By the year 2030, an estimated 50 percent of the world’s population will live in coastal areas which are exposed to flooding, storms and tsunamis, The United Nations warned.
In a message marking World Tsunami Awareness Day, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on all countries, international bodies, and civil society, to increase understanding of the deadly threat, and share innovative approaches to reduce risks.
“We can build on progress achieved – ranging from better outreach to tsunami-exposed communities around the world, to the inclusion of a Tsunami Programme in the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development”, Guterres said.
The UN chief warned, however, that the risks “remain immense.”
“Rising sea levels caused by the climate emergency will further exacerbate the destructive power of tsunamis”, he said. “We must limit warming to 1.5 degrees over pre-industrial averages and invest at scale in the resilience of coastal communities.”
For Guterres, science, international cooperation, preparedness and early action must be at the centre of all efforts to keep people and communities safer.
“Boosting support to developing countries and improving detection and early warning is critical. In the face of increasing complex global crises, we need to be better prepared”, he argued.
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