Opening Remarks by the President of the General Assembly,
Mr. Philémon Yang
High-Level plenary meeting on addressing the existential threats posed by sea-level rise.
Wednesday, 25 September 2024, 10:00 a.m., Trusteeship Council Chamber
[As Delivered]
Excellencies,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Thank you for joining today’s High-Level Meeting on Sea-Level Rise.
Your presence here today signals the importance you ascribe to this critical issue.
And indeed, it is critical.
It is estimated that sea levels will rise by 20 centimetres between 2020 and 2050.
Since the start of the 20th century, sea-levels have risen faster than at any other point over the last 3,000 years – leaving millions, if not billions, in imminent peril.
While it may seem incremental to those of us far from the shores, not everyone has the luxury of high ground or the financial resources to take precautionary measures.
For those on the frontlines, the impacts of rising seas threaten livelihoods, inflict damage to settlements and critical infrastructure, and can, in its most dramatic manifestations, force the displacement of entire island populations and coastal communities.
At the moment, it is estimated that up to 1.2 billion people could be forcibly displaced by sea-level rise.
It is clear that we need a collective response that protects those who call the world’s most vulnerable regions home.
Excellencies,
I am convinced that we should not lose hope. Our efforts now can alter our path.
But we must work together to build resilience and tackle disaster vulnerability.
We must ensure the development and implementation of climate adaptation strategies, including ensuring reliable early warning systems.
We must improve coastal management practices.
Above all, we must stop the global warming that is fuelling sea-level rise by recommitting to our goal of limiting temperature rise to no more than 1.5 degrees.
With the nationally determined contributions under the Paris Agreement due next year, we have an opportunity to accelerate our efforts.
And before this, at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Baku, we can work together to boost financing for climate action, with the appropriate support provided to those most affected by sea-level rise.
Excellencies,
Today’s discussion touches upon many aspects of climate change, but it should not be conflated as another climate summit.
True, sea-level rise is fuelled by climate change.
But it is our inability, as yet, to halt climate change that has necessitated this parallel track, to deal with its devastating impacts.
Let me be clear: even with effective climate action in the long-term, we have to reconcile the fact that entire islands are at risk of being lost, entire coastlines are being eroded and are vanishing.
These are impacts that will affect people as far away as the Pacific islands, or as close as right here in New York City.
It is an issue we cannot morally, politically, or financially, afford to ignore. It is time to make decisions. It is time to act.
I hope that you approach today’s discussions with a spirit of cooperation and solidarity – and help to lay a path forward for those on the frontlines of rising seas.
I thank you.
Media Contacts:
Sharon Birch, Spokesperson for the President of the General Assembly, Tel: 1 646-342-5873, email: birchs@un.org
Mariam Shaikh, Dr. Advisor, Media and Communications, Office of the President of the General Assembly, Tel: 1 9173614990, email: mariam.shaikh@un.org
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