UN Chief: Rising Seas a ‘Death Sentence’ for Some Nations

UN Chief: Rising Seas a ‘Death Sentence’ for Some Nations

The United Nations chief is warning that, since 1900, sea levels around the world have risen at a faster rate than before that time.

The increase puts some countries like Bangladesh, China, India and the Netherlands at risk and endangers 900 million people living in low-lying coastal¹ areas.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres made the statements Tuesday in a speech to the U.N. Security Council. He declared that sea levels will rise a lot even if the average world temperature increase is limited to 1.5 degrees Celsius².

Guterres warned that the Earth is likely on a path to warming. He said that amounts to "a death sentence" for many countries, especially small island nations.

Guterres also said many large cities face the threat of rising sea levels. The cities he listed include Cairo, Lagos and Maputo in Africa, and Bangkok, Dhaka, Jakarta, Mumbai and Shanghai in Asia. Other threatened cities include Copenhagen and London in Europe, and Los Angeles, New York, Buenos Aires and Santiago in the Americas.

The World Meteorological Organization, or WMO, released data Tuesday on the danger of rising seas, Guterres said. "Global average sea levels have risen faster since 1900 than over any preceding century in the last 3,000 years," he said. "The global ocean has warmed faster over the past century than at any time in the past 11,000 years."

The WMO said the sea level will rise two to three meters over the next 2,000 years if warming is limited to 1.5 degrees Celsius. With a two-degree-Celsius increase, seas could rise to six meters, and with a five-degree-Celsius increase, seas could rise 22 meters.

The consequences are unthinkable, Guterres said. Low-lying communities and whole countries could disappear. The world would see a mass exodus³ of whole populations on a biblical scale. Guterres said competition for fresh water, land and other resources would become fiercer.

The 2015 Paris Agreement called for nations to limit the rise of the average world temperature to two degrees Celsius by 2100 compared to the time before modern industry. It said nations should keep the rise as close as possible to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

The Security Council meeting also heard speakers from about 75 countries. All voiced concerns. Some worried about the survival of their countries.

Samoa's U.N. ambassador, Fatumanava-o-Upolu III Pa'olelei Luteru, spoke⁴ for the Alliance of Small Island States. He said the island nations "are among the lowest emitters of greenhouse gases that drive climate change and sea level rise. Yet, we face some of the most severe consequences of rising sea levels,"

He said there is an urgent need for wealthy nations to fulfill⁵ their international promises on climate change and help poor countries.

U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield agreed. She said that "the threat of sea level rise is real, it is a direct result of our climate crisis, and it is a matter of international peace and security."

"The worst impacts can be avoided, but we have to act now, and we have to act together," Thomas-Greenfield said.

Words in This Story

mass exodus –idiom (sometimes considered redundant) a situation in which a lot of people leave a place to go to another place

biblical scale –idiom to a very large or shocking extent

emit –v. to give off or release into the air

greenhouse gases –n. (pl.) gasses in the atmosphere that are believed to trap heat such as carbon dioxide or water vapor⁶

consequences –n. (pl.) the results of some action in the past

impact –n. the result of an action

1 coastal   

adj.海岸的，沿海的，沿岸的

参考例句：

• The ocean waves are slowly eating away the coastal rocks.大海的波浪慢慢地侵蚀着岸边的岩石。
• This country will fortify the coastal areas.该国将加强沿海地区的防御。

2 Celsius   

adj.摄氏温度计的，摄氏的

参考例句：

• The temperature tonight will fall to seven degrees Celsius.今晚气温将下降到七摄氏度。
• The maximum temperature in July may be 36 degrees Celsius.七月份最高温度可能达到36摄氏度。

3 exodus   

v.大批离去，成群外出

参考例句：

• The medical system is facing collapse because of an exodus of doctors.由于医生大批离去，医疗系统面临崩溃。
• Man's great challenge at this moment is to prevent his exodus from this planet.人在当前所遇到的最大挑战，就是要防止人从这个星球上消失。

4 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

5 fulfill   

vt.履行，实现，完成；满足，使满意

参考例句：

• If you make a promise you should fulfill it.如果你许诺了，你就要履行你的诺言。
• This company should be able to fulfill our requirements.这家公司应该能够满足我们的要求。

6 vapor   

n.蒸汽，雾气

参考例句：

• The cold wind condenses vapor into rain.冷风使水蒸气凝结成雨。
• This new machine sometimes transpires a lot of hot vapor.这部机器有时排出大量的热气。