In the article Big polluters, small island states clash on climate change, the Voice of America (VOA) claimed that climate change threatens the survival of Pacific island nations due to sea-level rise, and that they should be compensated by other countries who are said to be the major drivers of climate change, such as the United States. This claim is false, lacking any scientific support. Data refutes any claims made by island nations that they are losing land to rising seas
VOA notes:
Nearly 100 countries and more than a dozen intergovernmental organizations are set to give evidence across two weeks of legal proceedings that began on Monday and ends December 13. The judges are expected to give their legal opinion sometime next year.
…
The judges’ opinion is advisory and won’t be legally binding.
The recent proceedings at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) have brought to the forefront claims by small island nations that rising sea levels, attributed to climate change, threaten their very existence. These nations seek to hold major polluting countries legally accountable for the alleged damages. However, a closer examination of the scientific evidence and observable realities challenges the foundation of these claims.
Many Pacific islands are atolls—ring-shaped coral reefs encircling lagoons. Contrary to the narrative of inevitable submersion, atolls have demonstrated a remarkable ability to adapt to changing sea levels. Research indicates that these landforms can grow and adjust in response to environmental changes. A study published in Nature Communications found that 88.6% of Tuvalu’s islands remained stable or increased in size over recent decades, despite rising sea levels.
The New York Times (NYT) recently posted an article, titled “A Surprising Climate Find,” which explains how island nations like, Kiribati, Maldives, the Marshall Islands, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu are not, in fact, in danger of sinking under the seas due to climate change. This is true; a fact that Climate Realism has repeatedly discussed. Atolls in particular are known to grow with rising water levels, this has been known for years if not decades.
Climate at a Glance: Islands and Sea Level Rise, also confirms the fact that, Tuvalu in particular, often a poster child for islands supposedly threatened by sea level rise, “eight of Tuvalu’s nine large coral atolls have grown in size during recent decades, and 75 percent of Tuvalu’s 101 smaller reef islands have increased as well.” This expansion is due to natural processes where coral debris and sediment accumulate, enabling atolls to maintain their landmass. Put simply, the assertion that these islands are inevitably sinking lacks scientific support.
Another argument being made before the court is the concept of “climate refugees” from sinking islands, which is often cited in discussions about climate change impacts. However, there is a notable absence of documented cases where populations have been displaced solely due to sea-level rise. For instance, despite concerns, Tuvalu’s population has not been forced to evacuate en masse, rather it and other similarly situated island nations’ populations have grown. When migration from these islands occurs, it is driven by economic opportunities rather than environmental factors.
Contrary to the portrayal of Pacific island nations as being on the brink of disappearance, many are actively investing in infrastructure to boost tourism—a sector incompatible with the notion of imminent submersion. Fiji, for example, has experienced a surge in tourism, leading to the development of new resorts and the expansion of existing ones. The InterContinental Hotels Group is expanding its presence in Fiji, with new projects in areas like Nadi, the islands, and Suva.
Similarly, other Pacific nations such as Kiribati, are enhancing their tourism infrastructure, such as building hotels and improving airports, indicating the confidence they have in their long-term viability. This trend suggests that these countries do not perceive an existential threat from sea-level rise, as such investments would be imprudent if submersion by sea level rise were imminent.
The push to hold so-called polluters legally accountable for the alleged impacts of climate change on small island nations is legally unsupportable. Climate change isn’t harming the islands, a necessary component of any legal claim. In addition, the United States argued during the during the ICJ hearings that international human rights law does not obligate states to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions nor provides for a human right to a healthy environment. This stance underscores the challenges in attributing specific environmental changes to the actions of individual nations, given the multifaceted nature of climate dynamics.
The concerns of small island nations regarding climate change seem to be more about extracting money from wealthier nations, as the scientific evidence suggests that many pacific atolls are not only surviving but adapting and growing. The absence of climate refugees and the active expansion of tourism infrastructure further challenge the narrative of imminent existential threat. Therefore, the basis for legal action against developed countries appears tenuous, as the purported damages lack clear and direct causation linked to their actions.
In light of these facts, it appears that the lawsuits being pushed are little more than a legal shake-down by using the alarmist narratives about climate change induced sea level rise to win a case that actually has no basis in fact nor law. Even if the case should be ruled in favor of the island nations, they have no way to enforce the “advisory” ruling against other nations, rendering the outcome essentially toothless.
Anthony Watts is a senior fellow for environment and climate at The Heartland Institute. Watts has been in the weather business both in front of, and behind the camera as an on-air television meteorologist since 1978, and currently does daily radio forecasts. He has created weather graphics presentation systems for television, specialized weather instrumentation, as well as co-authored peer-reviewed papers on climate issues. He operates the most viewed website in the world on climate, the award-winning website wattsupwiththat.com.
Originally posted on ClimateREALISM
Charles Darwin pointed that out in 1842, his first major paper. As long as coral can grow faster than the sea level rise, or subsidence, the island will grow or stay the same.
That hypothesis was confirmed in the late 1940’s, when as a part of atomic bomb testing, an atoll was core drilled down to the volcanic base.
Dangerous sea level rise AND twenty-three atomic bomb explosions are not enough to stop our tiny coral friends!
https://news.mongabay.com/2008/05/50-years-after-the-blast-recovery-in-bikini-atolls-coral-reef/
Time to give up the woke feels and deal rationally with modern reality and the facts of life-
Peter Dutton won’t stand beside Indigenous flags at press events if elected prime minister – ABC News
If the Viet Cong want reparations go see the Japanese or get over it.
Truth and facts have no bearing in these issues.
China is responsible for 33% of global emissions…wake me when China is ponying up for 33% of Global mitigation costs.
Hell, wake me when the Climate Whiners are Overtly vocal In China about Climate Reparations.
Handing governments money is always a bad idea, the money is almost never used for the purpose it was received. Rather it fills the pockets of politicians, bureaucrats and administrators. I don’t think they are in any danger. The question is how high would sea levels have rise to put them in serious danger?
Much faster than 2mm/year, I’ll wager.
I keep wondering about those hundreds of millions that “Big Tobacco” sent to “Bigger Government” to fund healthcare issues caused by smoking a legal product. Seems like all the money didn’t get spent on healthcare but on who knows what pet project by Bigger G as healthcare costs continue to soar and our memories continue to fade away of those long ago lawfare scams.
This is my philosophical argument with taxes on specific items and behaviors. I chuckle when I hear “educational lottery” or “temporary toll road”.
A 40 day global downpour from a dome over the sky would do it.
I think these island nations are using the wrong approach to shake down the wealthy west. Corals grow in WARM shallow seas so warming temperatures accelerates atoll growth. This is consistent with the data. But these atoll’s growth is from precipitation of mineral carbonates which is a CO2 sequestration mechanism. The islands ought to be tracking this growth in the islands and the warm shallow waters around them and selling carbon credits to those inclined to buy climate indulgences.
Hush. Reasonable ideas are NOT permitted.
/sarc
The Maldive Islands represent a poster child of the climate crybabies.
In 1989 the UN declared that all 1196 (or so) islands of the world’s lowest country would be obliterated by unmitigated SLR in 30 years, if not sooner, if all AGW was not curtailed immediately, even though the first issue was drinking water for the populace which was to run out in just a few years.
30 years later in 2019, all is well, nearly every inhabited island in the chain is up to 8% larger, they didn’t run out of drinking water, China has invested tens of millions into several new airports, which are considered quite egregious by the climate alarmists and tourism is growing.
What does China know that the west hasn’t learned?
Yet, the press keeps perpetuating the myth of the drowning of the islands as their government officials stand waste-deep in the waves, their photos plastered below the headlines, implying quite the opposite of reality as they grovel to the ignorant their false plight toward those guilty, greedy “carbon polluters” to send them money as atonement to pay for their climate sins.
In the mean time, the one “climate refugee” out of the tens of thousands predicted to need higher ground in order to survive the myth of “runaway” SLR that never happened, now more than 35 years later, awaits a companion as he/she sits alone in New Zealand which offered such status way back when.
Another failed catastrophe deserving to be tossed into the dustbin of ever-growing BS that keeps growing year after year by the cry bullies of climate-industrial complex.
And that lone refugee lobbies district councils in NZ about the coming sea level rises, the idiots believe him .
Never underestimate the population growth impact amongst these atolls.
As one example,
Maldives Pop 1970 = 123 thousand vs Maldives Pop 2024 = 527 thousand.
.
This … more than anything else demonstrates the real problem is not global warming but over-population.
What do they call it when surface mass causes the ground to subside?
Seems increasing the population mass, housing and all the rest, is at least a 400% increase in the surface mass.
The tide gauge/land height data provided in the Global Sea Level Observing System (GLOSS) website for the western Pacific makes interesting reading. The mean monthly tide gauge data shows some pretty wild swings at times – not surprising since Willis E has shown that the sea levels in this part of the world are greatly affected by the Nino/Nina cycles, with some locations showing up to 400 mm swings over 6 months.
Add to this the very active earthquake zones (due to seafloor spreading and subduction) that have created most of these islands and you end up with a pretty unstable platform for your tide gauges. Unfortunately, GPS height data for some land stations is only available since 2002.
Clearly, tide gauge data must be corrected for land height variations in this part of the world to work out any sea level rise/fall rates before you tackle Nino/Nina cycle corrections, assuming that is possible.
Climate reparations. These islands were spoon fed AGW by the Globalist cabal to be the poster children for climate change and now they are holding the West responsible for coughing up the promised money. They should be haranguing those who made the promises.
“Even if the case should be ruled in favor of the island nations, they have no way to enforce the “advisory” ruling against other nations, rendering the outcome essentially toothless.”
True, except for the propaganda value. The court of public opinion will come to order shortly after the verdict is announced, regardless of the verdict.
That the hearing is being held in the first place is a major win for the Climate Syndicate.
Thinking about “The judges’ opinion is advisory and won’t be legally binding.”
Who pays for this s*&^$&^*(&
“Similarly, other Pacific nations such as Kiribati, are enhancing their tourism infrastructure, such as building hotels and improving airports, indicating the confidence they have in their long-term viability. This trend suggests that these countries do not perceive an existential threat from sea-level rise, as such investments would be imprudent if submersion by sea level rise were imminent.”
You’d think that rather than sea level rise being a threat, they’d realize the real threat is their islands might capsize!
(Just ask Hank Johnson.)
Really sad that they are trying to inflict this s cam KNOWING it’s a scam.
After one week of the hearing at International Court of Justice (ICJ) the thrust of the event is clear. It is an attempt to redistribute wealth from nations who developed and prospered from basing their societies on hydrocarbons to other nations who have not done so as successfully. The “victims” claim compensation because burning hydrocarbons caused global warming which will raise sea levels and flood island nations. This is called “Climate Justice.”
https://rclutz.com/2024/12/07/false-premises-for-hague-climate-reparations-hearing/