PREVIEW

UN Chief Warns: Rising Seas Threaten Everyone. UN Secretary-General António Guterres has issued a stark warning: the world’s biggest polluters must reduce emissions or face a global disaster. Speaking at the Pacific Island Forum in Tonga, Guterres highlighted the severe injustice faced by the Pacific region, which contributes little to climate change but suffers greatly from its effects. He emphasized that although Pacific islands are currently the most vulnerable, rising sea levels threaten everyone, with "surging seas coming for us all.” The UN released reports showing the South West Pacific is experiencing rising sea levels, warming oceans, and increasing acidification, all driven by greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels. During the forum, the theme of transformative resilience was put to the test when heavy rains and an earthquake disrupted the event, underscoring the region’s vulnerability. A street parade nearby featured banners with powerful messages like "We are not drowning, we are fighting" and "Sea levels are rising – so are we.” The UN report “Surging Seas in a Warming World” revealed that global sea levels have risen unprecedentedly over the past 3,000 years, with the Pacific experiencing an even faster rise. Guterres visited local communities in Tonga affected by rising sea levels, pointing out the long delays in securing funding for critical infrastructure like sea walls. He criticized the international financial system for failing to support small island nations adequately, despite promises of increased adaptation funding. Australia, the region’s largest emitter and donor, has been singled out for its continued reliance on fossil fuels, despite global calls to phase them out. Guterres stressed that big polluters have a crucial responsibility to cut emissions, warning that failure to do so could breach the 1.5°C warming threshold set by the Paris Agreement. He called on the G20 and major corporations to take immediate action, emphasizing the need to reduce global emissions by 43% by 2030 to avoid catastrophic climate consequences.
Instructions: THIS VIDEO MUST NOT BE EDITED FOR LENGTH TO COMBINE WITH OTHER CONTENT