Friday, March 29, 2024
HomeDESTINATIONSGlobal warming threatens islands

Global warming threatens islands

-

WASHINGTON, 20 November 2019: Many popular island destinations such as Bora Bora, Tahiti, the Maldives, and Seychelles are under siege as human-caused climate change has lifted ocean temperatures, raised sea levels, and intensified storm severity.

 A report on the topmost vulnerable island destination was released by  24/7 Wall Street at the weekend, warning the that some of the islands might not exist in 20 years. 

Many of the endangered islands are in the Pacific, a region that is promoted by the Pacific Asia Travel Association. Some of its member destinations could disappear off the tourism map for good. While the association has addressed the issue and identified threats and challenges facing its Pacific Ocean members more support is needed from the PATA community worldwide.

PATA CEO, Mario Hardy commented in an email to TTR Weekly: “Half of our board this year is from the Pacific…. and our 2020 vision is about partnership for tomorrow; essentially forming partnership between the public and private sector so we can find solution to mitigate the risk and impact of climate change; amongst other sustainability challenges we all face.”

24/7 Wall St created the list by reviewing material from sources such as the United Nations, which calls climate change “the defining issue of our time,” and websites from nations to create our list.

Writers, Hristina Byrnes and John Harrington, identified the 20 most vulnerable in islands in its 16 November report.

Federal States of Micronesia

The average rate of sea-level rise worldwide has been 3.1 mm per year since 1993. But the Federated States of Micronesia, which consists of four main islands — Yap, Chuuk, Pohnpei, and Kosrae — are losing lands three times faster. The sea level is rising as much as 10 mm a year.

Shishmaref, Alaska

In 2016, people living in Shishmaref, Alaska, located near the Bering Strait, voted to relocate before melting ice and land erosion would force them out.

Marshall Islands

Residents of the Marshall Islands, a chain of volcanic islands and coral atolls in the central Pacific Ocean, have known for years that they have to either build new artificial islands to relocate or raise the existing ones. Some research suggests that the sea level in the Marshall Islands will rise by as many as 16 inches by 2045 if nothing is done to fight climate change.

Tuvalu

Tuvalu is a small chain of islands in the Pacific Ocean, and for more than 25 years, its representatives have raised alarms that climate change could raise sea levels enough to submerge the islands. Even if waters never get that high, Tuvalu could still become uninhabitable as rising sea levels have contaminated the nation’s groundwater resources with salt and caused reduced crop yields.

The Maldives

The Maldives is one of the nations that are most vulnerable to sea-level rise. According to a UN report, the vast majority of the nation’s land area is less than a meter (3 feet) above sea level. Climate change is already affecting the tourism industry. Nearly half of all tourist resorts have experienced “severe beach erosion.”

Palau

The sea level has risen in Palau, a country of about 700 islands, by about 0.35 inches, or 9 mm per year since 1993, about three times the global average rise. Sea level is expected to rise between 5.5 and 13.8 inches by 2050, depending on the amount of global greenhouse gas emissions released into the atmosphere.

Fiji

Fiji, a popular honeymoon destination consisting of about 300 islands in the South Pacific, is at the mercy of climate change. Powerful tropical cyclones, erosion, and flooding are part of the reason the annual sea level in Fiji has been rising by an average of 6 mm per year since 1993. In 2012, the entire population of one village abandoned its homes and relocated to higher ground.

Seychelles

The 115-island archipelago in the Indian Ocean is primarily a tourist destination — but its beaches are eroding. Theoretically, just one meter (39 inches) of sea-level rise may sink 70% of the nation’s entire land. So far, the annual sea-level rise has fluctuated, but between 2002 and 2006 there were five instances when it reached almost 4 inches due to extreme storm events and flooding.

Solomon Islands

The Solomon Islands, a country comprising six major islands in the South Pacific, has already lost five reef islands. The sea level has been rising in the Solomon Islands archipelago by 10.1 mm, or 0.4 inches, per year. Villages have been forced to relocate because much of their inhabitable land is now underwater.

Torres Strait Islands, Australia

Sea levels around the Torres Strait Islands are rising at an average rate of 6 mm to 8 mm per year, almost triple the global average of 3.1 mm sea-level rise.

Tangier Island, Virginia

Tangier Island, Virginia, also called the soft-shell capital of the world, is on the front lines of climate change in the United States. The highest point of the island is just 6 feet above sea level. The island has been sinking by about an inch a year because of rising sea levels. 12. Cape

Verde

Cape Verde is a nation comprising a group of islands off the west coast of Africa. Like many island states, Cape Verde is vulnerable to climate change impacts because of its small surface area, high population density, inadequate infrastructure, and a shortage of potable water resources.

Kiribati

In 2017, low-lying Kiribati declared that global warming was literally killing it. The nation, which consists of 33 islands, with a landmass of just 309 square miles, that is about 6 feet above sea level, may actually become the first to be completely submerged by global warming.

French Polynesia

French Polynesia is home to two of the most exotic travel destinations in the world — Bora Bora and Tahiti. With the island group threatened by rising seas, the Pacific nation became the first country in January 2017 to sign an agreement to locate floating islands off its coast.

Vanuatu

Vanuatu, formerly called the New Hebrides, is an island nation in the South Pacific, northeast of Australia and west of Fiji. Like many islands in the Pacific, rising ocean temperatures as a result of climate change will have a profound impact on the nation’s fisheries.

The Philippines

The Philippines consists of 7,107 islands. It is also the most vulnerable Asian country to climate change, according to a 2018 HSBC report. Sea levels in the Philippines are projected to rise by 9 to 18.5 inches by the end of the 21st century.

Grenada

The Caribbean island nation of Grenada just north of South America was slammed by two hurricanes in 2004. The hurricanes destroyed 90% of the nation’s buildings and caused damage 2.5 times its gross domestic product. According to a Grenada government recent report, climate change is already disrupting economic sectors such as tourism and agriculture.

Hatteras Island, North Carolina

The Outer Banks on Hatteras Island are a very popular summer destination, known for wild horses roaming freely and, of course, beaches. But some areas of the island chain are disappearing due to more severe storms and rising sea levels.

Canary Islands, Spain

Climate change is reportedly having a profound effect on animal life in the Canary Islands, which are located just off the coast of Morocco in the Atlantic Ocean. Government officials have raised concerns that rising temperatures could allow non-native pests to flood the islands, which could destroy the agricultural industry.

Isle de Jean Charles, Louisiana

Locals in Isle de Jean Charles have lost 98% of their land since 1955 due to gradual sinking, erosion, and sea-level rise. Only 29 homes remain. The U.S. federal government granted the island USD48 million to relocate residents.

(Credit: Hristina Byrnes and John Harrington)

For full report

Must Read

Vistara’s Dreamliner wings its way to Bali

0
SINGAPORE, 29 March 2024: In response to strong travel demand and an anticipated uptick in bookings during the summer season, Vistara will deploy its...