UN adopts first declaration on sea-level rise as leaders urge climate action

The UN General Assembly approved its first declaration on sea-level rise Thursday, with Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warning the world cannot let countries and cultures vanish beneath the waves. The move aims to shift the response from fragmented initiatives to sustained, coordinated, well-funded action, as leaders at the 81st session decried climate change's toll. US President Donald Trump has repeatedly called climate change a hoax.