“This is a crazy situation,” Guterres said at the 53rd Pacific Islands Forum, hosted by Tonga from 26-30 August. “Rising seas are a crisis entirely of humanity’s making. A crisis that will soon swell to an almost unimaginable scale, with no lifeboat to take us back to safety,” he continued. In the same talk he pointed out that Pacific island nations are now in “grave danger” from rising sea levels and urged world leaders to “answer the SOS before it is too late”. 

According to a regional report by the World Meteorological Organization, sea-surface temperatures in the south-west Pacific have risen three times faster than the global average since 1980. Furthermore, it stated that the frequency of marine heatwaves had doubled since 1980, and the heatwaves had become longer-lasting and more intense. During that past year alone, 34 ‘hydrometeorological hazard events’ which were mostly storm or flood-related, led to more than 200 deaths and affected over 25 million people in the south-west Pacific.

According to reporting by AP, “sea level lapping against Tonga’s capital Nuku’alofa had risen 21 centimetres (8.3 inches) between 1990 and 2020, twice the global average of 10 centimetres (3.9 inches). Apia, Samoa, has seen 31 centimetres (1 foot) of rising seas, while Suva-B, Fiji has had 29 centimetres (11.4 inches)”.

As around 90% of people in the region live within 5 kilometres of the ocean, Guterres added that these figures put “Pacific Island nations in grave danger”. He continued: “The reason is clear: Greenhouse gases – overwhelmingly generated by burning fossil fuels – are cooking our planet. And the sea is taking the heat – literally.”

“Without drastic cuts to emissions, the Pacific Islands can expect at least 15 centimetres [6 inches] of additional sea level rise by mid-century, and more than 30 days per year of coastal flooding in some places,” he said. “But if we save the Pacific, we also save ourselves. The world must act and answer the SOS before it is too late.”

To counteract the impact of sea level rises in the Pacific Islands and to build momentum before the Cop29 climate summit in Azerbaijan in November, Guterres urged the G20 nations which he has continuously called “the biggest emitters”, to help financially support the most climate-vulnerable countries. He said: “We need a surge in funds to deal with surging seas.” He further urged nations around the globe to drastically cut global emissions and phase out fossil fuels in a “fast and fair” manner.

The Pacific Islands Forum has recently established the Pacific Resilience Facility, a regional financing facility with a target capital of US$1.5 billion to build resilience of the most vulnerable nations against the impacts of climate change. It is scheduled to start operations in 2025, but critics have pointed out that the institution is facing a shortfall in funding from international donors.

The UK’s Indo-Pacific Minister Catherine West has announced today at the Pacific Islands Forum that it would support Pacific-led climate solutions with £12.9 million in new funding, as well as provide technical support worth £1.3 million to establish a new Pacific Resilience Facility.

Ahead of the meeting, Minister West said: “The climate crisis needs global, long-term action – but we must also take rapid steps to support countries on the frontline, like our partners in the Pacific. That is why the UK is supporting Pacific-led action to equip vulnerable communities facing the impacts of climate change.”

Amid the meeting in Tonga, an alliance of civil-society groups further called on Australia to “step up and support our Pacific neighbours on the frontlines of the climate crisis”. According to them, “Australia and New Zealand’s climate finance contributions are falling short of need”.

For more from our Ocean Newsroom, click here.