Rising sea level threatens stability of boundaries, Philippines warns

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines warned that rising sea level threatens the stability of its boundaries, as a United Nations agency highlighted coastlines being “pushed” inward thus affecting baselines from which countries’ maritime zones are measured.

During a UN Security Council meeting on sea level rise and its implications for international peace and security held recently, Ambassador and deputy permanent representative Ariel Rodelas Peñaranda, chargé d’affaires of the Philippine mission to the United Nations, asserted that the convergence of scientific opinion should guide UN member states in pursuing a common security agenda on sea level rise.

He said the Philippines, with more than half of its cities and communities located along its coasts, is one of the most vulnerable to sea level rise due to anthropogenic climate change.

The Philippines has observed sea level rise at 60 centimeters, about three times that of the global average.

He noted that the impacts of sea level rise threaten all the elements that encompass the national security of the Philippines.

“The nation’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, the people’s well-being, core values, and way of life, among others, are being threatened, especially those living in the coastal areas,” Peñaranda said.

He said that it is important that discussions on the implication of sea level rise on peace and security be always people-centered.

As sea level rise threatens stability of boundaries, Peñaranda warned against inference in favor of ambulatory baselines, and stressed the importance of certainty, predictability and stability in boundaries, which will also serve to prevent conflict.

He said that the UN, especially the Security Council, should take into account the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report, including their projections and recommendations.

According to recently released data from the World Meteorological Organization, global average sea levels have risen faster since 1900 than over any preceding century in the last 3,000 years.

It warned that, even if global warming is “miraculously” limited to 1.5 degrees, the planet will still see a sizeable rise in sea water levels.

Bogdan Aurescu, Romanian foreign minister and co-chair of the International Law Commission Study Group on Sea-Level Rise, agreed that climate change-related sea level poses a real risk to over two-thirds of UN member states.

Outlining a range of sea level rise implications, he said coastlines are being “pushed” inward, affecting baselines from which countries’ maritime zones are measured and therefore threatening countries’ access to resources.

While several actions are available to protect countries’ coastlines, including physical barriers, their costs remain out of reach for many of the countries worst affected.

UN Secretary General Antonio Gutteres said some nations’ coastlines have already seen triple the average rate of sea level rise as he warned that, in the coming decades, low lying communities and entire countries could disappear forever.

“The danger is especially acute for nearly 900 million people who live in coastal zones at low elevations — that is one out of 10 people on earth,” Gutteres said. “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.”

The Security Council Open Debate is aimed at highlighting the risks to international peace and security posed by sea level rise, and exploring ways how the Council can address these risks in the global security architecture and invest in preventive mechanisms.