Tragedy in sight: 5 numbers show why rising sea levels threaten us all

Rising sea levels threaten to trigger exodus of 'biblical proportions', UN warns

The UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, warned, this Tuesday (14), of the risk of an exodus “of biblical proportions” due to the rise in sea levels caused by global warming, and called for “the voids to be fulfilled” in international law, especially in relation to refugees.

O study by the World Meteorological Organization (🇬🇧) warns that the phenomenon alsopromeaccess to food and national sovereignty itself.

• 900 million people:

Rising sea levels already affect the daily lives of 900 million people – around 11% of the world's population – who live in low-lying coastal regions around the world.

• 20 centimeters:

Sea levels are rising at the fastest rate recorded in nearly three millennia. Throughout the 20th century, in the wake of the Industrial Revolution and the massive increase in emissions of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, sea levels rose 20 centimeters globally.

• 2x faster:

The rate of sea level rise has doubled since 1993. Between 1900 and 1971, the rise was 1,3 millimeters (mm) per year, increasing to 1,9 mm/year between 1971 and 2006, and further to 3,7. 2006 mm/year between 2018 and 10. The last two and a half years alone accounted for XNUMX% of the overall sea level rise since satellite measurements began.

• Up to 400 million people:

Csaba Kőrösi, the current President of the UN General Assembly, called climate change “the greatest challenge of our generation”. He warned that between 250 and 400 million people will likely need new homes and land in less than 80 years.

• From 2 to 22 meters:

Even if the global temperature does not exceed 1,5ºC, as determined by the Paris Agreement, sea levels are still expected to rise between 2 and 3 meters over the next 2 thousand years. With an increase of 2°C in the thermometer, the seas can rise up to 6 meters, and with a drastic increase of 5°C, they can rise up to 22 meters, according to the WMO.

What is the Paris Agreement? And why is it so important?

The Paris Agreement is an international treaty that has one main objective: to reduce global warming. In practice, it seeks to prevent a 2ºC increase in global temperature in relation to the pre-industrial era, encouraging the creation of mechanisms to reduce the impact of climate change and the replacement of sources that emit greenhouse gases. O Curto explains more about one of the most important climate commitments in existence, quick game. 🤓

@curtonews Tragedy in sight: numbers show why rising sea levels threaten us all. 😞 #CurtoNews ♬ original sound – Curto News

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