Your Excellencies, colleagues, national delegates,
Global sea levels are undoubtedly rising because of anthropogenic global warming. Recent rates are unprecedented, as the previous speakers have highlighted, with the WMO indicating that the global mean sea level reached a record high in 2023, with scientific projections for the future unfortunately even more alarming.
Sea-level rise already threatens coastal economic activities and our coastal communities. Considering that 37% of the world’s population lives within 100km of the coast, we cannot afford to neglect this threat anymore. For instance, let us consider that the coast is where half -I repeat, half- of the world’s global tourism takes place.
Many States will see their territories inundated, putting lives and livelihoods at risk, while displacement will become inevitable unless we take immediate and bold action. The Mediterranean coast, where some of the most historic sites and emblematic monuments of human heritage lie, already faces an increasing challenge.
As a first step, we need to commit at the highest political level globally and urgently reduce our greenhouse gas emissions, with climate change being the root cause of the problem. From its part, Greece and our European partners are implementing the highly ambitious Green Deal agenda for mitigation and adaptation to climate change.
But it is important that we also develop a strategic approach towards the rise of sea levels, identifying climate coastal hotspots, and assessing the effectiveness of different solutions, benefiting from shared experience and knowledge between countries. To this end, I see three main priorities:
First, we must build an adequate infrastructure base for adaptation to the challenge, a resilience plan, a flexible combination of natural and green solutions, and protect and restore the coastal natural capital. At the national and local levels, engaging all coastal community stakeholders in adopting a holistic, integrated approach to effective policy planning and implementation on the ground is absolutely imperative.
Second, an adaptation plan might require disproportional costs and be technically challenging. Partnerships between the public and the private sector can accelerate progress through mutual interest and bring the necessary investment.
Third, we also need to encourage international cooperation to effectively respond to the global impacts of sea level rise, including financial resources from differentiated sources.
Let me just point out that Greece last April organised the ‘One Ocean Conference’ in Athens with the greatest ever participation of 3,000 participants and more than 11 billion dollars in commitments.
We remain totally committed towards making rising sea levels a priority to be addressed at the European level and not only an issue that affects small island states. Thank you very much.
