Published on: 2026-08-30
Source: United Nations – United Nations –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
Daniel Dickinson
August 30, 2026 Climate and Environment
Scientific fact: the sea level on the planet is rising faster now than ever in history. The consequences are already being felt, and the threats continue to grow: houses and farmland are being flooded, people are losing their livelihoods, and a safe future is becoming an increasingly distant dream.
The problem of the rising level of the World Ocean affects not only the environment; this phenomenon also significantly impacts human rights, economic development, healthcare, culture, and human dignity.
Everyone suffers: both developed and developing countries. The ability to act promptly and adapt becomes a decisive factor in whether sea level rise will be a manageable problem or a generational crisis.
What is sea level rise?
Sea level is rising due to the impact of anthropogenic climate change. From 2014 to 2023, it rose by 4.7 mm per year, and in 2024 it reached a record 5.9 mm.
Even under the most optimistic scenario, the sea level will likely rise to 0.55 meters by 2100; in the worst case, this figure will exceed one meter. Under high emissions scenarios, there is some probability that the sea level will rise by nearly two meters by the end of the century.
© UNDP Residents of a village in South Malaita, Solomon Islands, are planting mangrove trees to protect the coastline.
What causes sea level rise?
Melting glaciers.
Expansion of heat zones. The warming ocean requires more space.
About 91 percent of the planet’s excess heat is absorbed by the ocean, so as the climate warms due to increased emissions of harmful gases, further temperature rise will become inevitable.
© UNICEF/A. Fahim A beach in the Maldives is fenced with concrete cylinders to protect against rising sea levels.
Impact on humans
About 770 million people, that is roughly one in ten on Earth, live less than five meters from the tidal line. This is extremely risky, and the consequences are already being felt.
Freshwater wells and agricultural lands are being contaminated with salt.
Floods damage hospitals, schools, and sanitation systems.
The increased risk of waterborne diseases threatens drinking water supply and exacerbates psychological stress.
Fishing and tourism—the main industries of many coastal regions—are experiencing serious disruptions.
Some forecasts suggest that by 2050, up to 1.2 billion people worldwide may be displaced: people will be looking not only for safer land but also for a place to obtain a new source of income.
Current data indicate that the risks associated with sea level rise may be significantly underestimated in several regions. Thus, tens of millions of people may be more vulnerable than previously thought.
Moreover, cultural heritage, ancestral lands, and the traditional way of life of many peoples are disappearing, which carries real psychological consequences.
UN News Service/D. Dickinson Homes in Puerto Rico are being destroyed by the sea due to coastal erosion.
Damage assessment
Damage to coastal infrastructure already exceeds $1.8 trillion.
Without adaptation, annual global losses could reach 1.4 trillion dollars.
From 1970 to 2020, small island developing states lost 153 billion dollars due to climate threats.
From 2020 to 2023, insurance premiums for housing in disaster risk zones in the United States increased by 33 percent.
Ports serving more than 80 percent of global trade are increasingly exposed to flooding and sea level rise, creating risks for global supply chains.
© Unsplash/Piiko Modern cities like Guangzhou in China are facing floods due to rising sea levels.
Who risks the most?
Many countries facing the greatest climate risks contribute the least to emissions causing sea level rise and often have the fewest resources to respond.
Small island states. Pacific countries are facing a sea level rise that is more than twice the global average. They are becoming particularly vulnerable in the face of increasingly frequent floods.
Cities in the low river deltas, primarily the densely populated Dhaka, Mumbai, and Kolkata, where more than 14 million people are at risk of losing their homes, livelihoods, and even their lives.
Coastal megacities. Miami, New York, and Guangzhou could incur damages amounting to trillions of dollars in the event of infrastructure damage.
Can this be stopped?
In any case, not completely, since some sea level rise is already irreversible. How much this indicator will increase further depends on the speed at which harmful emissions are reduced.
Just one example: the area of the Thwaites Glacier in Antarctica is about 190,000 sq. km. Its collapse could cause a sudden and irreversible sea level rise of more than half a meter. This event could become a turning point, after which there will be no way back.
© NASA Rapidly melting section of the West Antarctic ice sheet, known as the Thwaites Glacier.
Adaptation to the inevitable
Phasing out climate-changing fossil fuels is the most important global priority in slowing down global warming, but adaptation measures are now equally important.
The development and improvement of early warning systems so that people can be protected before a disaster occurs.
Construction of water barriers, restoration of mangrove forests and dunes, as well as the controlled withdrawal of people from potentially dangerous areas.
Improving data handling: in many regions, there is still no basic monitoring of weather conditions at sea.
Clear regulation of the legal aspects concerning the state ownership of territories and maritime zones in the event of flooding.
Developing countries require approximately 310–365 billion dollars per year for adaptation. Meanwhile, global adaptation financing in 2023 amounted to only about 26 billion.
What follows from this?
Sea level rise may seem like an unstoppable force, but the extent of the damage and who will be affected still depend on the decisions made today by individuals, communities, and governments.
Ultimately, to protect homes, culture, livelihoods, and people’s identity, it is necessary to increase funding for adaptation measures and make the issue of sea level rise a permanent global priority.
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