An amount of land equivalent to the Isle of Wight has been added to the shorelines of 13,000 islands around the world in just the last 20 years. This fascinating fact of a 369.67 square kilometre increase has recently been discovered by a group of Chinese scientists analysing both surface and satellite records. Overall, land was lost during the 1990s, but the scientists found that in the study period of three decades to 2020 there was a net increase of 157.21 km2. The study observed considerable natural variation in both erosion and accretion. Of course, the findings blow holes in the poster scare run by alarmists suggesting that rising sea levels caused by humans using hydrocarbons will condemn many islands to disappear shortly beneath rising sea levels. By means of such flimsy scare tactics, as we have seen in many other cases, desperate attempts are made to terrify global populations to accept the insanity of the Net Zero collectivisation.
The scientists said their data suggested that sea-level rise has not been a widespread cause of erosion for island shorelines in the studied regions. “Presently, it is considered one of the contributing factors to shoreline erosion but not the predominant one,” they explained. Needless to say, none of this will detain the attention of climate hysterics in both mainstream media and politics. The Guardian was in fine form last June stating that rising oceans will extinguish more than land. “It will kill entire languages,” it added, noting the effect on Pacific islands such as Tuvalu. Those areas of the Earth that were most hospitable to people and languages are now becoming the “least hospitable”.
Silly emotional Guardianista guff of course, but happily it does not seem to apply to Tuvalu. A recent study found that the 101 islands of Tuvalu had grown in land mass by 2.9%. The scientists observed that despite rising sea levels, many shorelines in Tuvalu and neighbouring Pacific atolls have maintained relative stability, “without significant alteration”. A comprehensive re-examination of data on 30 Pacific and Indian Ocean atolls with 709 islands found that none of them had lost any land. Furthermore, the scientists added, there are data that indicate 47 reef islands expanded in size or remained stable over the last 50 years, “despite experiencing a rate of sea-level rise that exceeds the global average”.
The Maldives is also a poster scare for rising sea levels, with the attention-seeking activist Mark Lynas – he of the nonsense claim that 99.9% of scientists agree humans cause all or most climate change – organising an underwater Cabinet meeting of the local Government in 2009. As it happens, the Maldives is one of a number of areas that have seen recent increases in land mass. Other areas include the Indonesian Archipelago, islands along the Indochinese Peninsula coast, and islands in the Red and Mediterranean Seas. Notably, the coastal waters of the Indochinese Peninsula had the most substantial gain, with an increase of 106.28 km2 over the 30-year period. Of the 13,000 islands examined, the researchers found that only around 12% had experienced a significant shoreline shift, with almost equal numbers experiencing either landward (loss) or seaward (gain) movement.
The scientists identify many reasons why islands can grow in size despite the small annual rises in sea level seen in many parts of the world. It is noted that island shorelines are constantly changing due to factors such tides, winds, nearshore hydrodynamics and the transport of sediment. On inhabited islands, human action such as fish farming and land reclamation can be important.
Of course, humans action can have a number of unintended consequences, notably the mining of coral and the breakdown of natural water barriers. Island states such as the Maldives have not been slow in coming forward to claim ‘climate reparations’ from guilt-tripped citizens in the developed world. But tourism has dramatically boosted income in the Maldives to first world levels at a time when the locals have mined coral in industrial quantities to build ports, airports and resort developments. In the process, ocean life diversity has been lost and the islands are often less protected from storm waves that can flow direct to the shoreline. In a recent essay, a group of scientists and economists charged that coral mining “has resulted in massive degradation of shallow reef-flat areas, with important negative impacts on coastal protection”.
The Chinese findings are important in helping destroy the claim that many low-lying islands will simply disappear beneath the waves in the near future due to human-induced climate change. They show how shoreline changes are a persistent and ongoing process that is subject to many natural and human influences. Most of the poster islands used for climate scares such as Tuvalu and the Maldives have increased in size of late, and are hardly suitable to whip up fear of a claimed climate ‘emergency’. Sea level rise is not a “predominant” cause of the changing coasts, the scientists note.
Chris Morrison is the Daily Sceptic’s Environment Editor.
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos just epitomized typical leftist elite hypocrisy about climate change with a new seaside home even as his newspaper spreads fake news about rising sea levels. Don’t believe the climate crisis lies — even the very people who spread them clearly know they are false.
Bezos is one of many climate fear-mongering elites to buy a beachfront or island mansion, while claiming to believe that the seas are about to trigger climate apocalypse. Globalists fly their private jets around the world, staying in expensive hotels or palatial mansions, living the high life, and making a massive carbon footprint while telling the rest of us that if we have cars or cows or air conditioning we will selfishly destroy the planet. It is all propaganda. The reality is that the true goal is to make most ordinary citizens poorer and more beholden to an authoritarian regime. It has nothing to do with stopping a climate apocalypse that is not going to happen.
Being in Ft. Lauderdale, local press says Bezos has now bought 3 properties, all adjacent, on ‘sea level rise threatened’ ‘Billionaires Island’ off Miami Beach. It has just 80 properties total; One is Jared and Ivanka’s new place, another is Tom Brady’s new place. The first two adjacent Bezos properties he paid $147 million for. The newest he just paid $90 million for. Rumor here in South Florida is, he plans to live in the $90 million 6 Br 9 full bath new ‘cottage’ while he clears the first two properties and builds the world’s most expensive oceanfront island mansion to frontage dock his 450 foot new sailboat (after some considerable dredging).
All rounding error for a guy who just built a $500 million sailing yacht, largest in the world, with a rumored $60 million annual upkeep, but now docked elsewhere in Miami to his sads.
Remember also that his recent divorce settlement with former long time wife McKinsey Scott was a mere $20 billion cash, which (being from Seattle) she plans to spend exclusively on far left wing causes.
Put differently, being really rich can also be really boring. Musk got bored and bought Twitter—only lost $20 billion so far—10%. Bezos got bored and bought the world’s most expensive new sail boat, deluxe Miami real estate, and whim started space company Blue Origin (still losing about $1 billion per year)—all rounding error. Jobs got bored and bought Pixar—which to his undoubted surprise then made lots of money on multiple hit animated movies before selling to Disney— that widow Lauren Jobs is now wasting on stuff like the Atlantic mag she bought to express her leftist views. Saudi Crown Prince MBS got bored and started the ridiculous Noem Linear City project in its high desert—now scaled back as reality hits his Highness’ climate’s change virtue signaling.
IMO, all this is good. Recycles weirdly ill-earned gross wealth back into the general global economy over time. We await Zuckerberg, altho he is making a good wealth recycling start with his ‘Meta’ alternative reality ‘metauniverse’ headset visions—since actual reality has no alternatives at all, no matter the fancy Meta VR headset SW fantasies.
The Google guys were smart to just get out of Dodge with their wealth and not pretend it was not just lucky timing rather than superior smarts. Although at least Brin is doing a fair job of wasting some on now three failed marriages, including RFK Jr’s new left liberal running mate.
With the sort of money he’s got, Rud, he can afford to lose a few – the cost is peanuts to him…
Frankly, I have no problem with these folks spending their money. Puts the money in the hands of other people and helps make the world go round. Hypocrisy of messaging vs. actions, of course, a whole different matter.
What is “ill earned” about building the most successful internet based retail commerce company in world history? You sound like a leftist. He absorbed decades of massive criticism for daring to do what nobody had done before, to make money selling stuff on the internet, and his company was not profitable until recent years, but now it is extremely profitable. That’s why he’s rich. The government didn’t give it to him, a rich daddy didn’t give it to him.
What he does with his money is his business, not yours. But he has shown himself, like Elon Musk, to be a visionary willing to bet his own personal wealth on industries that nobody thought could ever earn a profit, such as space exploration, or manufacturing electric cars.
Let us never forget that the climate apocalypse is caused by “White Capitalism.”
Therefore, we must acknowledge that it is all THEIR fault
Nowhere is seen anything to help the disadvantaged, the “black trans-women” that suffer the most from climate catastrophe.
Just repeating then nonsense spewed by certain UN officials and advisors.
Well, when we look at the damage done by organized retail theft, we can put a good amount of blame on Amazon, which makes fencing stolen loot all too easy.
Most of these internet billionaires have gotten there because they don’t have to assume any risk for the behavior of those who use their platforms for criminal purposes.
I must disagree with you on Musk’s purchase of Twitter. He knew that the left had total control of the “twitterverse” and would continue to skew the totality of daily social media toward the left and block even the most moderate right leaning content. He bought Twitter to open the internet to right leaning thought.
Musk is a US citizen by CHOICE. This was a huge personal sacrifice for the good of the US. Look at some of his comments on X and maybe you will understand his motives. Even though the stock will take a while to get back to pre takeover values, it will, even though MOST of Madison Avenue leftists advertising agencies are boycotting X.
Just sayin.
Actually “X” will probably the base platform to compete against YouTube on the video front and PayPal/Venmo/ApplePay on the consumer spending side. Don’t count Musk out of anything. It’s expanding users and time on line while the other platforms are even or losing users.
You are correct. I just wanted people to read Musk’s X posts.
Look into Brazil and their “Supreme Court” system that allows a “Judge” to be investigator, prosecutor, judge, jury and sentencer, all in one. One such leftist judge is after Musk because X has let out that that judge has been forcing X to block anyone who is of the wrong political views, including elected politicians. Of course he put a gag order on X so that people thought X was doing the blocking. Musk had enough of it and made it public. X will need to get all their business entities out of Brazil. Musk also reposted on how to create a VPN to circumvent the Brazil government closing down access to X there.
Sound familiar?
This is the IDEAL system that the Democrats are wishing for here in the US. You know, the Chinese system that they speak so highly of. One of the recent posts by Musk mentions Dems again wishing to stack the US Supreme Court.
The oligarchs want everyone but billionaires to evacuate the coasts.
I’ve always said that the real reason why the “elite” are against air travel is because their favorite vacation spots were getting over crowded by hoi peloi.
Bezos is not a leftist. He is an extraordinarily successful business person. Leftists are anti-business and in particular anti-capitalism. He has contributed funds to election campaigns for Senators of both parties whose work had a direct impact on internet related matters, which is typical of any business person in the position of contributing funds that help keep their business successful. Bezos purchased and owns the Washington Post, but he exercises no control over editorial policies, and manages to be accused by both left and right of doing so. Whatever editorial policy the WP had before he bought it has not changed.
Per Forbes magazine, it published an article about why Bezos purchased the WP, and it had nothing to do with ideology, partisanship, or global warmunism:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/stephaniedenning/2018/09/19/why-jeff-bezos-bought-the-washington-post/?sh=45537b133aab
It’s a puff piece. Every hardcopy newspaper suffers circulation decline.
The article explains nothing. Jeff Bezos may not need the Washington Post today, but it is probably a good investment for when he does.
(Pay attention, Elon Musk).
Gates/MicroSoft learned that lesson back in the 90’s when they found out they weren’t paying-off enough people on Capito Hill. They didn’t have enough friends when the admin came for them.
The Forbes article not a puff piece, and Forbes is among the most reliable insightful publications on matters of business and has been for decades. The piece merely explains why Bezos bought the Post, and was neither critical nor complimentary of his reasoning, based upon what Bezos actually said at the time.
Forbes often has climate alarmist articles.
Forbes used to be a good source for business information.
In recent years they have been replacing hard hitting business reporting with whatever the left wants them to report.
But owning the WP sure helped him get over 3 billion dollars directed to his Blue Origin company by the Democrat controlled congress. That is what Crony Capitalism is all about.
(sigh) Did he blink anything in Morse code?
And what Bezos has to do with anything? If he cannot convert money to power, it matters little what numbers are stored in the relevant database entries on a HDD owned by some bank — he’s still doomed to always be yet another choirboy.
Along the general lines of Charles Dawin: Voyage of HMS Beagle. Some geological researchers now claim the process is more complicated than Darwin envisioned, but he basically was right.
Interesting snippet: There is a great book “The Lunar Men” by Jenny Uglow describing the start of the industrial revolution in England. Apparently Darwin’s grandfather, Erasmus Darwin a country doctor, used to travel around in a carriage emblazoned with an emblem proclaiming “everything from shells”.
Yes this has been know for decades. There are pictures pointing the obvious out, but ignored by CAGW adherents.
Most theories start out simple, then grow more complicated over time as refinements are made and exceptions are discovered.
The funny/sad part of the Pacific atolls disappearing false alarm is that Charles Darwin figured it out and explained it fully during his 4 year voyage on the Beagle IIRC about 1824. So much for recent ‘climate science’ atoll false alarm.
Bottom line is don’t overfish parrotfish and Pacific coral atolls will do just fine.
Yes, as long as the coral is healthy, and growing faster than sea level rise and parrotfish munching on the coral to produce coral “sand”, coral islands should be fine.
A bit of help is good but they are growing in many instances
Coral atoll islands may outpace sea-level rise
https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/news/2023/12/19/coral-atoll-islands.html..html
I doubt reef corals need much help. The Leduc reef trend in Alberta is around 250m thick; I’d say that indicates that reef growth can keep up with a fair change in both sea level and land subsidence.
Coral survived the ends of the various glacial phases, when sea levels rose many times faster than they are today.
And yet, the Guardian digs deep to engineer a historical link to pre-Darwin “ecologist” Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon claiming that human-caused climate change contributed to evolution of species.
This is the thinnest “attribution” of a position on a subject I think I’ve ever read.
But it is The Grauniad, so no surprise.
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2024/apr/07/the-french-aristocrat-who-understood-evolution-100-years-before-darwin-and-even-worried-about-climate-change
There are, at least here, some potential coral reef threats. Mostly Agricultural/sewage runoff that encourages algae overgrowth. Solution is water treatment plus careful fishing to release any mostly coral algae eaters. Ignorant boat anchoring that break some coral up is a secondary but frequently policed tourist problem.
By and large, even in very busy Fort Lauderdale, our three parallel offshore coral reefs (shallow, medium, deep) are thriving. Along with all our delicious reef fish seafood like the various snappers, and especially our ‘bug’ spiney lobsters in season.
Just got back from the Maldives two weeks ago. They are still building hotels and resorts on the atolls. Apparently somebody forget to tell the investors their projects would soon be submerged. Maybe a reminder memo from Janes Hanson would help.
As always with Climate Alarmists, watch what they do, ignore what they say.
“Most of the poster islands used for climate scares such as Tuvalu and the Maldives have increased in size of late, and are hardly suitable to whip up fear of a claimed climate ‘emergency’.”
These islands must be summarily punished for failing to comply. The Warmist narrative will not be abrogated.
The Chinese, of course, are adept at making islands bigger.
Beautiful tropical islands with small native populations make a great “poster child” for runaway sea level rise, serving the same propagandistic, emotional purpose as do polar bears. Designed to make people go “aww .. those poor, poor people/animals!”
In point of fact, there are coastlines all over the world that are equally susceptible to both sea level rise and coastal erosion, but don’t make for such emotional reactions. Like most of the middle and south Atlantic coast of the United States, as well as the Gulf of Mexico coast of the US and Mexico. Where coastal topography is such that a lot of the most desirable real estate (i.e., expensive) is situated but a few feet above current mean sea level. Like for instance, lower Manhattan, or much of Chesapeake Bay, Miami, Corpus Christi, or New Orleans, who only get noticed when a major hurricane makes landfall and causes flooding or significant storm surge.
Of course the warmunists never want to admit that all coastal areas erode and the shorelines constantly move due to storms, prevailing currents, human development, and such. The first English colony in the New World was Jamestown in what is now Virginia, founded in 1607 with the building of a log fort on what was then an island in the James River. Nearly all of that land was eroded away in the last 400+ years. In the low lying coastal areas of the US, erosion and deposition are constant processes, opening up new channels, silting in old channels and coastlines, and reacting to continuing processes as well as occasional major storms.
The Cape Hatteras lighthouse had to be moved in 1999 from its original location (built in 1870) 2,900 feet to the west due to erosion. Per the National Park Service website for the lighthouse:
Same with the Cape Code Light or Highland Light, just a much slower erosion, due to the much higher dunes.
While the ocean side of Cape Cod gets ever closer to my Mom’s house, the bay side gets ever farther away.
Of course Cape Cod was formed by glaciation.
Once the next glacial period starts the Hatteras and Cape Cod lights will not have any erosion concerns as the sea level drops. Ice MAY be a concern for Cape Cod however.
Maldives Islands
April 8 2024
As predicted long ago, one of the islands is now below sea level.
Authorities blame climate change.
But a team of engineers disagreed.
They blame the weight of all the new resorts, new buildings, new airport, and especially all the obese tourists at the resorts. No island could survive that much added weight.
Did it tip over, or did they make sure they kept the people spread out?
If these islands keep growing at this rate, in 100 million years, the oceans will disappear altogether.
The time to start panicking is now.
Send research funds to INeedARealJob@aol.com.
Sounds like the claim these Islands would disappear is going the same way as the claim that the Arctic ice would disappear.
“scientists found that in the study period of three decades to 2020 there was a net increase of 157.21 km2.”
This following on the heals that worldwide land area has increased by the amount of Belgium. I will say the quiet part out loud… Two things have become patently obvious, landification is occurring and sea levels are not rising. Like the temperature sets, the data has been massaged to the point reality has reared its ugly head.
it’s time to confront the fraud out loud and vigorously.
Sea levels are dropping because the new global cooling cycle has begun.
I learned about coral growth on sunken sea mounts, etc. almost 60yrs ago in high school-basic geology. As to other issues with coral and reefs, much of the cut stone used in old Chicago was from a Devonian age buried reef…and islands don’t “tip over”. I swear, some people’s kids…
Isn’t it always? The Opposite Day never ends.