Below is the text of the speech delivered by UN Secretary-General António Guterres during the high-level meeting of the General Assembly dedicated to the existential threats posed by rising sea levels, in New York today:
Humanity is navigating treacherous waters. Scientists tell us that sea levels are rising today faster than at any time in the past 3,000 years, and that this increase is accelerating—with a rate of rise that has more than doubled since the 1990s.
They tell us that the cause is clear: greenhouse gases—primarily from the burning of fossil fuels—are warming our planet, expanding seawater, and melting ice.
But they cannot tell us where it will stop. That will depend on today’s world leaders. Their choices will determine the scale, pace, and impact of future sea level rises.
An increase in temperatures of more than 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels could push the world past dangerous tipping points—potentially leading to the irreversible collapse of the Greenland and West Antarctic ice sheets. In the worst-case scenarios, people living today could see sea levels rise by several meters.
Nearly 900 million people live in low-lying coastal areas. For them, rising waters spell a tide of misfortunes: more intense storm surges, coastal erosion, and flooding; submerged communities, contaminated freshwater, ruined crops, damaged infrastructure, destroyed biodiversity, and decimated economies—with sectors such as fishing, agriculture, and tourism bearing the brunt of the storm’s effects.
The poorest and most vulnerable are the hardest hit. I witnessed this recently in the Pacific, where cyclones have destroyed entire segments of island economies. In 2015, Vanuatu suffered damages equivalent to more than half of its GDP.
Meanwhile, in Panama, hundreds of island families have had to be relocated to the mainland. In Bangladesh, saltwater contaminates drinking water, destroys crops, and poses a deadly health threat—especially for pregnant women. In the city of Saint-Louis, Senegal, homes, schools, small businesses, and mosques have been abandoned in the face of rising tides.
Such events are occurring all over the world. This is what climate injustice looks like. It is the face of inequity. But the rich are not immune. Advanced economies are spending billions—in damages and in adaptation.
And if we do not act quickly, the situation will be much worse. As today’s debate title reminds us, for some this situation represents an existential threat: entire islands lost; coastal communities destroyed as land becomes uninhabitable and uninsurable.
Mass population displacements can strain the limited resources of neighboring regions—and exacerbate already dire situations. Global trade, food systems, and supply chains will be disrupted as ports are damaged and farmland and fisheries are ruined.
Rising waters will reshape not only coastlines but also economies, politics, and security. Only radical measures to reduce emissions can limit sea level rise. And only drastic adaptation measures can protect populations from rising waters.
Everyone must be protected by an early warning system by 2027—under our « Early Warnings for All » initiative. All countries must submit new national climate action plans—or nationally determined contributions—well ahead of COP30 next year. These plans must align with the 1.5-degree threshold, cover all sectors of the economy, and set us on a path toward a rapid, fair, and equitable phase-out of fossil fuels.
The G20, responsible for about 80% of global emissions, must lead the way. It must align its fossil fuel production and consumption plans with the 1.5-degree threshold.
Funding is essential. We need ambitious financing outcomes at COP29 this year—including new and innovative sources of capital. We need significant contributions to the new Loss and Damage Fund—an essential step toward climate justice. Developed countries must double their adaptation funding to reach at least $40 billion per year by 2025—and demonstrate how they will close the adaptation financing gap. Finally, we must reform multilateral development banks to make them larger, bolder, and able to provide much more affordable financing to developing countries.
We have made real progress at the Summit of the Future. We must continue to build on these advances, particularly at next year’s Global Social Development Summit and Financing for Development Conference.
We must also close the gaps in our international legal framework regarding rising sea levels: to ensure continued access to resources, while protecting existing maritime boundaries, as well as to safeguard affected people and, in extreme scenarios, address the implications for state status.
We cannot leave the hopes and aspirations of billions of people unanswered. We cannot allow the mass destruction of countries and communities. It is time to turn the tide. And to save ourselves from rising waters.
