Global Warming claims its first refugees!!
Someone's Home is Melting!!
Shismaref, an island(located 20miles off the Arctic Circle) reachable only by air and inhabited for 4,000 years, are facing evacuation because of global warming. Temperatures that have risen 4.4C over the last 30 years are causing a reduction in sea ice, thawing of permafrost on which the village was built and making the shoreline vulnerable to erosion. Scientists report that other Alaskan towns are suffering similar problems, but point to Shismaref as an indicator of what can be expected in other parts of the world. Residents are planning to relocate to the mainland, making them the first refugees of global warming.
Apart from birds shifting their migratory paths, obscure climate changes, heat waves in Europe, dwindling winters in HongKong, global warming is taking its toll! Near home, in Bangladesh thousands have had to evacuate the Jamuna River valley as it overflows its banks due to severe monsoons and greater glacial melt in the Himalayas - both of which are direct effects of global warming.
The great irony is that these places don't contribute to the green house effect yet have to suffer. When will the "great leaders" or G8 summit etc.. realize the danger is near and start thinking beyond Kyoto?
Global warming is real, its fast approaching, its not gonna see who's rich or poor and we really got to do something about it soon!!
After all, if we were to admit that it is real and that we all are to blame for it, then we'd have to conclude that it's our responsibility to do something to fix it, and especially to help those innocents who are affected by it. Perhaps something better could have been done with the $1.2 trillion that was spent on the Iraq War. And what if we don't do anything? What if we refuse to acknowledge our role in these people's suffering? You can be sure they won't forget who caused them to lose their homes.
This crisis situation predicts even more extremism and violence directed towards the West as a result of these climate-related refugees. A quote from an expert, "A person victimized and displaced will not sit idle. There will be organized climate-displaced groups saying, 'Why should you hang onto your place when I've lost mine and you're the one who did this?'
That... is not a pleasant scenario."
Shismaref, an island(located 20miles off the Arctic Circle) reachable only by air and inhabited for 4,000 years, are facing evacuation because of global warming. Temperatures that have risen 4.4C over the last 30 years are causing a reduction in sea ice, thawing of permafrost on which the village was built and making the shoreline vulnerable to erosion. Scientists report that other Alaskan towns are suffering similar problems, but point to Shismaref as an indicator of what can be expected in other parts of the world. Residents are planning to relocate to the mainland, making them the first refugees of global warming.
Apart from birds shifting their migratory paths, obscure climate changes, heat waves in Europe, dwindling winters in HongKong, global warming is taking its toll! Near home, in Bangladesh thousands have had to evacuate the Jamuna River valley as it overflows its banks due to severe monsoons and greater glacial melt in the Himalayas - both of which are direct effects of global warming.
The great irony is that these places don't contribute to the green house effect yet have to suffer. When will the "great leaders" or G8 summit etc.. realize the danger is near and start thinking beyond Kyoto?
Global warming is real, its fast approaching, its not gonna see who's rich or poor and we really got to do something about it soon!!
After all, if we were to admit that it is real and that we all are to blame for it, then we'd have to conclude that it's our responsibility to do something to fix it, and especially to help those innocents who are affected by it. Perhaps something better could have been done with the $1.2 trillion that was spent on the Iraq War. And what if we don't do anything? What if we refuse to acknowledge our role in these people's suffering? You can be sure they won't forget who caused them to lose their homes.
This crisis situation predicts even more extremism and violence directed towards the West as a result of these climate-related refugees. A quote from an expert, "A person victimized and displaced will not sit idle. There will be organized climate-displaced groups saying, 'Why should you hang onto your place when I've lost mine and you're the one who did this?'
That... is not a pleasant scenario."
Labels: global warming, melting ice caps, melting poles, wake up
scribbled by Surabhi @ 6:28 PM
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