Sea levels in the Pacific Ocean are rising faster than the global average, according to a World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) report, putting low-lying island nations at increased risk. While global sea levels have been rising by an average of 3.4 millimeters per year over the past 30 years, the report revealed that the annual increase in certain areas of the Pacific, particularly north and east of Australia, is “significantly higher.”
This accelerated rise is primarily due to human activities, such as the burning of fossil fuels, which have led to higher temperatures and the melting of ice sheets. Warmer oceans are also causing water molecules to expand, contributing to the rising sea levels.
WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo highlighted the growing threat in a statement released alongside the regional State of the Climate report 2023 at a forum in Tonga. She noted that human actions have diminished the ocean’s ability to protect and sustain life, transforming it from a “lifelong friend into a growing threat.”
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Since 1980, the increase in sea levels has resulted in more frequent coastal flooding, particularly in islands like the Cook Islands and French Polynesia, which used to experience only a few such events annually. These incidents are often linked to tropical cyclones, which may be intensifying due to rising sea surface temperatures caused by climate change.
In 2023, the Pacific region reported over 34 hazards, including storms and floods, which led to more than 200 deaths. The WMO report also pointed out that only a third of small island developing states have early warning systems in place, leaving them vulnerable to these increasing dangers.
The impact of rising sea levels is particularly severe for Pacific islands, where the average elevation is just one to two meters (3.3 to 6.5 feet) above sea level. To draw attention to this issue, Tuvalu’s foreign minister delivered a speech at the UN climate conference in 2021 while standing knee-deep in seawater, making headlines worldwide. The WMO report warned that sea levels will continue to rise for centuries to millennia due to ongoing deep ocean heat absorption and the continued loss of ice sheets.
