LIVE: World leaders tackle sea level rise, a stark marker of climate change

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Home to around half of Tuvalu’s 12,000 people, Fogafale Island is vulnerable to the adverse impacts of flooding, shoreline erosion and rising sea levels along the southern lagoon coast.
  • UN News

Sea level rise is among the most visible consequences of global warming, but for some countries, it is an imminent existential threat. World leaders are meeting Thursday to approve a new declaration and debate the best ways to strengthen international cooperation and support vulnerable low-lying nations most at risk.

Sea level rise is among the most visible consequences of global warming, but for some countries, it is an imminent existential threat. World leaders are meeting Thursday to approve a new declaration and debate the best ways to strengthen international cooperation and support vulnerable low-lying nations most at risk.

What you need to know:

  • World leaders are expected to approve the UN Declaration on Sea Level Rise, which Member States finalised last month
  • The global mean sea level is on the rise around the world and accelerating, according to the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
  • 770 million people live in coastal areas affected by sea level rise
  • Just a half-metre rise in sea levels by the end of the century could force between 150 million and 300 million people from their homes
  • Some small island States are already planning to be swallowed by the sea, with Tuvalu transitioning to become the world’s first “digital nation”
  • Nations contributing least to such climate change consequences as sea level rise are facing the worst impact

Watch live on UN Web TV:

© UN News (2026) — All Rights Reserved. Original source: UN News

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