How Are Rising Sea Levels Affecting Our Comunities?
opinionated Essay
1649 words
How are rising sea levels affecting our communities?
Rising sea levels are a reality that many people either don’t believe or don’t want to believe is happening. People want to protect their investments and homes, but some of them know that the sea will eventually claim their homes and livelihoods. Those people try to believe that nothing is happening but the harsh reality is that sea levels are rising and that they are predicted to rise up to a metre or more in the next one hundred years. Some areas are more vulnerable than others and some are already feeling the pressure of having the sea bearing down on them. I live in an area that will be seriously affected by rising sea levels, along with more of my family and friends. I strongly support ideas and implementations of projects that will help protect existing buildings and infrastructure, or concentrate on building a new and improved city for a future with higher sea levels.
Local perspective: South Dunedin
South Dunedin is one of the most low lying urban areas in the Dunedin area. It is also one of the most deprived areas, with a deprivation rating of 9 or 10. Much of South Dunedin is reclaimed land, and already has a high underground water table, but a sea level rise of up to one metre could either partially or entirely flood South Dunedin Permanently. This rise is projected to occur gradually over the next 100 years.This gives local governing bodies time to plan and implement solutions within the next 100 years.Dunedins geography is also unique, the city is built in the middle of an ancient volcano that has eroded down the middle over millions of years to form a peninsula and a shallow harbour.The harbour is surrounded by hills. South Dunedin is one of the only low lying ar...
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...tp://www.stuff.co.nz/environment/9884022/NZ-unprepared-for-climate-changes>.
Munro, Bruce. "Climate change: Sink or swim." Otago Daily Times [Dunedin] 5 Apr. 2014, Saturday ed., sec. Magazine: 47. Print.
Peat, Neville. Phone interview. 7 Apr. 2014.
Church, John, Phillip Woodworth, Thorkild Aarup, and Stanley Wilson. Understanding sea-level rise and variability. Chichester, West Sussex: Wiley-Blackwell, 2010. Print.
"Dunedin, Otago Harbour and Otago Peninsula _ aerial." Dunedin, Otago Harbour and Otago Peninsula _ aerial. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Apr. 2014. .
"Hawke's Bay Earthquake 1931 - Christchurch City Libraries." Hawke's Bay Earthquake 1931 - Christchurch City Libraries. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Apr. 2014. .
In this essay, the author
- Opines that rising sea levels are a reality that many people don't believe or don’t want to believe is happening. they support ideas and implementations of projects that will help protect existing buildings and infrastructure.
- Explains that the dunedin city council is revising its district plan to include these new threats to protect the city in the future.
- Opines that rising sea levels are a big problem that needs to be brought into the open and dealt with proactively.
- Explains that napier is one of the most at risk towns in new zealand. flooding would ruin an entire growing season and cost the community millions of dollars.
- Opines that an evacuation of napier would be necessary if the sea level rises a few metres.
- Explains that the netherlands is one of the most low lying countries in the world, built mainly on reclaimed land.
- Explains that the netherlands is the only country that is actively preparing for rising sea levels. their current defences are expected to withstand a rise of at least another metre or two.
- Explains the new zealand topographic map - nz topo map.
- Analyzes munro, bruce. "climate change: sink or swim." otago daily times, 5 apr.
- Explains that south dunedin is one of the most low lying urban areas in the city, with a deprivation rating of 9 or 10.
- Opines that the netherlands is ready for rising sea levels despite popular belief that it is going to be underwater in a few hundred years.
- Explains the importance of climate proofing the netherlands (and saving architecture) and the dunedin city council homepage.
- Narrates how dunedin, otago harbour and otaho peninsula _ aerial is based on the hawke's bay earthquake 1931.
Related
- analytical
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In this essay, the author
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1273 wordsRead More - Haida Gwaii: The Islands of the Peopleargumentative essayThe west coast of the islands is on the edge of a continental shelf created by ancient volcanic movement (Broadhead 5) .This volcanic activity is due to plate tectonic movement which also created the numerous amounts of earthquakes on the island. Compared to the rest of British Columbia, Haida Gwaii has the most earthquake activity (Broadhead 5), the last of which being in a magnitude of 7.7 on t...
In this essay, the author
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- Cites brown, robert's "on the physical geography of the queen charlotte islands."
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1429 wordsRead More - The Major Problems Of Climate Changeargumentative essayThe most affected by sea level rise are the coastal areas, therefore, for the coastlines and river nearby the coast, Gaffin (Gaffin, N.D. cited in Braw, 2013) suggests building the grey and green infrastructures to protect the coast areas. The grey infrastructure is building walls and barriers (Gaffin, N.D. cited in Braw, 2013). Leonardsen’s team point out green infrastructure contains green roofs and green streets. Their team will plant more trees in the streets and lower the level of the lakes. Also, they will lay underground pipes to the harbor. When the flooding is coming, the trees can capture water and discharge to the lakes and the harbor.
In this essay, the author
- Argues that climate change is caused by increasing car exhausts and factory emissions that lead to global greenhouse gas emission to rise sharply.
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- Explains that the most severe problem of climate change is sea level rise. gaffin suggests building grey and green infrastructures to protect the coast areas.
- Explains that extreme events are a major problem of climate change. disaster plan can help people out of danger.
- Explains that climate change is associated with unconscionable energy use. people can use alternative energy, such as nuclear power and renewable power.
- Concludes that climate change can lead to sea level rise, extreme events and unreasonable energy use. these impacts could be solved with infrastructures, disaster emergency plan, and renewable energy.
785 wordsRead More - Global Climate, Coastal Cities, and Urbanizationexplanatory essayEdward D. Murphy, “Architects design two-day event to explore issue of sea level rise: Their goal is to devise proposals for southern Maine and inform the public about vulnerable areas.” Maine Today, Local and state; pg. B1, 12 May 2011.
In this essay, the author
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- Explains that new york's land rises quickly away from the coast so the city can put all their concentration and effort towards protecting and preparing that area for future climate change.
- Opines that new technologies can reduce energy consumption while providing the same level of comfort and service. engineers and architects will have to revise their practices to take in account for the rise of the sea level.
- Opines that climate change is becoming one of the most important issues facing coastal communities. by taking action now, we can work towards preventing the destruction of cities and the economic downfall.
- Explains that global climate change affects temperature, precipitation patterns, oceanic and atmospheric circulation, rate of rising sea level, and occurrence and intensity of hurricanes.
- Explains that the portland society of architects is looking at the issues caused by the rise of sea levels by examining the likely effects in portland and south portland. charleston is another area that if no action is taken for the sea level rise, it could permanently flood.
- Cites david simon, william k. michener, elizabeth r. blood, keith l. bildstein, mark m. brinson, and leonard gardner.
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In this essay, the author
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- Explains that mt ruapehu is a composite volcano. it was formed by eruptions that erupt lava and volcanic rock that are very viscous.
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- Explains that mt ruapehu provides a unique landscape which has been created by this volcano.
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- Explains that mt ruapehu erupted in 1945, killing 151 people. the dam that was holding back the crater broke, causing a lahar, which caused the train to derail as the bridge was destroyed.
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In this essay, the author
- Explains that new zealand is a large island about the size of colorado that is situated southwest of australia, in the south pacific.
- Explains that new zealand was settled in the 1300’s by eastern polynesians. radio carbon dating, capricious mitochondrial dna and signs of deforestation all point towards this conclusion.
- Explains that tasman was the first european to reach new zealand in 1642. the first encounter with the maori resulted in a hostile confrontation.
- Explains that james busby was appointed as the official british resident in new zealand in 1832. he helped the maori chiefs sign the declaration of independence.
- Explains that new zealanders refer to themselves as 'kiwis', after the country's native bird. english is the predominant spoken language in the nation, with 95.9 % of the population using it.
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- Explains new zealand's constitution is comprised of treaties, statutes, and unwritten constitutional conventions. the treaty of waitangi is a founding instrument of government.
- Explains new zealand's mixed-member proportional representational system, which determines the proportions of the house. the second vote is measured through proportional representation.
- Opines that new zealand is considered a democracy and explores new forms of government and issues may result due to unexpected cause and effect.
- Cites ballara, a. (2009, march 18). the musket wars - wright and ballara.
- Explains that high-precision radiocarbon dating shows recent and rapid initial human colonization of east polynesia.
- Argues that new zealand's parliament is democratic due to two rules of the mixed-member pr system.
- Cites the oxford companion to the politics of the world by joel krieger.
- Explains how the new zealand oxford dictionary and te ara are used to estimate the founding population size in polynesia.
1918 wordsRead More - Integrated water systemexplanatory essay...’s most easily accessible active volcanoes (Méheux, et al, 2004). Port Resolution is one of the few white sand beaches in Vanuatu and this type of location is being exploited by foreign investors (2013, pers. comm., Morris). In addition, the Port Resolution Community Project is also a prototype project to establish whether similar projects can be implemented in other communities on Tanna and throughout Vanuatu to support the education of Vanuatu’s youth (2013, pers. comm., Morris). Hence, the concept behind the Port Resolution Community Project is to provide tourists with a traditional cultural experience while meeting their expectations of first-world facilities such as electricity and modern amenities. Therefore, it is vital for the project that the community remains in control of the management, the land and the generated income (2013, pers. comm., Morris).
In this essay, the author
- States that the university of south australia was approached by a paramount chief from the island of tanna to design and develop an ecotourism resort as part of the port resolution community project.
- Describes the port resolution community project as a joint project combining the civil engineering final year design project and honours projects.
- Explains that the port resolution community project combines research and design aspects. the first phase involves research into appropriate technologies and developments for an integrated stormwater and wastewater collection and management scheme.
- Explains that a range of issues and options will need to be researched to meet the project objectives.
- Describes the traditional practices for stormwater mitigation, potable water supply, and wastewater treatment in vanuatu and similar remote tropical communities.
- Asks what field test options are appropriate to determine the required design parameters considering the remote location and basic equipment that will be available.
- Describes the options for flood mitigation for small-scale developments in tropical conditions such as this project.
- Asks what alternatives exist for wastewater collection, treatment, and re-use that are appropriate for small-scale developments in tropical conditions.
- Asks whether alternative options are appropriate for traditional community practices while also being cost effective, low maintenance and meeting the needs of tourists.
- Explains that the feasibility study will involve the examination of a range of options for the water management system for development, and the selection of the most appropriate.
- Describes the benefits of wastewater reuse, improved village productivity, and positive impact on accommodation.
- Explains that after completion of the research and feasibility studies, a site visit will be undertaken in july 2013, followed by the detailed design of selected schemes.
- Explains that vanuatu is a 'least developed country' due to poverty, limited resources, and economic vulnerability. the port resolution community project was initiated to provide new visitor facilities in the form of an ecotourism resort.
- Explains that tourism is one of the most important sources of income for the island nation of vanuatu as it accounts for 40% of gdp.
- Explains that mount yasur is the most visited volcano in vanuatu as it is one of the world’s most easily accessible active volcanoes.
- Explains that tanna has many other attractions to offer, such as secluded coastal areas with coral reefs, highly vegetated, lush tropical flora and villages which are relatively unchanged by western influence.
- Explains that vanuatu and the local land owners have been exploited by foreign investors as land has been leased or brought from communities for short-term benefits.
- Explains that vanuatu became an independent republic in 1980, so foreigners are legally unable to own land. traditional land owners are meant to receive rent from investors, but the rest is long overdue.
- Explains that the university of south australia has accepted a social obligation to support educational opportunities for children in developing countries through the port resolution community project.
- Explains that vanuatu is an archipelago located in the south pacific and is made up of 83 islands.
- Illustrates a map of tanna with an insert of the port resolution area and the site location.
- Explains that port resolution has a limited number of facilities within the community.
- Explains that the community provides pre-school and primary school for the children, but the youth are required to attend secondary school in other villages in tanna or other islands.
- Describes the laniuia suef beach restaurant located on the proposed site of the port resolution community project.
- Explains that port resolution is named after captain cook's vessel, hms resolution. cook observed the golden plume of ash from mount yasur and was intrigued by the source.
- States that the university of south australia was approached by jacob kapere, a paramount chief of the island of tanna, to develop and design an ecotourism resort for the community of port resolution.
- Explains that the chiefs on tanna have given their full support for the project. the concept behind the port resolution community project is to provide tourists with a traditional cultural experience while meeting their expectations of first-world facilities.
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- Explains that time and money are huge factors that visitors consider when deciding to travel to rotorua.
- Opines that the lack of an international airport would hold international travellers back. they would have to go out of their way just to come to rotorua when they could go to auckland, wellington, christchurch or queenstown.
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1635 wordsRead More - Role Of Tourism In New Zealandexplanatory essayNew Zealand is an island nation in the southwest of the Pacific Ocean. In North Island, there are many volcanoes, hot Springs; while in South Island, glaciers and lakes are everywhere. (New Zealand- Ultimate Journeys.2009) Although New Zealand is a country with a short history and few cultural monuments, it has no effect on its magnificent natural beauty. Besides its landscape, tourists are also attracted by its unique culture, architecture and different resorts. Usually, a well-running tourism serves as a bridge which spreads its local cultures, and improves transportation as well as develops domestic economy and expands recruitment vacancies.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that new zealand is an island nation in the southwest of the pacific ocean. it has no effect on its magnificent natural beauty.
- Explains that tourism is a great media to advocate the culture of the country. maori are aborigines in new zealand and they came from polynesia thousands of years ago.
- Explains that transport and tourism promote each other to develop better in new zealand. the key to be satisfied is travelling convenience, comfort, fun, experience, culture and characterization.
- Explains that tourism has an impact on the entire country. it affects various aspects of economic development, involving their own travel income, local income and local employment.
- Explains that tourism provides a large employment opportunity to the native people in new zealand.
- Explains that tourism has become one of the most important industries and an important source of income in new zealand as the rapid growth of international tourists in recent years.
- Cites cloke, paul, and harvey c. perkins. "commodification and adventure in new zealand tourism."
1016 wordsRead More