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Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Wong the denier


From Australia's Climate Change Minister, Penny Wong's speech to the National Press Club last week.
And looking beyond our shores, by mid century, rising sea levels will directly affect and potentially displace over a million people in Bangladesh, the Mekong delta in Vietnam and a little further afield in the Nile delta, to say nothing of the impact on our neighbours in the Pacific.

Despite these clear facts, delivering a serious and credible response remains a political challenge.
Sorry Pen, but it appears getting your facts clear is the first challenge. Scientists from the UN University’s Institute for Environment and Human Security say there will be 25- 50 million climate refugees by 2010. They even have a helpful map. Since there have been few, if any, climate refugees so far, it means the world can expect 1.5 to 3 million climate refugees per week, over the next four months.

Try and get with the program, Pen.

5 comments:

kae said...

Better build more detention islands, huh, Margos?

WV: ousnon
French question about nous, in Wong's case the answer is ousnon.

kae said...

ousnon

Or is it French pig-latin?

bruce said...

Do they imagine that the people of Bangladesh are just sitting like dummies waiting to be flooded? Idiots. First, Bangla men have long ventured into dangerous coastal regions for lucrative fishing, setting up seasonal camps. They know it's a huge risk from Cyclones and Tsunamis but see risk taking for wealth as their family duty. Next, millions of Bangalis are already on the move! Have been for decades! Huge social problems from them pouring across the Indian border to the north. This has been going on since BD was "East Pakistan", but nothing, note even genocide, stops them. They head for India to escape poverty.

Bangladesh was only settled in great part during the British Raj, and was always like the 'Wild West' of the region. 'Sunar Bangla', 'Land of Gold' a place to get rich quick. The coastal delta was thick jungle ('Sundarban') and only recently settled when it became possible.

Sure they may need help, but they will adapt.

bruce said...

Did anyone in the Press Club ask why she thinks flooding of the Nile delta is a new problem?

I mean what the?

Boy on a bike said...

What about the annual flooding of the Amazon region? The locals there seem to have adapted pretty well to walking half the year and boating the other half.