World Leaders Approve UN Declaration on Sea Level Rise
Sumaira FH
Published September 25, 2026 | 03:30 PM
NEW YORK, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 25th Sep, 2026)
World leaders approved the UN Declaration on Sea Level Rise by consensus on Thursday as the UN chief warned that encroaching waters are already threatening the future of coastal communities worldwide.
Sharing challenges and recommendations, heads of state and ambassadors outlined ways their countries have tried to adapt to rising seas, which are an existential threat to many small island developing States.
At the outset of the high-level meeting, UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned that global sea levels rose by almost six millimeters in 2024 – the largest annual increase ever recorded. While this rise is measured in millimeters, “its price is measured in millions of shattered lives, uprooted communities, and stolen futures.”
Without drastic emissions cuts, seas could rise by a meter by the end of the century. Right now, around 770 million people live less than five meters above the high-tide line. Rising waters threaten homes, food systems, infrastructure, and even the territorial integrity of some nations, he said.
However, those who contributed least to climate change face the greatest danger, Guterres said, urging action on three fronts:
- Cutting emissions: Peak immediately and fall 60 percent by 2035.
- Protecting communities: Triple adaptation finance.
- International Law: A presumption in favor of continued statehood and maintaining maritime zones established under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, despite physical threats from rising seas.
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