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Introduction
Introduction
Sea level rise is represented by an increase in the world's ocean levels due to the effects of global warming. Sea level rise results from a trickle-down effect starting with exceeded carbon dioxide emissions from the burning of fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and natural gasses. Carbon dioxide trapped in Earth’s atmosphere results in ocean temperatures rising. As temperature rises in the ocean, more of the Earth’s ice sheets and glaciers have melted and caused sea levels to rise to a higher level than they once previously were.
Since 1993, sea levels have risen at a rate of 3.4 millimeters per year. This is typically caused by the burning of fossil fuels which release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. The air and oceans then absorb that heat and melt the polar ice caps adding to the amount of water everywhere. With this happening, we see an increase in higher storm surges, flooding, and damage to infrastructure such as buildings, and waterside roadways. We can also expect to see the loss of ecosystems like wetlands and mangroves which are important habitats for many species of plants and animals.
One of the major impacts of sea level rise is the inequity it creates. The areas and groups focused on in this report will be, the Isle de Jean Charles, the Inuits living in the northern part of Canada, Greenland, and Siberia, the Kanaka Maoli living in Hawaii, and the Maldives of the South Asian Islands. All four of these areas share a common characteristic: they have all experienced inequity as a result of sea level rise stemming from other humans. Many victims of sea level rise are being displaced through no fault of their own. These less fortunate victims don’t have the resources nor the funds to pay for the damages caused, and on top of it, the land itself is rapidly becoming part of the ocean floor. Their governments are trying to help, but finding these people's homes and bringing them resources can be difficult. Unfortunately, it doesn’t change the fact that we are currently losing the culture of these coastal communities. The heritage that has stemmed from these communities for years is taking a huge turn as we lose much of the land that these people call home.
Isle de Jean Charles
Isle de Jean Charles
Isle de Jean Charles is a narrow island located in the bayous of South Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana. It was founded by a man named Jean Marie Naquin in the 1830s. It is home to the Isle de Jean Charles Band of Biloxi-Chitimacha-Choctaw Tribe. The tribe went here to escape the Indian Removal Act and the Trail of Tears. In the 1830s, there were over 300 families that called Isle de Jean Charles their home. As of the U.S. census in 2020, only 16 families and 77 total residents live on the island due to the continuous flooding caused by sea level rise and it is strongly impacting the people who live on the island. Louisiana is one of the states in the U.S. most affected by sea level rise. Louisiana loose around 2,000 square miles of land which is a football field length every 45 minutes.
There are numerous things that have resulted in Isle de Jean Charles losing over 98% of its land including, more frequent storms, also a symptom of climate change. Isle de Jean Charles has been directly hit by multiple hurricanes including Katrina in 2005 which dropped 5-10 inches of rain and was a category 5 hurricane. Gustav in 2008, dropped over 20 inches of rain. In August of 2021, hurricane Ida hit Isle de Jean Charles as a category 4 hurricane. All of these hurricanes have damaged homes, destroyed property, and made the island uninhabitable for days. Stronger weather conditions and the loss of land poses a serious risk to health, particularly for elderly people and those with pre-existing health conditions.
"This work" by Karen Apricot is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
Change in the South. Sailors for the Sea. Used under fair use.
Additionally, with the sinking of the land or subsidence, is another major factor contributing to the loss of land on Isle de Jean Charles. The island is situated on the Mississippi River Delta, which is known for its sinking due to sediment compacting and the weight of new sediment deposited above it. The sinking of the land has been accelerated by human activities such as oil and gas exploration, dredging, and channelizing of the river, which have further destabilized the land. The construction of levees along the Mississippi River has prevented the regular flooding that would naturally deposit fresh sediment on the island, as well as remove the salt that contributes to land degradation. The lack of fresh sediment has further contributed to the subsidence of the island.
The residents of Isle de Jean Charles have been fighting to keep their homes, culture, and heritage intact. They have been working with government officials, non-profit organizations, and scientists to find a solution to their predicament. In 2016, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development awarded the tribe $48 million to relocate and resettle the community to a safer location. However, relocation has been met with mixed emotions by the community. The island and its surroundings hold a significant cultural and spiritual connection to the tribe. The tribe worries that the relocation would take them away from their ancestral land, traditions, and way of life. The tribe must weigh these concerns against the very real threat that the island could be completely submerged in the next decade.
The people who live on Isle de Jean Charles are particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, as they are low-income and living in an isolated environment with limited access to services and resources. Having low income amplifies the challenges that the residents face as they have limited financial resources to manage with the effects of climate change and to adapt to alternative ways of living. Many of the residents of Isle de Jean Charles are dependent on fishing, hunting, and other traditional practices, which is increasingly difficult due to the loss of natural resources. These socio-economic factors make them even more vulnerable to climate-related damage. The residents also have to rely on fishing and hunting for their food. They also purchase groceries from nearby towns and cities, which are accessed by boat.
In conclusion, the situation on Isle de Jean Charles highlights the importance of recognizing the impact of climate change on vulnerable populations, and the loss of cultural heritage and way of life that the tribe faces is an equal tragedy to the physical loss of their home. The situation of Isle de Jean Charles is a reminder of the need to take immediate and meaningful action to address climate change and protect vulnerable communities worldwide.
RESETTLEMENT PLAN. Isle de Jean Charles Resettlement Program. Used under fair use.
Inuits: Northern Canada, Siberia, and Greenland
Inuits: Northern Canada, Siberia, and Greenland
The Inuit people are a group of Indigenous communities that live in the arctic regions of North America, Greenland, and Siberia along with a few other places around the globe. The Inuit people live off the land and because of this heavily rely on the environment and its natural resources in order to survive in the arctic environment. Because climate change so greatly affects the environment and the natural resources they rely on like food and shelter they have been negatively impacted by climate change unequally compared to the rest of the world. This is primarily caused by the melting sea ice in the Arctic region which causes a chain reaction of problems for the Inuit people. This can be traced back to the warming of the earth's climate, particularly in the arctic regions, and the changing weather patterns that make stronger storms more frequent and dangerous than ever before.
Inuit tribes are hit particularly hard by the changing climate due to the melting of the polar ice caps and ice sheets in the arctic circle. The ice is one of the most vital parts of the Inuit tribe's life and ability for them to survive. Everything from their shelter, their food sources and water is reliant on the ice. Since Inuit people live near the poles of the Earth, global warming is happening twice as fast as it is for most of the civilizations living in the warmer parts of the Earth. The poles are warming at an alarming rate and are causing ice to melt causing many species like seals, polar bears, walruses, and some species of marine birds to die. Because of this the animals that many of the Inuits hunt for food and survival are becoming harder to come by. This is threatening the Inuit's way of life because they rely on living off the land to survive, unlike most human beings on Earth. If the tribes were to lose this precious resource of wild hunted foods living on the polar ice they would have to move closer to civilization where food is more plentiful. However, Inuit peoples would not have the resources to move anywhere more civilized and might not be able to survive the changing climate without government support. (Smith 2007)
Another great impact that climate change has on the Inuit tribes living on the globe is the changing weather patterns. The Arctic in particular is experiencing more extreme weather events such as storms and floods which cause significant damage to houses and important forms of infrastructure necessary for survival. Also, the increase in weather events causes more erosion of shorelines and has even caused the important permafrost layer to thaw which creates another whole host of problems for the Inuit tribes. One of these problems is related to the carbon dioxide and methane gasses trapped in the permafrost that has been frozen in the ground for millions of years. When that layer melts the gasses are released into the atmosphere and add to the greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere which makes the problem of global warming even worse due to the greenhouse gas effect. (Mercer 2018)
Image from Unsplash
The impact of climate change on the Inuit people is not limited to their environment but it is also affecting their health and wellness. The impact on their food sources has made it difficult for Inuit people to collect the same nutritional resources in order to maintain their traditional diet. An example of this is seals and caribou which are rich in important nutrients like essential fatty acids and protein which is important for their survival in the cold temperature they experience. This is mainly caused by the melting sea ice which has been reducing the populations of seals and other marine birds which make it more difficult for them to come by when Inuit people are hunting. If an Inuit tribe loses their main food source they will have a very difficult time surviving especially because arctic regions often only have a few sources of food with almost no plant life to survive off of. In addition, the only other option is buying groceries which is very expensive and most Inuits cannot afford to have food supplies shipped to them since they live so far away from civilization. That makes them heavily reliant on animal sources of food like caribou, seals, and marine birds and climate change is causing a reduction in all of these animal populations primarily because of habitat loss.
In addition to the impacts on Inuit food security, the melting of the permafrost layer and the polar ice caps has greatly affected the transportation systems put in place and used by the local tribes. Their traditional forms of transporting people and goods around their regions are dog sleds and snowmobiles. These modes of transportation require frozen land with snow on it between rivers and lakes. This freezing of large bodies of water between people and resources is becoming less reliable and makes crossing more dangerous and unreliable. Therefore Inuit tribes can no longer reliably use their traditional forms of transportation which makes them even more vulnerable and more difficult to survive in the Arctic regions. (Baraniuk 2021)
In conclusion, the Inuit people are a group of Indigenous communities that live in the arctic regions of North America, Greenland, and Siberia along with a few other places around the globe. Inuit people are some of the most vulnerable people on Earth to the effects of climate change and are unequally affected by it because of their location and socio-economic status. They are already experiencing severe impacts on their natural way of life and it is only forecasted to get worse. From the melting sea ice and permafrost to the reduction in natural resources like food and shelter the Inuit people are losing their habitat to climate change.
Kanaka Maoli : Hawaii
Kanaka Maoli : Hawaii
Image by WikiImages from Pixabay
Hawaii is one of the 50 states belonging to the United States, and it is the only island state. The state is far from the mainland and as a result, is home to natives whose ancestors called the same place as they did home. The Kanaka Maoli are all indigenous people belonging to Hawaii. Many native Hawaiians have left for better opportunities, but others have also stayed to the present day. Those who live there currently rely often on the natural resources of the beautiful land. In the past, there have not really been many impacts to these natural resources that cause threats for Kanaka Maoli. However, thanks to sea level rise, the Kanaka Maoli are now forced to face threats to their coastal resources. Threats that were the effect of other humans outside of their island.
The consequences of sea level rise create a sense of inequality in Hawaii, as the people responsible for sea level rise don’t experience the negative impacts that come from it like those in Hawaii. Not only do these people rely more on the ocean’s natural resources than people burning fossil fuels, but at the same time the Kanaka Maoli do not have the same financial resources to combat the effects of burning fossil fuels on their most precious resources. Resultantly, inequality strikes as a big problem for native Hawaiian people who desperately need the ocean with not much of a backup plan to survive. The Kanaka Maoli use the ocean in different ways to benefit themselves. One of these ways is through a brackish water habitat. These habitats are described as areas along the coast where fresh groundwater and salty sea waters combine to form one habitat of mixed water along the shore (Colbert, 2018).
"Brak Water" by Kennisland is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
In other words, the habitat is sort of like a stream that is mixed in with fresh water and salt at a sustainable ratio for life to be present. Native Hawaiians have relied on the brackish for easy resources of food in the water like fish. They have done so for years because as mentioned, Natives can be financially challenged often, and with that comes less opportunity for transportation when hunting and gathering. The brackish has always been there for them and always has life flowing through it.
When sea level rise is brought into the equation, that could all be changing for the native Hawaiians. More saltwater will invade into the brackish than ever before as levels continue to rise, which could lead to problems down the road. Over time, life that doesn’t thrive in saltier water will be forced to migrate more inland to fresher water sources that are further away from native Hawaiians on the coast. Resultantly, the amount of nutritional value that the Brackish provides will continue to decline. For so long the survival of native Hawaiians has been closely related to the overall health of these brackish systems along the coastline that are continuing to decline. (Colbert, 2018).
Native Hawaiians are not yet at the point of no return. However, as mentioned they lack the financial resources necessary to rely on other sources of land for their food and health. They have the option to go more inland to fish freshwater ponds, but the brackish provides them with a much bigger supply to feed their entire demand, while always being more cost-efficient. Not to mention, strategies and ways to successfully catch prey in the brackish systems are something that has been taught through generations of family members that are all native to Hawaii. The brackish system is bigger than just a food source as it is a symbol of their heritage. They get to feel that special connection of knowing that those just like them, who came before them, relied on the exact same resource that they are today and have adapted throughout the years and learned the best ways to use that resource to their advantage. Losing the brackish’s ability to provide food and life would be tragic for native Hawaiians. (Colbert, 2018).
Maldives: South Asian Islands
Maldives: South Asian Islands
The Maldives are going underwater and it might be too late to save them. The Maldives are no random group of islands. They are a destination spot for many people looking for a get away, and very popular among honeymooners. With white sand coasts, azure blue waters, and beautiful waterside villas. It is easy to think that the Maldives are doing quite well, and could find the funds for a solution to this problem.
"Centara Grand Beach Resort, Maldives" by Simon_sees is licensed under CC BY 2.0
OCHA, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The archipelago, located just off the south coast of India, holds an entire nation of 522,000 people and sits on just 115 mi^2 of the island. The effects of climate change have been melting the polar ice caps for years, and the consequences of that are being felt nearly 10,000 km away in nations like the Maldives who can’t afford to lose any more land nor pay for the damages. The Maldivian people’s heritage is being swallowed by the ocean along with their homes and livelihoods; and the worst part is that they aren’t even the ones to blame. As the major players in the world's economy advance, these communities are hardly considered in decisions which directly affect their futures.
The U.S., China and India are the biggest polluters on the planet. Combined they account for nearly 50% of the world's CO2 emissions. It is a little disturbing that all of that consumption could lead to the demise of a coastal community or nation. The inequity these four groups are facing are prime examples of how the carelessness of the more fortunate is costing these people their homes.
"Top Annual CO2 Emitting countries, 2019" From Union of Concerned Scientists; Used under fair use
While being known for its vibrant culture, pristine beaches, sprawling greenery, and fascinating landmarks, the sea level rise is posing quite a big issue. For both the tourism as well as the fishing, it has been quite detrimental to their economy and like many other coastal nations, those are their two biggest sources of revenue. Fishermen are having to go farther and farther out for fish to the point for some it might not be worth it. The fear of this is causing a bit of unrest in the economy as the industry is so heavily relied upon. But that’s not even the biggest problem for many of the natives.
One of the biggest concerns is that, “We may lose who we are even before we lose where we are.” Some Maldivian people believe that they are being ushered out too soon. That there is time to change the future, but the “help” isn’t necessarily willing to put money into retaining what is left of the Maldives. Saeehd once said, “For us, the water isn’t separate from the land; the ‘land’ is the water and the island as a whole, because that’s where we live.” “In other words, when the ocean makes up more than 99 percent of your country, you’d better love it.” The thought of leaving anger a lot of the nation's people, and poses the question, “What will be saved and what will be lost” (McConnell, 2022)?
"Downtown Scene with Highrises - Sydney - Australia - 01" by Adam Jones is licensed under CC BY 2.0
The main solution that has been presented is simply to move the Maldivians to high rises in Australia. To leave behind their lives in the Maldives and start fresh. This brings up the problem of: their life is determined by fishing and tourism, life revolving around the ocean’s production and attractiveness, it is all they know. They have lived that way for centuries and don’t have the skill set to succeed in a more industrialized society. They complain that the government is making them lose a part of themselves and that living on a high-rise is no place for an island dweller. They’d rather just stay in the Maldives and keep on living the life they chose or were born into. Especially those from places like Felidhoo.
At last fall's United Nations climate conference in Scotland, President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih told world leaders, “The difference between 1.5 degrees and 2 degrees (Celsius) is a death sentence for the Maldives” (McConnell, 2022). The UN has been trying to help the Maldives for some time, but as I mentioned before, the people, natives especially, are stubborn about leaving. There aren’t enough initiatives around the world to slow down the carbon emissions which contribute to greenhouse gasses. The melting of the polar ice caps is occurring too rapidly to put a stop to saving the Maldives and similar countries, “because when your capital— Malé— stands just 3.5 feet above sea level, there really isn’t much hope left” (McConnell, 2022).
Photo by Ishan @seefromthesky on Unsplash
Though the Maldives aren’t being ignored, it is quite obvious that the nation’s people aren’t liking how things are being handled. The country is too poor to handle this on their own, “The impact of coastal flooding on communities hinges not only on the cost, but on the ability of households to pay for the damages” (Velterop, E., Uzkent, B., & Suckale, J., 2022), and with limited revenue coming in already, it is not looking bright for their future. Whether it is that they have not accepted that there is not enough time left, or that they plan on going down with it, many locals refuse to leave the place that shaped them.
Unfortunately, sea level rise isn’t stopping for anyone, and hopefully, the people of this nation get that message before it is too late.
Conclusion
Conclusion
The Isle de Jean Charles, the Inuits living in the northern part of Canada, Greenland, and Siberia, the Kanaka Maoli living in Hawaii, and the Maldives of the South Asian Islands are the examples we discussed that were impacted by the inequity of sea level rise, they certainly aren’t the only areas. These communities and nations only make up a small percentage of people affected by the damage of climate change and sea level rise. If we continue to not help out these communities enough, the consequences will continue to worsen. It would be a completely different story if these groups of people were the ones responsible for sea level rise destroying their own land, but that is not the case. The results that stem from sea level rise are at no fault of their own, as the causes and effects of sea level rise are completely out of their own control. As the rich continue to profit off of excess burning of fossil fuels, they fail to realize the inequality they create as it does not affect them. If burning fossil fuels took land and resources away from the rich and they had no way to recover, they would do something about it to prevent themselves from losing so much. Yet they choose to zone out the less fortunate and leave them suffering from these devastating impacts when roles are reversed.
Authors:
Authors:
Bryce Lightbown. Major: Marketing
Grady Chretien. Major: Marketing
Justin Schneider. Major: Finance
Rowan Conquest. Major: Political Science
References:
References:
"This work" by Syed Qaarif Andrabi is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
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