Copernicus Marine Data And Adapting To Climate Change

November 20, 2019 / activist360 / Leave a comment

The oceans are undergoing sweeping, severe, and unavoidable changes. Sea level rise, extreme weather events, and changing marine ecosystems are becoming a fact of life, particularly affecting coastal communities — making understanding and measuring the ocean an essential step towards ensuring our relationship with the ocean is sustainable and resilient. Accurate, global data like that provided by the Copernicus Marine Service will be increasingly vital if we are to make well-informed decisions as we adapt to Earth’s changing ocean and climate.

New Study: 300 Million Face Severe Risk of Climate-Fueled Coastal Flooding by 2050

November 7, 2019 / activist360 / Leave a comment

As a shocking new report finds that many coastal cities will be flooded by rising sea levels by 2050, Chile’s President Sebastián Piñera announced Wednesday that the U.N. Climate Summit in Santiago has been canceled. Anti-inequality protests have entered their third week in the country with protesters calling for the Piñera government to resign. The U.N. said it is now looking for an alternative venue for the annual climate meetings. Meanwhile, a dire new report has warned 300 million people are at risk from rising sea levels, with the most vulnerable populations concentrated in the Global South. According to the study published in Nature Communications, global sea levels are expected to rise between two and seven feet or possibly more, with some coastal cities being wiped off the map. We speak with Harjeet Singh, the global lead on climate change for Action Aid who is based in New Delhi, India; and Benjamin Strauss, co-author of the study in Nature Communications and CEO and chief scientist at Climate Central.

Melting Ice – the Future of the Arctic

October 9, 2019 / activist360 / Leave a comment

https://youtu.be/U0aNeYZL8jY

Climate change in the Arctic is fueling not only fear, but also hope. Sea levels will rise and flood many regions. But the melting ice will also expose new land with reserves of oil, gas and minerals. New sea routes are also emerging.

The melting of the ice in the far north has given reason for great optimism, as newly-found mineral resources promise the Inuit a better life. But international corporations and self-proclaimed ‘partners’ such as China also have their eye on the treasures of the Arctic. Some even dream of a polar Silk Road. As large corporations position themselves to exploit the treasures of the far north, the indigenous people, the Inuit, are fighting for their independence.

The DW Documentary team spent four weeks with a geological expedition to the north coast of Canada – a place where no human has ever set foot before – and were present at the geologists world’s northernmost spring. A microbiologist with them also collected DNA samples that could help in the development of new vaccines against resistant germs. However, the most important resource in the far north is still fish: Greenland supplies half the world with it, yet it still doesn’t bring in enough to finance necessary investments in its underdeveloped infrastructure. And in Canada, the Inuit are also struggling with their government for the right to share in the wealth of their own land.