Excellent Climate Change Graphic
Until I tripped across the video below, I hadn’t realized that U.S. astronaut Chris Hadfield was such a rock star on social media. He has tons of cool and quite popular videos where, for instance, he debunks myths about space.
Here’s a piece from his Facebook page on climate change. The truth about global warming is the result of studies of many thousands of data points, and this is a good graphical reminder of precisely that point. Enjoy.
Craig,
Interesting video, thank you.
Curiously, your video arrived at the same time as a monthly email from a website called “Private Islands Newsletter” .
This website lists islands around the world for sale or rent. (I believe there’s also a TV show in the USA). The prices range from hundred of thousands to $100 million. Not much really to own an island paradise for the price of a house in London or apartment in New York, Tokyo, Singapore or Shanghai !
One of the Islands advertised is Katafanga Island located in the South Pacific nation of Fiji.
The Island, which will be sold with Freehold title for $US 17,000 is partly developed with a runway and accommodation, covers 225.00 Acres,(1 mile long by 1/3 mile wide with 150 foot elevations).
Katafanga Island has a magnificent outer coral reef enclosing a pristine blue lagoon, with a natural opening 200 feet wide, allowing luxury yachts over 200 feet to enter and dock at one of 4 piers. The lagoon provides year round secure protection and unique sea life.
Wonderful ! Except what about climate change? Rising sea levels etc ?
Many years ago while completing my navigation qualifications, I studied this area and out of curiosity I dug out my old naval survey maps and compared them with the current satellite survey maritime charts only to discover the Island and lagoon has actually grown since the US Navy Survey in 1942, and quite a lot since the British Admiralty map in 1907.
Okay, I thought the most logical explanation is the early maps lacked accuracy or maybe the older surveys were conducted to different standards.
Not so. The Island has definitely gained height and larger beaches while the lagoon has increased in size noticeably.
Apparently, it’s not just my imagination ! Dr Paul Kench from the University of Auckland explained; “We tend to think of Pacific atolls as static landforms that will simply be inundated as sea levels rise, but there is irrefutable evidence these islands are geologically dynamic and are constantly changing,”
The best example is the micro South Pacific nation of Tuvalu which back in 2004 was informed by Climate scientists and the UN their Island would be completely rendered uninhabitable by rising sea levels around 2030.
I don’t think there was anyone unmoved by the tragic story of the poor Islanders being forced to leave their beautiful homeland and move to NZ and elsewhere.
Dr Suzuki and other famous Eco-activists rushed to make heart wrenching documentaries, I even visited Tuvalu to help with potential resettlement plans in the outer Cook Islands.
More than 36,000 scholarly papers were written, with the Guardian newspaper even blaming the British government and even more obscurely, Queens Elizabeth, for the sad plight of the Islanders. Scientific consensus was reached and the one lone dissent voice was pilloried, ostracized and shouted down by violent radical student demonstrators during a University lecture.
Frenzied media activists demanded demanded the heartless academic be removed from public and scientific life, while others demand he be stripped of his academic credentials. You’d imagine he’d been found devouring baby kittens!
Less than a decade later the Islands of Tuvalu are not only not swamped, there’s good evidence most of the archipelago is actually rising!
Islands and coast lines rise and fall for many reasons, some reasons are known and predictable, while other remain bafflingly mysterious and seemingly inexplicable.
I guess the point I’m making, is it’s an error to try and interpret scientific phenomenon through the prism of ideological or political ideals, and fanatical belief structures.
I guess all those eager Island buyer’s, don’t seem concerned with rising sea levels or climate change.
Fools they maybe prove to be, but sometimes when ignorance is bliss, ’tis foolish to be wise!:)
Chris Hadfield is Canadian.
Chris Hadfield is a Canadian astronaut, not American. The point still stands, however. The weather is getting hotter and hotter every year. If we don’t do something about it, eventually we will be living in an oven to cool down.