UN: In response, the UN Secretary-General called for the implementation of legal frameworks, particularly for refugees, warning that global warming could cause a mass exodus "on a biblical scale" as people flee low-lying communities.
One in ten people on Earth, or nearly 900 million people, live in coastal areas with low elevations, according to Antonio Guterres, the UN Secretary-General.
Communities in low-lying areas and entire nations could vanish forever. A biblical-scale mass exodus of entire populations would take place, he predicted.
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He continued, "Small island states are not the only ones at risk as sea levels rise. According to Guterres, nations like Bangladesh, China, India, and the Netherlands are all in danger, and megacities in places like Cairo, Jakarta, Los Angeles, and Copenhagen will all experience serious effects.
According to the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), sea levels increased between 1900 and 2018 by 15 to 25 centimeters (6 to 10 inches). By the year 2100, those levels will rise once more by 43 centimeters if the world warms by just two degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) compared to the pre-industrial era. The IPCC warns that if temperatures rise by three to four degrees Celsius, sea levels could rise by as much as 84 centimeters.
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Guterres emphasized that the issue must be addressed "across legal and human rights frameworks." According to him, decreasing land mass caused by rising sea levels could lead to conflicts over land and maritime space.
In terms of international refugee law, he said, "the current legal regime must look to the future and address any gaps in existing frameworks." Additionally, it must consider the needs of states that risk losing all of their land territory.
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In order to address "the devastating security challenges arising from rising seas," according to Guterres, the Security Council has a "critical" role to play. The subject has previously generated controversy: In 2021, Russia vetoed a resolution that connected climate change and international security and was backed by the majority of Council members.