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Rate of sea level rise more than doubled over 3 decades..Up to 1.2 bn people could be displaced
· UN Chief urges richer countries to double adaptation finance to at least $40 bn annually by 2025
· EU Commissioner: Curbing emissions “will not be enough” in the face of rising climate risks
The rate of sea level rise has more than doubled over last 3 decades with up to 1.2 billion people could forcibly be displaced.
United Nations General Assembly President Philémon Yang said it is estimated that sea levels will rise by 20 centimeters between 2020 and 2050, and up to 1.2 billion people could be forcibly displaced.
“For those on the front lines, 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,” he said.
The situation is critical, said Yang, who convened the high-level meeting which included a plenary session and panel discussions, with more than 100 speakers participating.
Yang urged countries to work together to build resilience, tackle disaster vulnerability, ensure development and implementation of climate adaptation strategies, and 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,” he said.
For his part, UN Secretary General António Guterres stressed the need for “drastic action” – both to reduce emissions to limit sea level rise and to save lives. He said everyone, everywhere must be protected by early warning systems by 2027, in line with a UN initiative.
Meanwhile, countries must deliver new climate action plans that align with the 1.5°C goal, cover all sectors of the economy, and provide a fast track to phasing out fossil fuels. G20 nations – responsible for roughly 80 percent of global emissions – must take the lead.
“Money is indispensable. We need a strong finance outcome at COP29 this year – including on new and innovative sources of capital,” he said, referring to the UN climate change conference in Azerbaijan in November.
The Secretary-General also called for significant contributions to the new Loss and Damage Fund that assists developing nations, and for richer countries to double adaptation finance to at least $40 billion annually by 2025. Furthermore, multilateral development banks must be reformed to deliver more affordable finance to developing countries.
The European Union (EU) Climate Action Commissioner, Wopke Hoekstra, said “there is no time to bury our heads in the sand a moment longer” and it is essential that countries keep working towards the goal of net-zero emissions.
Hoekstra said the EU will uphold the commitment to reach climate neutrality by 2050. The objective is part of its climate law “and we are well on our way to implementing the policies needed to achieve that transition in a way that is both fair and just and enables clean economic growth.”
He stressed, however, that curbing emissions “will not be enough” in the face of rising climate risks, hence the need to step up resilience.
The Commissioner also assured vulnerable communities that “the EU is with you in this struggle”. He said the bloc “will continue to fight for greater ambition on mitigation, and to support as much as we can with adaptation and the measures that we have to take in the domain of loss and damage.”
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