{"id":19747,"date":"2026-09-25T16:51:33","date_gmt":"2026-09-25T11:51:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newspulse.com.pk\/en\/?p=19747"},"modified":"2026-09-25T16:51:33","modified_gmt":"2026-09-25T11:51:33","slug":"countries-cannot-vanish-beneath-the","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newspulse.com.pk\/en\/2026\/09\/25\/countries-cannot-vanish-beneath-the\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Countries Cannot Vanish Beneath the Waves\u2019, UN Calls for Stronger Climate Action"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u2018Countries Cannot Vanish Beneath the Waves\u2019, UN Calls for Stronger Climate Action<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Unanimous resolution addresses rising seas, statehood and maritime rights while urging greater support for vulnerable nations<\/p>\n

NEW YORK: (News Pulse) The United Nations on Thursday unanimously adopted a resolution calling for stronger international action to address rising sea levels, which pose an existential threat to low-lying island nations and vulnerable coastal communities around the world.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The resolution seeks to give fresh momentum to global efforts to combat sea-level rise by accelerating reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and increasing support for vulnerable countries as they strengthen coastal protection and climate resilience measures.<\/p>\n

UN<\/a> Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that the consequences of rising seas extend far beyond environmental damage, threatening communities, livelihoods and the future of entire nations.<\/p>\n

\u201cSea-level rise is measured in millimetres, but its toll is measured in millions of shattered lives, uprooted communities, and stolen futures,\u201d Guterres said. He urged the international community to prevent countries and cultures from disappearing beneath rising waters.<\/p>\n

According to global observations cited in the discussion, sea levels rose by nearly six millimetres in 2024, marking the largest annual increase on record. Scientists have warned that without drastic reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, global sea levels could rise by around a metre or more by the end of the century.<\/p>\n

The UN declaration also addresses important legal questions concerning the future of countries threatened by permanent inundation. It affirms that maritime zones can remain in place even when coastlines retreat and states that the disappearance of one constituent element of an established state would not necessarily result in the loss of its statehood.<\/p>\n

Palau President Surangel Whipps Jr., speaking on behalf of the Alliance of Small Island States, said rising sea levels would have a profound impact on countries whose existence and geography are closely linked to the ocean.<\/p>\n

Small island states have been warning about the consequences of global warming and rising seas for decades. Whipps said their efforts had also contributed to the development of international law concerning the issue, describing the new declaration as \u201ca genuine achievement.\u201d<\/p>\n

Experts say even relatively small increases in sea levels can significantly increase coastal risks. Tom Mortlock, a senior catastrophe research analyst at Aon, said one centimetre of sea-level rise could translate into about a metre of coastline retreat in some areas.<\/p>\n

Projections indicate that coastal flooding currently expected once every 50 years could occur every three to four years if average sea levels rise by around half a metre, highlighting the growing risks to densely populated coastal areas and small island states.<\/p>\n

Experts have also pointed to nature-based measures, including the restoration and protection of mangrove forests, as an important part of adaptation strategies. Such ecosystems can help reduce coastal risks while also supporting carbon sequestration and climate mitigation.<\/p>\n

The UN resolution comes as vulnerable nations continue to press wealthier countries for deeper emissions cuts, greater climate financing and stronger international measures to prepare for the long-term consequences of rising seas.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u2018Countries Cannot Vanish Beneath the Waves\u2019, UN Calls for Stronger Climate Action Unanimous resolution addresses rising seas, statehood and maritime rights while urging greater support for vulnerable nations NEW YORK: (News Pulse) The United Nations on Thursday unanimously adopted a resolution calling for stronger international action to address rising sea levels, which pose an existential […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":19748,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,2297,2299],"tags":[2791,4091],"class_list":["post-19747","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-climate-change","category-latest-news","category-world","tag-climate-change","tag-un-climate-sea"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newspulse.com.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19747","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newspulse.com.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newspulse.com.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newspulse.com.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newspulse.com.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19747"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/newspulse.com.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19747\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19749,"href":"https:\/\/newspulse.com.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19747\/revisions\/19749"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newspulse.com.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19748"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newspulse.com.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19747"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newspulse.com.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19747"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newspulse.com.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19747"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}