Nuku'alofa, Tonga - August 27, 2024

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres issued a "global SOS" in Tonga on Tuesday, urging governments to step up climate action to "save our seas".

Guterres arrived at a hotel in Tonga's capital on Tuesday bearing grim news.

The UN chief delivered the findings from two UN climate reports at this year's Pacific Islands Forum. Both centered around how climate change is impacting the Pacific region, especially its most valuable asset - the ocean.

Scientists say the sea level in parts of the Pacific has risen by more than double the global increase in the last 30 years, meaning water is taking up more space.

That's particularly devastating for many Pacific Island countries where the highest point is just a few meters above sea level, and more than 90 percent of the population live within 5 kilometers of the ocean.

The reports also found that rising seas are amplifying the frequency and severity of storm surges and coastal flooding.

The impacts from climate change are an increasing concern for leaders of the 18 nations that make up the Pacific Islands Forum.

Flannery believes Guterres' first visit to the Pacific Islands Forum will help shed light on the impacts of climate change to the rest of the world. And he's hopeful it will inspire the steps needed to better address it.

Shotlist:
Nuku'alofa, Tonga - Aug 27, 2024:
1. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres getting off vehicle;
2. Various of Guterres giving speech;
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Antonio Guterres, UN Secretary-General (starting with shot 2):
"I am in Tonga to issue a global SOS – 'save our seas' – on rising sea levels. The worldwide catastrophe is putting this Pacific paradise in peril. Global average sea levels are rising at rates unprecedented in the past 3,000 years. The ocean is overflowing.";
FILE: Nuku'alofa, Tonga - Date Unknown
4. Aerial shot of island, ocean;
5. Boat, ocean;
6. Various of locals;
Nuku'alofa, Tonga - Aug 27, 2024
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Antonio Guterres, UN Secretary-General (starting with shot 6):
"Changes to the ocean are accelerating with devastating impacts. The reason is clear – greenhouse gases overwhelmingly generated by burning fossil fuels are cooking our planet, and the sea is taking the heat, literally.";
FILE: Nuku'alofa, Tonga - Date Unknown
8. Various of cement walls;
9. Traffic;
Nuku'alofa, Tonga - Aug 27, 2024
10. SOUNDBITE (English) Tim Flannery, councilor, Climate Council of Australia (starting with shot 9):
"Every Pacific leader here has the same thing. They are faced with increasing severe weather events that have a real impact on people's lives, because out here, a lot of communities don't have access to a supermarket, they eat what they grow in their gardens. And if that is disrupted that growth by climate change, then they are now in big trouble.";
FILE: Nuku'alofa, Tonga - Date Unknown
11. Beach;
12. Aerial shots of island, ocean.

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