UN urges action as Caspian Sea levels fall and climate risks grow

Protecting the Caspian Sea, tackling the climate crisis and ensuring the safety of environmental activists remain among the most pressing priorities for the international community, the United Nations said in materials published to mark World Environment Day.

This year’s main global events are being held in Azerbaijan, with Baku serving as the central platform for the campaign organised by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

A key issue on the regional environmental agenda is the declining water level of the Caspian Sea. Experts warn that the level of the world’s largest enclosed body of water is expected to continue falling in the coming decades due to climate change and increased evaporation.

Further shrinkage could have serious economic consequences for coastal states and pose a significant threat to the sea’s unique ecosystem, they say. Particular concern surrounds sturgeon, a substantial share of the global population of which inhabits the Caspian.

Faig Mutallimov, senior adviser at the Office of the President of Azerbaijan’s Representative on Climate Issues, said the Caspian Sea forms a vital part of the cultural heritage and identity of the region’s peoples and requires immediate, collective and responsible protection.

In a message marking World Environment Day, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that the planet is sending increasingly alarming signals.

“The last eleven years have been the hottest on record. The damage caused goes far beyond rising temperatures – from polluted air to land degradation, ecosystem destruction and biodiversity loss. This harms people’s health, destroys homes and worsens hunger,” he said.

Guterres cautioned that the world is rapidly heading towards a temporary breach of the 1.5-degree warming threshold, stressing that each fraction of a degree brings additional damage, particularly for the most vulnerable. He said the priority for the global community is to limit this overshoot and return to safer levels as quickly as possible.

He identified deep emissions cuts, accelerating a just transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy and rapidly reducing methane emissions as the only sustainable path to energy security. He also urged developed countries to meet their financial commitments to developing nations to help save lives and strengthen economies.

The United Nations also raised concerns over the situation of environmental activists. Addressing the first European Forum on Environmental Human Rights Defenders in Strasbourg, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said temperatures in Europe are rising twice as fast as the global average, while 95% of urban residents are exposed to unsafe air and more than 80% of natural habitats are in poor or critical condition.

Separately, UNEP and the Paris city authorities have launched the international “50@50” initiative to improve urban resilience to extreme heat. More than 50 cities worldwide plan to implement adaptation measures, including expanding green spaces, establishing cooling centres and enhancing early warning systems for heatwaves.

The UN stressed that an effective response to the climate crisis will require coordinated action by governments, international organisations, the private sector and civil society.

By Tamilla Hasanova