The Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, issued a “global SOS” today regarding the rise in sea levels in the Pacific Ocean during the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) in Nuku’alofa.

“I am here in Tonga to issue a global SOS — Save our Seas — due to the rising sea levels. A global catastrophe is endangering this Pacific paradise,” Mr. Guterres said while presenting a scientific report that reveals sea levels in this region of the world are rising much faster than the global average.

The Pacific Islands, sparsely populated and without heavy industries, cumulatively emit less than 0.02% of global greenhouse gases responsible for climate change and global warming.

This vast array of volcanic islands and coral atolls, with low elevation, is threatened by rising sea levels.

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO), part of the UN system, has been systematically monitoring water levels with tide gauges installed along the coasts of Pacific islands since the 1990s.

According to its new report, water levels have risen by up to 15 centimeters in some areas of the Pacific over the past 30 years. The global average during the same period was 9.4 centimeters, according to scientists who authored the report.