UN Deputy Secretary-General urges G20 leaders to witness Pacific sea-level surge

At a gathering of Pacific leaders in Palau, United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed emphasized that the world’s biggest economies should travel to a Pacific atoll to grasp the reality of record sea-level rise. She referenced the recent floods in Nepal as part of a larger climate narrative affecting both high-altitude communities and low-lying islands. A newly released U.N. report documented unprecedented ocean growth driven by warming waters and melting glaciers, projecting up to 1.2 billion people could be displaced by 2050, with Pacific islands experiencing rise at twice the global rate.

Mohammed urged G20 heads to convene in Tuvalu in October, ahead of the UN climate summit in Turkey, to commit concrete actions. Tuvalu is preparing for potential relocation as scientists warn much of its land may be submerged, while Palau’s environment minister Steven Victor stressed that Pacific nations need assistance, not handouts. The briefing also noted a financing gap, with developing nations requiring hundreds of billions in adaptation funds but receiving only a fraction so far.