UNITED NATIONS, United States — UN chief Antonio Guterres warned on Wednesday that surging sea levels are creating 'a rising tide of misery,' as a coalition of small island nations declared that their sovereignty must be respected even if their lands are subsumed.
Nearly a billion people worldwide live in low-lying coastal areas, increasingly vulnerable to storm surges, coastal erosion and flooding — while Pacific islands face growing threats to their economic viability and even existence.