“The danger is particularly great for nearly 900 million people living in low-lying coastal areas, one in ten people on earth,” Guterres stressed before the Security Council.
“Communities living in low-lying areas and entire countries could disappear forever. We would witness a mass exodus of entire populations on biblical proportions,” he added.
Some small, sparsely populated island states are in danger of disappearing altogether. But the effects of sea-level rise, caused by melting glaciers, expanding oceans from higher temperatures, and now most importantly, melting polar ice caps, go much further.
“In any scenario, countries like Bangladesh, China, India and the Netherlands are all at risk,” Guterres warned.
“Mega-cities on every continent will have severe impacts, such as Cairo, Lagos, Maputo, Bangkok, Dhaka, Jakarta, Mumbai, Shanghai, Copenhagen, London, Los Angeles, New York, Buenos Aires and Santiago,” he said.
According to UN climate experts (IPCC), sea levels rose by 15 to 25 cm between 1900 and 2018 and is projected to rise another 43 cm by 2100, on a planet experiencing a temperature increase of 2 °C per year compared to the previous year – industrial age.
However, it could increase by 84 cm if the planet warms by +3°C or +4°C.
The rise in water above the subsidence of certain areas is accompanied by an increase in storms and flooding in coastal areas.
In this context of populations being forced into exile, Guterres called for “closing the gaps in existing legal frameworks” at the global level.
“This must include the refugee law,” he demanded. But solutions must also be found for the future of states that lose their land territory completely.
He also believed that the UN Security Council “has an essential role to play in addressing the devastating security challenges posed by rising waters.”
This is a contentious issue within the agency.
For example, in 2021 Russia vetoed a resolution making a general link between global warming and world security, a resolution supported by the majority of members of that council.