Our world is full of ancient, mesmerizing places that are rich with cultural and historic importance. Due to negligence, natural disasters, and time these sites are not what they used to be. During their prime, they used to be places that were revered and worshipped, sites that were cardinal locations for civilizations and are our key to the past. These cities are paramount for our understanding of our ancestors’ culture and way of life. These places provide us with a story that spans thousands of years and is really valued by the current inhabitants of these lands. But like everything else climate change threatens to destroy everything that is valued.
Rising sea levels, melting ice caps and regular, angry storms present themselves as a baleful menace to coastal cities by constantly eroding the land. Easter Island(locally known as Rapa Nui) has a front-row seat to looming catastrophe.
The UNESCO World Heritage Site attracts tourists from all over the world but is most well known for its thousands of gigantic stone sculptures that are scattered all over the island. The famed island has started to feel the impact of climate change because of the bitter cold waters caused by the shifting global temperatures to a record dry spell that has drained the island’s wetlands and has put its freshwater reserves in peril. Due to these intense oscillating changes, soil loss presents itself to only compound the issue. The signs of climate change are blaring. The fact that the wetlands have completely dried up and that the waters have turned uncharacteristically chilly ring alarm bells in the locals’ ears. But Rapa Nui isn’t the only island being menaced by rising sea waters and frequent flooding.
To understand Venice’s unique problem, we have to look at its history first. Venice was built by the displaced people who were seeking a safe haven from the barbarian invasions. these people made the sandy islands of Torcello, Leslo, and Malamocco their home and built their city in this lagoon using trunks of alder trees. These logs were driven into the swampy ground and then the area was leveled up or covered. Though this may not seem like a solid foundation for building an island, the waterlogged wood actually ossified and therefore turned into a foundation of stone that would hold for centuries and still continues to hold.
The most common problem faced by the island is constant flooding. Due to rising sea levels, Venice is facing an increasing number of high tides that submerge the Italian lagoon city, which is also sinking. Studies show that the city is continuously sinking 1-2 mm every year. This problem is further compounded by over-tourism and cruise ship traffic. However, cruise ships have been banned from passing through St. Mark’s Basin, but still alarm bells are ringing.
Halfway across the world, the island nation of Fiji is facing a similar crisis of its own. Climate change is an exceptionally important issue for Fiji as it is an island. It is particularly vulnerable to coastal erosion, changing weather and rising sea levels. If these conditions advance to an extreme stage, Fijian communities will be displaced with nowhere to go.
Similar to the majority of countries Fiji’s temperature is rising as a result of climate change. But perhaps the most threatening issue faced by the island is that of rising water levels. According to government estimates, Fiji’s water levels are rising at a rate of 4.6mm per year. The effects have already been felt by the people as just recently in 2014, the village of Vunidogoloa because the first community that was forced to relocate in order to escape the coastal erosion, saltwater intrusion and flooding that resulted from sea level rise.
However this is not the only concern of the island nation. Fiji largely depends upon rainfall to secure fresh water and lacks the infrastructure to transport and store the water. This issue has only been compounded by the drought Fiji has been facing. However, there is still hope for Fiji. The government has been actively tracking the situation and has passed multiple legislations to improve the situation.
All is still not lost for us as we can take immediate actions to stop the disaster advancing in its tracks and still protect these islands for our future generations.
