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Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Enviro Poor Nauru

Posted by Eli Sanders on Wed, Jul 20, 2011 at 6:00 AM

From the president of a tiny, perhaps doomed island in the middle of the Pacific, a warning:

I am not looking for sympathy, but rather warning you what can happen when a country runs out of options. The world is headed down a similar path with the relentless burning of coal and oil, which is altering the planet’s climate, melting ice caps, making oceans more acidic and edging us ever closer to a day when no one will be able to take clean water, fertile soil or abundant food for granted.

You've heard it before, but you've probably never heard it from Marcus Stephen's middle-of-the-ocean perspective. RTWT.

Comments (15) RSS

Oldest First Unregistered On Registered On Add a comment

You mean not everyone took South Pacific Anthropology as an elective? Huh.

Posted by Fistique on July 20, 2011 at 6:16 AM

One day the Earth will be cleared of humans and it will start to heal itself. I certainly don't expect humans to stop their self destructive behavior no matter how many warnings it receives.

Posted by Vince on July 20, 2011 at 7:00 AM

This American Life had a segment on Nauru a number of years ago.

http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-ar…

Posted by seatackled on July 20, 2011 at 7:58 AM

So....phosphate mining by European exploiters raised the sea level and is eroding some of their beaches...which now spells doom for Nauru?

Posted by Supreme Ruler Of The Universe

on July 20, 2011 at 8:10 AM

Sadly ironic for a country that basically destroyed itself by strip-mining a giant phosphate deposit in the center of the island during the 80s. Now it's better known for two things: 1) money-laundering for russian/eastern-european gangsters, and 2) one of the unhealthier populations in the pacific. Charles, please discuss....

Posted by Mr. Happy Sunshine on July 20, 2011 at 8:13 AM

@4 and 5: Yeah, that's all true, but why introduce reality when you can blame the dreaded climate change for all your problems?

Posted by Fifty-Two-Eighty

on July 20, 2011 at 8:46 AM

@6: For the win!

Posted by Phoebe on NE 79th on July 20, 2011 at 8:59 AM

So you all missed this part?

Already, Nauru’s coast, the only habitable area, is steadily eroding, and communities in Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands have been forced to flee their homes to escape record tides.

Don't be thick.

Posted by Irena on July 20, 2011 at 9:40 AM

Jared Diamond gave us a great middle-of-the-ocean perspective with his 1995 essay on Easter Island, called "Easter's End".

http://greatchange.org/footnotes-oversho…

Posted by Irena on July 20, 2011 at 9:45 AM

No, Irena, I didn't miss that part. But that's a negligible part of their problems, so I didn't take it very seriously. And besides, coastlines erode. That's what they do.

Posted by Fifty-Two-Eighty

on July 20, 2011 at 9:58 AM

@9: We’re not being “thick”. We’re savvy enough to know that the earth is warming and that bad things are occurring. We’re also savvy enough to know that such discussions are extremely multifaceted with conflicting theories and scientific debate and we’re just getting a little annoyed with the salivating rush by human-hating elitists to make me feel guilty for driving my gas guzzling Oldsmobile 98 and stocking up on incandescent light bulbs.

Posted by Phoebe on NE 79th on July 20, 2011 at 10:00 AM

@11, if you read that story as a "salivating rush by human-hating elitists to make me feel guilty", you are thick.

Posted by Irena on July 20, 2011 at 10:30 AM

@12, don't waste your breath. Faced with an article by a guy basically saying "hey, we fucked up just like you guys are fucking up, and this is what the end result looks like," some folks still have to be pissy. The merest hint that our lifestyle isn't the best way to do things is an insult for some folks.

Posted by switzerblog on July 20, 2011 at 10:41 AM

@12 and @13: I'm not talking about a single article here. I thought it was fairly obvious that I was extrapolating and providing, I admit, somewhat embellished commentary to make a point. Not unlike what 90% of Slogger commenters and Stranger staffers do. Sorry about the confusion.

Posted by Phoebe on NE 79th on July 20, 2011 at 11:05 AM

I think I was the only one who read the headline and thought "Oh no! Is something wrong with that adorable cat on YouTube that likes to jump into bags and boxes?! That poor adorable kitty!"

Posted by Aedan Robinson on July 20, 2011 at 7:28 PM