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The cost of climate change

Today is World Environment Day. The theme for this year's event is "CO2, Kick the Habit! Towards a Low Carbon Economy." I have already written a post about climate change and Taiwan at David on Formosa.

I was struck by this alarming article from the ABC about how climate change is affecting the Pacific island nation of Kiribati. Kiribati is a nation of low lying coral attols with a population of about 100,000 people. President Tong is in New Zealand for talks about relocating his people.

The IPCC forecasts sea level changes by the end of this century of 18-59 cm. This estimate is probably conservative. If the entire Greenland ice cap were to melt sea levels could rise by seven metres. The West Antarctic Ice Sheet would have a similar effect. This would be catastrophic for the entire world. (US EPA)

Australia has been slow to react to the problem of climate refugees, but this issue is likely to become more serious in the next decade. Australia has the capacity to host the refugees from Pacific Island nations. I would like to suggest an innovative way it could do this.

The people of Kiribati (or Tuvalu or other island nations) could be offered a piece of land on which to resettle. Not all of them would necessarily move at the same time. Initially at least a few thousand would need to move to establish a working community.

The land would need to be along the coast as fishing and living by the ocean is an important part of their culture. People would come under state and federal laws of Australia but form their own local government. As Kiribati is a former British colony there should be no major problems with this. People would be free to use their own native language and the school curriculum would be bilingual.

Development of the land would be a model of ecological sustainability. The community would aim to develop in a way that is carbon neutral (although some carbon emissions may be necessary in the early stages of development). They would seek to develop a local economy that provided for as many needs as possible as well as some industries producing surpluses for sale to outside.

As the community developed its economy and infrastructure more people could relocate from the islands to the new community. If the space or resources were limited a second community could be established based on the lessons learnt from the first.

Of course detailed plans and financial support would be required to realise this idea. However, to not attempt to solve the problem is to condemn an entire nation to extinction.

Labels: climate change, environment

posted by David @ 9:19 PM