Can Sea Walls keep out the rising sea?

Can Sea Walls keep out the rising sea?

The "road"/ pile of dirt you see in the picture below is a sea wall. This sea wall has a clearance of, what, say, 2.5m? Maybe 3m? Can a sea wall really keep out the rising sea?

Tongatapu, Tonga: Can sea walls keep out the rising sea?
(Copyright Ilan Kelman 2004 http://www.islandvulnerability.org/slr1989.html)

John Howard

The Forum Communiqué is an international organisation between Pacific Island Countries and neighbouring nation-states. Its importance and relevance reaches far across the political, social and geographic boundaries within the Pacific Region. What this organisation does is important and influential. Unfortunately, the Forum Communiqué, while influential, is not the strongest political power in the region.

Australia is.

And in 1997 Australia's then Prime Minister made a political move. Prime Minister John Howard, in 1997, insisted that the small island countries remove any reference in the Forum Communiqué to the need for countries to cut greenhouse gases. He didn't believe in climate change.

Well, side-stepping the climate-change-is-true/not-true argument for a moment, the consequences for these small island countries in the Pacific will cost them everything - literally. Greenhouse Gas emissions insulate the earth's atmosphere and add to the ever increasing temperature of the earth's climate. Let's not attempt to disprove this science without science PhDs. The subsequent cause of the earth’s temperature increase results in a levelled sea rise. This, in turn, is currently eroding away and systemically flooding the low lying island countries: 3 metres of sea rise and their gone.

 What did Howard gain by slowing down progress that might otherwise have averted the disaster these countries now surely will face? What benefit was there for John Howard?

Well, whatever it was it is now forgotten amongst the high-tide news-tales and scientific reports alerting us (as in the beginning of an apocalyptic movie) of climate change.

I'm disappointed, Howard.

14th September, 2013, Australia's election day, here we come.



Information sought from http://www.bobsercombe.id.au/uploads/OurDrowningNeighbours.pdf 

Climate Change Displacement in Tuvalu and Kiribati

Climate Change Displacement in Tuvalu and Kiribati

23 years ago, in 1990, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) (the world's leading scientific body that researches and monitors climate change), warned the world that "the gravest effects of climate change may be those on human migration". In the 23 years since, the link between the environmental degradation brought on by climate change and migration has only confirmed this foretold warning.

Yet very little has been done.

This blog will bring you information and insight into the nexus between climate change and migration. The knowledge I hope to bring you will be rational, researched and insightful - I will not use alarmist or non-researched information to drive home my insights. I have chosen to base my research in the Pacific, namely Kiribati and Tuvalu, for a number of reasons, but largely because they present a very clear cut predicament: their low lying lands are highly vulnerable to sea level rise and are predicted to be the first countries to go. But where will the people go?

Along the way I hope to draw your attention to interesting academic articles, newspaper articles, pictures and newsletters to build upon and support my own work. All efforts will be spent to reference this material.

For now,

THANKS and Good-bye.

28.01.2013