00:00The United Nations General Assembly will endorse, by consensus, a landmark declaration aimed at
00:05ensuring that countries whose territory may become partly or entirely uninhabitable because of rising
00:12sea levels do not lose their statehood or their place in the international system. For the small
00:19island states at the front line of the climate crisis, this is about much more than disappearing
00:24beaches. Rising seas threaten the physical territory on which states have traditionally
00:30based their sovereignty. The declaration seeks to make clear that a changing coastline should not
00:36automatically mean the disappearance of a country as a legal and political entity. So what's the
00:42impact, even on Europe? We heard from Kamal Amakran, Managing Director of the UN's Rising Nations
00:49Initiative. Regardless of our efforts to minimize, to stop climate change, once this sea goes up,
00:58the sea will not recede. It's not only an island issue. For some, it's definitely how do they affirm
01:05their statehood continuity, their maritime zones, their rights, their dignity. In Europe, it's an
01:12infrastructure challenge. It's an insurance challenge. It's a livelihood challenge. Sea level rise will have
01:21an impact on livelihood and many of the industries that are core to many member states. Tourism, for
01:27example, fishing, second, all the processing industries along the ports. And of course, the
01:35infrastructure that links Europe to the rest of the world and make Europe an engine of economic progress.
01:42Even if we stop today emitting carbons, we will see between 15 to 20 centimetres, on average,
01:54increase in sea level rise. Every centimetre of sea level rise will be translated in stronger storms,
02:01in stronger high tides, will be translated in many economic losses, because the ports will need to be
02:09adjusted and adapted. Some of the airports may need to be moved.
02:12We will uh...
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