I can see where something like this might work as a resort. But 250 million “climate refugees”? Really? From job-maldives.com where they are “celebrating three years of service”:
LILYPAD, A FLOATING ECOPOLIS FOR CLIMATICAL REFUGEES 2100, a large crowd of ecological refugees
Further to the anthropogenic activity, the climate warms up and the ocean level increases. According to the principle of Archimedes and contrary to preconceived notions, the melting of the arctic ice-floe will not change the rising of the water exactly as an ice cube melting in a glass of water does not make its level rise. However, there are two huge ice reservoirs that are not on the water and whose melting will transfer their volume towards the oceans, leading to their rising. It deals with the ice caps of Antarctic and Greenland on the one hand, and the continental glaciers on the other hand. Another reason of the ocean rising, that does not have anything to do with the ice melting is the water dilatation under the effect of the temperature.
According to the less alarming forecasts of the GIEC (Intergovernmental group on the evolution of the climate), the ocean level should rise from 20 to 90 cm during the 21st Century with a status quo by 50 cm (versus 10 cm in the 20th Century). The international scientific scene assets that a temperature elevation of 1°C will lead to a water rising of 1 meter. This increase of 1 m would bring ground losses emerged of approximately 0.05% in Uruguay, 1% in Egypt, 6% in the Netherlands, 17.5% in Bangladesh and up to 80% approximately in the atoll Majuro in Oceania (Marshall and Kiribati islands and step by step the Maldives islands).
If the first meter is not very funny with more than 50 million of people affected in the developing countries, the situation is worse with the second one. Countries like Vietnam, Egypt, Bangladesh, Guyana or Bahamas will see their most inhabited places swamped at each flood and their most fertile fields devastated by the invasion of salt water damaging the local ecosystems. New York, Bombay, Calcutta, Hô Chi Minh City, Shanghai, Miami, Lagos, Abidjan, Djakarta, Alexandria… not les that 250 million of climatic refugees and 9% of the GDP threatened if we not build protections related to such a threat. It is the demonstration inflicted to reluctant spirits by a climatological study of the OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) and that challenges our imagination of eco-conception!
Yeah, OK, thanks for sharing. Here’s the rest
H/t to Paul Ostergaard.
Sorry if I interrupt your day dreaming activities, but, why to worry about the Maldives being flooded while YOU are going to be interred UNDER ICE the next winter, and that’s not a hundred years from now!
BTW: In a few days don’t forget to take your coats with you when you go to Cancun:
Frigid waters over there:
http://weather.unisys.com/surface/sst_anom.html
what a cool idea.
lets build a prototype using empty milk cartons.
opps its been done
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2005/11/tired_of_living.php
In all seriousness, I think it would be a great engineering project.
If instead of pushing the pods as a refuge for climate refugees, they declared them as free market sanctuaries for refugee entrepreneurs they might be able to put together a decent business model.
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Janice says:
November 15, 2010 at 11:30 am
“Arcosanti meets Waterworld. After all, what could go wrong?”
That was what I was thinking. For thous who have not had a chance to see Arcosanti first hand, it looks like something built by drugged out hippies. One hit from a Cat 5 and this thing would become an eco-disaster.
More craziness to come:
“Scientists propose one-way trips to Mars” (Guess the drank too much Kool-Aid)
humans must begin colonizing another planet as a hedge against a catastrophe on Earth..(..which their peers will surely provoke)
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_one_way_to_mars
The best Hurricane prediction by Michael Mann:
“ESSC director Dr. Michael Mann and graduate student Michael Kozar have recently released their prediction for the 2010 Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from 1 June to 30 November. Mann and Kozar predict an extremely active season due to warmer than average sea surface temperatures in the tropical Atlantic Ocean and projections of near-neutral or slightly cool ENSO conditions.”
Trust at your own peril…
DesertYote says:
November 15, 2010 at 12:55 pm
it looks like something built by drugged out hippies
You got it buddy!, that’s what all Post Normal Science is all about: The consequences of a “stoned” generation. Hope the scarcities and poverty of today’s reality will produce a healthier generation.
This is just another of those Soleri type arcologies. Not exactly a new concept (even if they hadn’t seen Waterworld) but quite popular sci-fi fodder (Bladerunner too). At first glance I thought we were talking Lando Calrisian stuff). The sort of utopian doodle a French architect will do while eating his lunchtime sandwiches.
It is a rather elegant design. Isn’t it ironic that we can come up with solutions to save people who haven’t been born yet from problems that probably won’t materialize; yet living, breathing humans who face actual urgent problems (like earthquake victims in Haiti), get surplus tents and an early grave?
So whose gonna be the bullfrog? Al Goribbit?
I think this was A.C. Clarke’s or Larry Niven’s idea, although they may have borrowed it from someone.
Can we get someone with geology 101 to do a post on what happens to river deltas and atolls with sea level rise, or are we going to have to take our lessons from French architects and WWF “experts”. Do most readers believe that the Mississippi and Ganges deltas were once sticking up out of the sea 150m before the last ice age melt? Do they also believe that the atolls were once rings with 150m cliff faces? Isn’t it fortunate then that the ice melted 12,000 years ago so the inhabitants could get down to the sea safely. I have posted on this topic several times – I haven’t time to do a post and I, though I know the principles involved, am not an expert on this particular topic. Please can we have a professor of quaternary geology do a post – it is interesting in itself as well as instructive what will happen if sea level rises (or falls). While we are waiting, ask yourself why every delta and atoll in the world is essentially at or near sealevel. Is this just coincidence or is something dynamic and self mitigating happening?
What is the Energy Returned On Energy Invested for this scheme?
Anyone?
Absolutly crazyness, 6% in the Netherlands, The Netherlands all already for a large part ‘under’ water. I live 2,5 metres below sea level. A country like The Netherlands is probaly beter prepared, because we already are capable.
steven mosher says:
November 15, 2010 at 12:28 pm
“what a cool idea.
lets build a prototype using empty milk cartons.
opps its been done
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2005/11/tired_of_living.php
”
I think his bottle island broke up in a storm (it was on a lake, but the storm sufficed). A better idea is this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MS_The_World
It was Niven. http://www.technovelgy.com/ct/content.asp?Bnum=196
Oh my, another titanic pipe dream. This guys has never been close to saltwater for any length of time or he would know better.
This is all about forecasted sea level rises.
A typical example of an article on sea level rises is in last weekend’s International Herald Tribune.
It is a full page spread, based seemingly centred upon the Helheim Glacier in South Eastern Greenland, which apparently if melting at an accelerating rate until a sea level rise of maybe 2 metres is reached.
Have you, Anthony done any work on this one?
RichieP
November 15, 2010 at 1:35 pm
” … but quite popular sci-fi fodder …”
Well maybe popular with socialist hack wannabe SF writers who are more interested in their sick political agenda then the science that is the S in SF. No serious SF writer would touch arcologies even with a remote controlled robot. They are a stupid idea that have almost no reasonable application.
On the other hand, I does look like the lunchtime doodle of a French architect.
“40 million people a year move in the United States.”
Not true. There are about 37 million legal immigrants here with about 1 million new people each year. An estimated additional 500,000 per year from illegal immigration.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immigration_to_the_United_States
We only have about 300 million people total, so if 40 million more were coming each year, immigration would be a lot bigger issue than it already is.
…or this one. Optimal habitat for Climate Refugees:
http://www.technovelgy.com/ct/Science-Fiction-News.asp?NewsNum=2643
“… the urban backyard garden boom that is sweeping the nation has caught hold in Detroit, particularly in neighborhoods recently settled by immigrants from agrarian cultures of Laos and Bangladesh, who are almost certain to become major players in an agrarian Detroit.”
Funny:
When the moon is in the Seventh House
And Jupiter aligns with Mars
Then peace will guide the planets
And love will steer the stars
This is the dawning of the age of Aquarius
The age of Aquarius
Aquarius!
Aquarius!….
Lots of water to everybody!!
Common Sense says:
November 15, 2010 at 2:17 pm
“40 million people a year move in the United States.”
It says move “in” not move “to”.
It looks like a fancy car wheel trim that has been run over a couple of times.
SF writer Greg Egan did a story about a floating island from an Australian perspective.