Atlantis

Male, capital of the Maldives

It's no secret that the world is warming. The real debate lies in if this is another one of earth's climate cycles, increased solar activity, or the result of human activity. Let's just say, if climate change were solely a human created phenomena ad Al Gore wanted us to believe, we would all be living in a 130 degree world, gagging on smog and battered by constant wildfires and hurricanes. Don't get me wrong, the current warming trend is alarming. For instance, the island nation Maldives, located in the Indian Ocean, has much to worry about. This mountain chain island has the lowest natural high point of any country at only 2.4m (7ft 10in). During the 2004 Tsunami, only 9 of its islands escaped flooding, while fourteen had to be totally evacuated, and six were destroyed. This may sound bad, but it could have been much worse; the coral reefs surrounding the islands absorbed much of the energy from the waves. These are the same reefs now seeing widespread bleaching from increased ocean acidity due to absorption of atmospheric CO2. Besides natural disasters, the Maldivian government is acknowledging a scary reality. The president Mohammed Nasheed, has set up a special fund from tourism revenue to buy land for his people in either Australia, India, or Sir Lanka, in the event that rising water will force his nation of 350,000 to evacuate their homes. This scary reality brings many questions to the forefront on the topic of climate change and its effect on human populations. One such question is how will the world cope with mass migration of populations near rising oceans? 350,000 people is one thing, but what of millions, like in the area of New Orleans and lower Louisiana? The world's resources are already strained as is. Where would these people go and if they do find somewhere, do we have enough basic resources like food to support them? The grim reality is that it may be to late for the Maldives, however with the world's oceans rising, government's around the globe should begin to focus their energy platforms on green, sustainable energy to minimize the effect of human populations on the volatile changes in the earth's climate.

This Sept. 16, 2012, image released by NASA shows the amount of summer sea ice in the Arctic, at center in white, and the 1979 to 2000 average extent for the day shown, with the yellow line. Scientists say sea ice in the Arctic shrank to an all-time low of 1.32 million square miles on Sept. 16, smashing old records for the critical climate indicator.

Another Disaster

On August 29, 2005 the behemoth category 5 Katrina pounded the grand city of New Orleans, Louisiana. Growing from just a category 1 storm after passing of Florida in the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico, it nearly blocked out the view of the Gulf from satellite imagery. New Orleans, simply did not stand a chance. In total over 1,836 people were killed in Louisiana and Mississippi. 80% of New Orleans was under water, some parts under 20ft. In the aftermath, the government was faced with an over $100 billion reconstruction project and hundred of thousands were left homeless. Now that Hurricane Issac has just passed over New Orleans, the people have many questions. Why did the government re-constuct the leeve system around the main city, where the historic and economic center is, but neglect to fortify the outskirts where the majority of the population resides? To them it seems like a job only halfway finished as they now evacuate their flooded houses 7 years after seeing them utterly destroyed. Hopefully, Issac will teach the officials their final lesson in storm protection for a metro population over a million in a city that sits under sea level.

Fertilizing Pollution?

Anyone lucky enough to enter the grounds of the famed Augusta National Golf Club knows what I mean when I say it is like the modern day Garden of Eden. Every spring when the golfing world turns its attention to the Masters tournament, it seems like mother nature opens her arms in greeting. The azaleas are in full bloom, the grass manicured and the purest of green, and the air a perfect temperature. However, this meticulous landscaping must have some side effect to nature itself. Little is known about the grounds keeping operation here. Trust me I know. The secrets behind that green grass might as well be a national treasure as far as they are concerned. However, one can expect that a fair amount of chemical fertilizer is used to keep the property pristine. We all know that when chemicals get involved, there are negative side effects. With Rae's creek running through the famed "Amens Corner" and depositing itself into the near Lake Olmstead. which is known to be polluted, the question arises, "Is Augusta National fertilizing pollution in Lake Olmstead?" Just some fish food for thought....