Rising seas, rising stakes: What increasing sea-levels mean to humanity
Rising global sea levels, accelerated by climate change, pose an existential threat to coastal communities and human rights. Projections suggest significant displacement of populations by 2050 as sea levels continue to rise at record rates.
Why it matters
The potential displacement of over a billion people represents a massive humanitarian and economic challenge for the coming decades.
The ocean is rising faster now than at any point in recorded history. The impacts are already being felt and the threats are growing.
Land is being inundated, homes are flooding, livelihoods are being lost, driving significant hardships on people in search of a more secure future.
It is not just the environment that is being affected, rising sea levels also have a significant impact on human rights, economic development, health, culture, the future of many countries and basic human dignity.
© UNDP Villagers in South Malaita in the Solomon Islands plant mangroves to protect the coastline. Everyone and pretty much everywhere are affected across developed and developing nations. The ability to act and adapt today will prove decisive for whether rising seas become a manageable challenge or a generational crisis.
Simply put, sea levels are getting higher due to the effects of human-induced climate change.
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