![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
airiefairie.livejournal.com posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
talkpolitics[Error: unknown template video]
[Error: unknown template video]
Things are looking desperate for Kiribati, the tiny island nation in the Pacific. The government is negotiating with Fiji to purchase lands on an island and gradually move their population there, before the rising tides have completely swept away their country because of climate change.
Kiribati has about a hundred thousand people and that may not sound like a big deal, but given the size of those countries (Fiji has 0.8 million people) this looks like a massive exodus indeed. For years the atolls of Kiribati are experiencing rising waters, now a large part of their settlements suffering from periodic floods. Some of the 32 islands of the archipelago are already effectively gone.
If the negotiations are successful, this could be the first climate migration in modern times. Of course, migrations have occurred often in the past between the Pacific islands. But this is something unprecedented in size and consequences, especially in modern history.
The flooding of the islands is not the only problem, though. The saltifying process has brought an enormous problem with fresh water shortages, too. The other problem is that Kiribati does not really have a strong economy, most of its income comes from fish export and some tourism, and they would be in enormous debt if they are to purchase land in another country. But they might have run out of options at this point.
The president Tong is doing his best to persuade Fiji to sell them land on the island Vanua Levu (the 2nd largest in Fiji) where the exiled nation could be hosted. He is smart enough to not opt for advising his people to save themselves separately as they deem appropriate and disperse his nation, but instead he has adopted a national strategy. He says he does not want the Kiribati people to be mere refugees in a foreign country, where they would be seen as second-class people, and potentially suffer from abuse and exploitation. He wants to grant them a decent life. So he has started a qualification program that would raise their skills and make them a valuable asset to their new hosting society, a skilled labour force that could contribute to the Fijian economy instead of hanging on its neck like a burden.
There have been other ideas for salvation in the past, like building artificial islands... but the global financial crisis has made it impossible because that would be too expensive. Now the only option left is to find a new place to move to, before the tides have swallowed their country.
And that is not the only country finding itself in such trouble due to climate change. The Maldives have had this issue for many years, and the 2004 tsunami served as a red light.
Things are looking desperate for Kiribati, the tiny island nation in the Pacific. The government is negotiating with Fiji to purchase lands on an island and gradually move their population there, before the rising tides have completely swept away their country because of climate change.
Kiribati has about a hundred thousand people and that may not sound like a big deal, but given the size of those countries (Fiji has 0.8 million people) this looks like a massive exodus indeed. For years the atolls of Kiribati are experiencing rising waters, now a large part of their settlements suffering from periodic floods. Some of the 32 islands of the archipelago are already effectively gone.
If the negotiations are successful, this could be the first climate migration in modern times. Of course, migrations have occurred often in the past between the Pacific islands. But this is something unprecedented in size and consequences, especially in modern history.
The flooding of the islands is not the only problem, though. The saltifying process has brought an enormous problem with fresh water shortages, too. The other problem is that Kiribati does not really have a strong economy, most of its income comes from fish export and some tourism, and they would be in enormous debt if they are to purchase land in another country. But they might have run out of options at this point.
The president Tong is doing his best to persuade Fiji to sell them land on the island Vanua Levu (the 2nd largest in Fiji) where the exiled nation could be hosted. He is smart enough to not opt for advising his people to save themselves separately as they deem appropriate and disperse his nation, but instead he has adopted a national strategy. He says he does not want the Kiribati people to be mere refugees in a foreign country, where they would be seen as second-class people, and potentially suffer from abuse and exploitation. He wants to grant them a decent life. So he has started a qualification program that would raise their skills and make them a valuable asset to their new hosting society, a skilled labour force that could contribute to the Fijian economy instead of hanging on its neck like a burden.
There have been other ideas for salvation in the past, like building artificial islands... but the global financial crisis has made it impossible because that would be too expensive. Now the only option left is to find a new place to move to, before the tides have swallowed their country.
And that is not the only country finding itself in such trouble due to climate change. The Maldives have had this issue for many years, and the 2004 tsunami served as a red light.
(no subject)
Date: 12/3/12 06:52 (UTC)It is not only a common use, it is the primary accepted usage.
To wit, the Oxford American English dictionary, definition #1,
"existing in or caused by nature; not made or caused by humankind:"
So, as far as anyone can say that a certain word accurately has a certain meaning, the usage of "Natural" as an opposite to Man-Made, is accurate.
Dictionary definition aside, it is enough for some that they can derive the intended meaning from context, and respond in good faith to the intent.
> its probably leftover from a time when we saw humans as separate from nature.
No, its left over from NOW, when we need a good word to differentiate between those objects and phenomenon that arise spontaneously, as oppose to those that arise from human intervention. The need for this distinction comes up over and over again, in geology, archaeology, Law, politics, what have you.
(no subject)
Date: 12/3/12 07:09 (UTC)now is left over from the past.
'man made' is a pretty useful distinction.
(no subject)
Date: 12/3/12 07:24 (UTC)Of course it is, because this is how it is used in many Scientific contexts. Geologists talk about "Natural Gas" for instance, in opposition to things like "Town Gas", which is very similar, but made by human intervention. We speak of "Natural selection", as opposed to "Artificial Selection". What do you think is meant by the term "Natural History", as opposed to, say, just "History"?
The word has other scientific and specialized usages... such as a "Natural logarithm", which have nothing to do with the man-made versus spontaneous dichotomy.
You'll have to get used to words having multiple meanings, ALL of which might be correct in different contexts. In this case, the usage of the word is common, accepted, and obvious, so why do you quibble?
(no subject)
Date: 12/3/12 14:43 (UTC)the usage may be common, but it is still scientifically incorrect, as human influence is part of nature.
(no subject)
Date: 12/3/12 16:02 (UTC)So, you live in a world where 99% of English speaking people use a word to have a certain meaning, where this meaning is accepted in common use and common reference materials, as well as used in a consistent way in specialized publications and science specific reference works, and pier reviewed journals; but YOU say it is "inaccurate" because you have a folk etymological theory about how the word came to be used, and for some reason, this history somehow invalidates the current usage.
I don't think you know what "incorrect" means.
(no subject)
Date: 13/3/12 01:36 (UTC)