For some, though, rising sea levels may leave them underwater, Michael Mann said in an interview with The Guardian earlier this month. See the disappearing islands > According to the EPA, global sea level has risen by eight inches since 1870. This change is already affecting many low lying islands that have had to adapt. Some populations are moving to higher areas, or are trying to buy land from other countries to migrate its citizens, and some have even developed new ways of farming to protect their agriculture. 2007 estimates from the Intergovernmental Panel On Climate Changes most conservative estimates suggest that global sea level will reach increase 8 to 16 inches above 1990 levels by 2090. The National Academy of Sciences predictions from 2009 suggest that by 2100, sea level could increase by anywhere from 16 inches to 56 inches, depending how the Earth responds to changing climate. See the islands and how they are coping with rising sea levels. Maldives The Maldives, consisting of over 1,100 islands to the west of India, is the worlds lowest-lying nation. On average the islands are only 1.3 meters above sea level. The 325,000 (plus 100,000 expatriate workers who are not counted in the census) residents of the islands are threatened by rising sea levels. A documentary called The Island President tells the story of President Mohamed Nasheed of the Maldives as he confronts the rise of the sea level in his country. A rise of just three feet would submerge the Maldives and make them uninhabitable. Seychelles Seychelles consists of 115 granite and coral islands in the western Indian Ocean, with a population of 87,122. Scuba diver Micheal Espron tells The National: The water used to be farther out. Soon, the water will be right up into the hotel. He also says that tourism will be affected when there are no beaches left around the islands. Locals remember that there used to be much more land for people, but now tourists are seen cramming into the small area of beaches that remain. Seychelles Beach A rise of just three feet would submerge the Maldives and make them uninhabitable. Palau Palau consists of eight principal islands and more than 250 smaller ones, about 500 miles southeast of the Philippines. Their population of 20,000 is being threatened by rising sea levels. William Brangham of PBS wrote: Palau’s coasts are being eroded, its local farmlands tainted by seawater, and its valuable reefs threatened. The president of Palau, Johnson Toribiong, describes the damage he is seeing as “a slow-moving tsunami.” Carteret Islands The Carteret Islands are located in the south-west Pacific Ocean and is home to about 2,500 people. The Telegraph states that some people believe these islands will be uninhabitable by 2015, as high tides have inundated the islands, destroying crops, wells, and homes. Bernard Tunim, a clan chief from the islands, tells The Telegraph: “In the last 10 to 20 years the change has been dramatic. We have experienced many king tides and when the wind blows, it comes right through the island, destroying our vegetables and fruit. The salt water destroyed bread fruit trees and poisoned the wells.” Tuvalu Tuvalu consists of six true atolls and three reef islands that has a population of 11,636 that was estimated in 2005. The highest point in the country is less than five meters above sea level, but most of it is less than a meter above. In 2003, Saufatu Sopoanga, Prime Minister of Tuvalu, told the United Nations General Assembly: We live in constant fear of the adverse impacts of climate change. For a coral atoll nation, sea level rise and more severe weather events loom as a growing threat to our entire population. The threat is real and serious, and is of no difference to a slow and insidious form of terrorism against us. Bangladesh Although not an island, Bangladesh, located in South Asia, experiences floods that cover about a quarter of the country every year. Climate change is making the floods worse and the 156 million people in the country are learning how to live with the effects. Farmers have created agriculture that floats on rafts. These rafts are made of straw, rice stubble and a weed called water hyacinth. Read more: businessinsider/islands-threatened-by-climate-change-2012-10?op=1#ixzz3MVePwuN7
Posted on: Sun, 21 Dec 2014 06:02:56 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015