23 Features The RGS Gazette Issue 12 July 2024 Imagine a disastrous new environment, full of tropical storms and flash flooding that you are forced to walk through. This is the harsh reality for many who live around the Pacific. Approximately 75% of the entire Pacific population live in rural areas and have to rely on agriculture and fishing to sustain any sort of life. Even the more developed countries in the area rely on the trade and growth of sugar cane as their top industry. This might not seem like a crucial issue, but the worry of rising sea levels threatens the likelihood of these countries due to every country in the South Pacific being an island nation and being susceptible to flooding. This causes many issues as people’s homes are gone as they are washed away in major floods, a lot of the farmland people depend on is destroyed, and the chance of survival for many people becomes small. "A lot of the farmland people depend on is destroyed, and the chance of survival for many people becomes small." The most dangerous area is the southern region east of Australia and west of South America, despite being mainly considered a region of just ocean. There are many archipelagos and island nations, just as important as any other part of the world. Tuvalu, for example, is a small nation with its highest point only a few metres above sea level. This nation has suffered from flooding for decades, but as of 2019, two of the nine islands will soon be submerged. If we continue to commit to this lifestyle where almost nothing is ecofriendly, then in the next 70 years Tuvalu will be gone and 95% of its land will be flooded. It’s not just on land where these tragedies are occurring. The Pacific contains ¼ of all coral reefs, with 6.5 million people heavily reliant on these reefs. These reefs are like the rainforests of the ocean, with millions of different aquatic species in these spaces. However, due to the increase in global temperature, the coral is dying, causing coral bleaching and acidification. This is destroying the habitat for all these species and, therefore, indirectly killing them. Species are going extinct, stopping many people from supporting families as their livelihood relies on these species and the reefs. It is our lifestyle that causes this. "As a society, we have become lazy, not bothering to recycle our waste." We have allowed massive industrial companies to continue with fossil fuels and emit greenhouse gases that are completely ruining our previously perfect planet. We need to help these people. They suffer, they struggle, and they are under constant threat. There is nothing they can do. It is our actions that affect these people. They are being punished for our actions. We cannot let this continue. This region only contributes to less than 1% of all greenhouse gas emissions, yet almost all these Pacific nations face demise by the end of the 21st Century. I hope you think about this. "These are issues that we need to sort out today." Our actions have consequences, and if we cut down on our use of fossil fuels and other damaging products or habits, we can collectively support all those in danger throughout the Pacific. Why You Should Care About the Pacific Gabriel Casey (Year 10) explores the significance of the largest ocean Coalfired power station (2024) Fongafale Island, home to the Tuvaluan capital (2019) The Great Barrier Reef (2024)
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