An Underwater Sculpture in the Maldives Is the Perfect Monument to Climate Change
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
To commemorate that relationship and remind visitors of what could be lost to the rising seas, artist Jason deCaires Taylor has created a living sculpture garden in the waters of the largest developed coral lagoon in the country.
From the shore, it looks like an alien cube shimmering amidst the azure water. But swim out to it by following the underwater coral pathway that extends from the beach to the punctured metal installation dubbed the Sculpture Coralarium, and it will reveal its secrets.
Within airy confines meant to mimic the shapes found in coral gardens, sculptures rise from the depths on pedestals. Some look fully human, while others merge the human form with coral and local flora to illustrate the ways in which Maldivians—all of us, really—depend on the natural world to sustain us.
Water passes through the laser cut metal, allowing the gallery to inhale and exhale with the tide. The deepest underwater sculptures are children, peering back up at viewers from blue abyss.
It’s a stark reminder that we’re really screwing this planet up and places like the Maldives are ground zero. A recent study estimates that numerous atolls—low-lying islands composed of fused coral, which includes many of the Maldives’ islands—could be rendered uninhabitable by midcentury as invading seawater pollutes their freshwater resources and eventually swallows them.
While the Sculpture Coralarium is a good reminder of what’s at stake, its location is also a little rich. Literally. The installation is situated at the Fairmont, which bills itself as “a 120 luxury all-villa resort” and boasts a 656-foot long swimming pool that cuts through the whole island (and is the jumping off point to get the installation). Based on a search for early next month, the cheapest room goes for $563, and that doesn’t include $1,000 per person roundtrip seaplane transfers from Male, the capital city.
The only people who are likely to be able to visit Sculpture Coralarium are those who are at once most responsible for climate change and most insulated from its impacts. Which might make it the perfect monument to climate change.
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Excellent article. Rising seas are playing havoc with all of the worlds island nations.
Good link showing many of these nations and the their battle against rising seas.
The islands are beautiful... but a long way from Iowa...
This graph illustrates the change in global surface temperature relative to 1951-1980 average temperatures. Seventeen of the 18 warmest years in the 136-year record all have occurred since 2001, with the exception of 1998. The year 2016 ranks as the warmest on record. (Source: NASA/GISS ). This research is broadly consistent with similar constructions prepared by the Climatic Research Unit and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration .
The time series below shows the five-year average variation of global surface temperatures. Dark blue indicates areas cooler than average. Dark red indicates areas warmer than average.
What happens when you heat water? It expands, which means the oceans RISE, and ice MELTS.
It's sad that even that basic science is lost on the vast majority of the right wing.
Let's argue... while the world burns.
It sounds like this is an easily solvable problem...what should we do to get started?
Well, in your case, stop pretending you care and the problem doesn't exist and supporting the industries that are determined to make it worse: coal companies, the oil and gas cartels. But good news for you and the people like you who have managed to stall efforts long enough now that we're probably already past the point where we could have made a difference. But, also good news for you, it will be your grand children who pay the price for your carelessness--not you.
Quit making it about me and try to answer the question. Many left wingers talk and scold all day about the coming catastrophe of climate change, but have no "practical" fixes, other than broadcasting how wonderful and caring they are for doing a little bit of recycling. Wind and solar will never meet more than a small fraction the coming need for energy in the US, let alone in undeveloped countries.
You said "we" and I used the "you" in the plural sense. But the best you can come back with is some self-inflicted fake victimhood. Because of the successful and ongoing stalling or reversing every effort to address this problem by the people you obviously voted for, now you expect we "liberals" (which apparently included the DoD which considers the problem a top global security risk) to give you all the answers. You (pl) don't want answers. You (pl) want nothing to be done. No doubt all of you will be pointing fingers one day to the very people who "told you so." Twas ever thus with your (pl) type.
Speaking of denial...
In Florida, officials ban term 'climate change'
BY TRISTRAM KORTEN
Florida Center for Investigative Reporting
March 08, 2015 04:00 AM
Updated March 11, 2015 11:52 PM
The state of Florida is the region most susceptible to the effects of global warming in this country, according to scientists. Sea-level rise alone threatens 30 percent of the state’s beaches over the next 85 years.
But you would not know that by talking to officials at the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, the state agency on the front lines of studying and planning for these changes.
DEP officials have been ordered not to use the term “climate change” or “global warming” in any official communications, emails, or reports, according to former DEP employees, consultants, volunteers and records obtained by the Florida Center for Investigative Reporting.
The policy goes beyond semantics and has affected reports, educational efforts and public policy in a department with about 3,200 employees and $1.4 billion budget.
“We were told not to use the terms ‘climate change,’ ‘global warming’ or ‘sustainability,’” said Christopher Byrd, an attorney with the DEP’s Office of General Counsel in Tallahassee from 2008 to 2013. “That message was communicated to me and my colleagues by our superiors in the Office of General Counsel.”
Kristina Trotta, another former DEP employee who worked in Miami, said her supervisor told her not to use the terms “climate change” and “global warming” in a 2014 staff meeting. “We were told that we were not allowed to discuss anything that was not a true fact,” she said.
This unwritten policy went into effect after Gov. Rick Scott took office in 2011 and appointed Herschel Vinyard Jr. as the DEP’s director, according to former DEP employees. Gov. Scott, who won a second term in November, has repeatedly said he is not convinced that climate change is caused by human activity, despite scientific evidence to the contrary.
Vinyard has since resigned. Neither he nor his successor, Scott Steverson, would comment for this article.
“DEP does not have a policy on this,” the department’s press secretary, Tiffany Cowie, wrote in an email. She declined to respond to three other emails requesting more information.
“There’s no policy on this,” wrote Jeri Bustamante, Scott’s spokeswoman, in an email.
But four former DEP employees from offices around the state say the order was well known and distributed verbally statewide.
One former DEP employee who worked in Tallahassee during Scott’s first term in office, and asked not to be identified because of an ongoing business relationship with the department, said staffers were warned that using the terms in reports would bring unwanted attention to their projects.
“We were dealing with the effects and economic impact of climate change, and yet we can’t reference it,” the former employee said.
Former DEP attorney Byrd said it was clear to him this was more than just semantics.
“It’s an indication that the political leadership in the state of Florida is not willing to address these issues and face the music when it comes to the challenges that climate change present,” Byrd said.
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Climate change is still not settled science, despite protestations to the contrary, and there is no scientific evidence that it should continue. World temps could go either way, in case we are entering into a short or prolonged Ice Age.
You are confused. Not my problem. Already posted a link that proves you wrong, not my problem if you refuse to READ it.
Being so well versed in the language of scientists you, of course, know that they would never use a term like "certainty" with something that is a projection of a future event. The phrase "extremely likely" is as close to being certain for such an event as good science will allow. To use that term in the laymen's sense as reassuring would be to admit to being completely science ignorant.
Well, that's completely false. But what is true beyond any doubt is that climate change denial is absolutely a scientific certainty.
The opposite of EXTREMELY LIKELY, of course, is EXTREMELY UNLIKELY. That's where you want to put your money? Doesn't seem too smart to me.
Please hold your temper...you sound angry and frustrated.
Well, the people at the NWS are predicting a 65-70% chance of a moderate El Nino this coming winter. You'd think that these trained climate scientists could be a bit more precise in their predictions based on computer models that may, or may not, have good data. The local and current weather forecasts use several models and most of the time these start to diverge 7-10 days out. With climate change those models are trying to look decades ahead. How can that really be very accurate?
You are EXTREMELY LIKELY to get my opinion. I don't need your permission. Hey... It's only EXTREMELY LIKELY and it happened. There you go.
Do you consider gravity (or more properly "gravitation") a fact or just "extremely likely?"
By using past data trends over decades past and particularly dramatic ones in the past 50 years for one way. Also, directly measuring the concentration of greenhouse gases and comparing current atmospheric (record) levels to those (using ice core samples) over tens of thousands of years. Your comment reveals yet again how climate science deniers can't seem to distinguish between weather and climate. So far, every short term predictions for climate change have been borne out: permafrost melting, sequential record temperatures (or both daytime highs and nighttime lows) everywhere on the planet, including above the Arctic Circle. And, of course, sea level rise which is happening at this very moment. By the way, the global warming model also includes the very unpredictability of short-term weather that you're trying to use to deny it. It has to do with entropy.
Overpopulation is problem politicians won't talk about
Because there's an area which would be more difficult to control than regulating carbon emissions. Thanks for bringing up another diversion to how to address the problem as well as highlighting another area that rightwingers try to block--contraception for all women everywhere.
Since when is basic chemistry a theory? LOL
I have other things to do than try to educate you but quickly...
I don't have solar panels because my location would prevent them from doing much if any good in the first place. In the winter I rely almost solely on wood heat, from trees that are blown down in the previous winter's storms.
Yep.
Then you would be right at home in my back yard, I do the same thing with the exception of newspaper which I take to the local recycle plant. I used to put it around my tomato plants to keep the weeds down while they established themselves but found that in the long run, the tomato's didn't do as well. Burlap sacks seem to work a lot better.
For what it's worth, doesn't sound like we are too far apart on this issue past the minutia.
Been there a couple of times beautiful islands, amazing diving and lovely people. It'll be our loss when their gone.
From another son of a tree cutter (sorry couldn't figure out an SOB acronym).
About turning the rising seas around, that will take a lot. This NASA graph helps drive the point home.
This shows the Last Glacial Maximum to have occurred around 30K years ago. Most put the end of the last Ice Age around 18 - 20K years ago.
Since the end of the Last Glacial Maximum the sea levels have risen. At each point in the graph where the line begins to come out of a near vertical climb, is a significant cold period. Many call the Younger Dryas an Ice Age for instance.
The 8,200 year before present cold event is thought by many to have put an end to to an early agricultural revolution as artifacts have been found common to agricultural/farming cultures. Then it all suddenly stopped as it appears hunter gather societies seemed to have replaced those early people dabbling in agricultural activities.
Then there was another couple warming periods similar to what existed prior to the 8,200 cold event. These 2 warming periods, the Roman Warming Period and the Medieval Warming Period were all significantly warmer than today. Notice on this graph the Little Ice Age does not create a blip. Keep in mind the Little Ice Age was cold enough to make it snow in Europe and other areas during summers.
It will take a lot to turn around the trend of the rising seas.
In my mind, honestly another Ice Age.
Sign me up. After the summer we have had here? I am all for cold and snow....lots of both.
Lol. Well, some folks think you might get your wish.
There is thought the Thermohaline shut down prior to the Younger Dryas. Actually, it may have been quite a while prior.
There is a certain criteria, that when crossed, theoretically puts the the Thermohaline flow in jeopardy. One fella thinks that happened a year or two ago.
Maybe we are in for an even Younger Dryas?