prevent further damage.
Nearly a billion people worldwide live in low-lying coastal areas, increasingly vulnerable to storm surges, coastal erosion and flooding—while Pacific islands face growing threats to their economic viability and even existence.
UN chief: Rising sea levels mean a rising tide of misery
“Rising seas mean a rising tide of misery,” said Antonio Guterres, speaking at a summit that placed sea-level rise at the top of the international agenda at the UN General Assembly.
Over the past century, as global temperatures have risen about one degree Celsius (1.8F), sea levels have gone up 160 to 210 millimeters (six to eight inches)—with about half of that amount occurring since 1993, according to NASA.
According to a study cited by the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, five nations —the Maldives, Tuvalu, the Marshall Islands, Nauru and Kiribati—may become uninhabitable by 2100, creating 600,000 stateless climate refugees.
Guterres warned of “communities swamped, fresh water contaminated, crops ruined, infrastructure damaged, biodiversity destroyed and economies decimated—with sectors such as fisheries, agriculture and tourism pummeled.”
These effects are already being felt, he said—pointing to hundreds of island families in Panama forced to relocate to the mainland, and people in Saint Louis, Senegal, who are abandoning their homes, schools, businesses and mosques to the encroaching tide.
Mitsotakis: Countries will see their lands flood due to rising sea levels
The Greek PM underscored the need for adequate infrastructure to address the challenges posed by rising sea levels, advocating for a flexible combination of natural and green solutions, as well as the protection and restoration of coastal natural capital.
Mitsotakis stated that Greece and the EU are pioneers in implementing the Green Deal, emphasizing the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. He outlined three priorities on the matter: creating resilient infrastructure, fostering public-private partnerships and enhancing international cooperation for financing solutions.
“Many countries will see their lands flood, endangering lives and livelihoods, while displacement will become inevitable if we do not take immediate and bold action. The Mediterranean coasts, which host some of the most historic sites and iconic monuments of human heritage, are already facing an increasing challenge,” he remarked.
He stressed that the critical issue of rising sea levels must be addressed at the European level, as it affects not only small island states.
Mitsotakis also mentioned Greece’s hosting of the “Our Ocean Conference,” which brought together 3,000 participants and commitments totaling 11 billion dollars, reaffirming Greece’s commitment to tackling the issue of rising sea levels.
Related: Rising Sea Levels Threaten Cultural Treasures of Greece and Turkey