Comforting to hear all the climate change anxieties at the UN organized global gathering in Scotland recently.
On the other hand it’s not hard to be sceptical of the rich countries coughing up 100 billion dollars needed to minimise the devastation. They are after all to blame for global warming
Samoa is one of the many innocent victims of this predicted catastrophe. If it does happen, a slice of this climate resilient funding will save a lot of lives and property.
If you’re still not sure what damages global warming does for us island countries, picture the Vaisigano River flowing quietly out to the Apia Harbour.
A jump in temperatures will push up the sea level higher to the point where instead of the Vaisigano River flowing out to sea it is the sea that will flow down into the river.
Wherever these watery forces clash head to head the water buildup will have to find a place to go. Gravity will dictate the flow and that means from a higher to a lower level.
If that happens to be the surrounding areas along the Vaisigano river banks it will do so.
When that happens, heavily populated residential areas like Matautu, Vaiala, Fa’atoia, Leone and further out could easily turn into a swamp or worse.
We’ve already seen the effects of that with the Fugalei mangroves. At high tide the sea level rises and pushed into several small rivers flowing out along the area turning the coastline into a swamp.
Good for the fish and other sea life to breed but not for us two legged mammals.
Of course it could become even worse. But let’s not frightened ourselves too much.
“….,maybe you should build us an ark, dear”