Rising seas threaten 'mass exodus of biblical proportions' warns UN chief

dailyrecord.co.uk:

The pace that the world’s seas are rising threatens a “mass exodus of biblical proportions”, the chief of the UN has warned.United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said some nations could cease to exist due to being washed away as climate change triggers the fastest rises in sea levels in 3000 years.Addressing the UN security council, he claimed this would unleash a “torrent of trouble” on almost a billion people in scores of major cities including London, Los Angeles, New York, Bangkok and Cairo.And Guterres said small island nations faced a “death sentence” if radical action to cut emissions and prevent catastrophic sea rises isn’t taken now.He warned last year that the world’s target to limit global temperature rises to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels was on life support and “gasping for breath”.In a grim speech to the security council’s first ever meeting on rising sea levels, Guterres said: “Low-lying communities and entire countries could disappear forever.“We would witness a mass exodus of entire populations on a biblical scale.

And we would see ever fiercer competition for fresh water, land and other resources.”He added: "Global average sea levels have risen faster since 1900 than over any preceding century in the last 3,000 years.“The global ocean has warmed faster over the past century than at any time in the past 11,000 years.“Our world is hurtling past the 1.5C warming limit that a liveable future requires, and with present policies, is careening towards 2.8C - a death sentence for vulnerable countries.”He said the threat of rising sea levels and their impact on lives, economies and infrastructure could have “dramatic implications” for world peace and security.According to the data cited by