Sea-Level Rise Is a Health Crisis, Says Climate Leader

There are moments when a distant-seeming crisis becomes an immediate human reality. For Christiana Figueres, a key architect of the Paris climate agreement, rising sea levels represent one of those moments. For years, the issue has been discussed in technical terms. But Figueres argues it is a present-day health crisis. Rising seas are already harming physical and mental health, livelihoods, and cultures. She states that the communities facing the worst impacts did the least to cause the problem. Figueres warns the world is held hostage by fossil fuel reliance and calls for accountability.