Kiribati, Climate Change and the Pacific

While the existence of global climate change has largely been accepted as another fact of life by most, the question of what exactly to do about it remains unsolved. While the scientific community continues to gather research and world leaders philander and debate over who owes what to the world, many people have already begun to struggle with real-world effects of climate change. Many of those suffering live in the undeveloped and often forgotten corners of the world.

One such example can be found with the Pacific Island countries and territories, where citizens and leaders have begun to ponder very drastic solutions to equally alarming dilemmas. High tides and low GDP are an accepted way of life for many living on Pacific Islands, but with steadily rising sea levels and shifting ocean and weather patterns compounding monetary struggles, some nations can no longer wait for foreign aid.

The Pacific island of Kiribati caught worldwide attention recently by announcing its' consideration of a solution that many other island nations have already begun to debate: relocation. The cabinet of Kiribati President Anote Tong has officially endorsed an emergency plan to purchase over 6,000 acres of the Fiji island of Viti Levu and relocate Kiribati's population of 103,000. The price of the undertaking would amount to well over $10 million. Much of the archipelago of Kiribati rises mere feet above sea level, and intrusion of seawater into the nation's underground freshwater supplies has already done major damage to trees and crops on Kiribati, which are vital for the island's economic and environmental security. 

Kiribati Meeting Drastic with Drastic

The Pacific island of Kiribati, a nation of 103,000, is considering the purchase of 6,000 acres in Fiji, in a drastic effort to save its' population from the rising sea level. Kiribati, a Pacific archipelago, is home to many atolls that rise mere feet above sea level. A church group on Fiji's main island of Viti Levu is offering the land for a price of $9.6 million, and Kiribati leaders are considering moving the population there to escape the Pacific, which is rising at a level of 0.1 inches a year and accelerating due to climate change.

Many villagers in Kiribati have already had to relocate their homes, and the rising sea level has begun to contaminate the island's underground caches of freshwater. In addition to the rising Pacific, Kiribati and nearby islands have become victims of changing ocean, weather and storm patterns, which compounds the rising tide and will only grow more problematic in later years.

Many Pacific islands are facing crises, but Kiribati could be first to have an entire generation, possibly even an entire population, face a dire dilemma: Move, or die. 

Solar Flares Come and Go, and Come Again

The solar flares thought capable of disrupting the earth's communications came and went on Thursday with little more effect than intensifying the picturesque Northern Lights. Solar flares, also known as geomagnetic storming, also materialized on Friday morning, reaching a peak intensity and approaching that which was forecasted. 

Solar flares are a naturally-occurring process of all stars, but predicting them is equally as tedious as predicting our own atmosphere's weather patterns. In layman's terms, solar flares are a surge in solar activity, in which charged particles rush into the Earth's atmosphere and create a surge of electric currents, which can compromise communications and other electronics. The most memorable evidence of solar flares' effect in recent memory occurred in 1989, when a surge in solar activity knocked out Quebec's power grid. 

While this week's solar flares came and went without consequence, they did serve to remind many of us that our cherished computerized systems can be knocked out by the complex but relatively commonplace event of a solar flare. 

Pink slime. Make it a double.

Pink slime. It sounds like a limited-edition variety of PlayDoh, but reportedly it's not what children will be playing with, but eating. Pink slime, the happily-named, ammonia-treated beef trimmings first created by Beef Products, Inc., may be making an appearance in school cafeterias. The USDA has reportedly purchased 7 million pounds of pink slime for use in its' National School Lunch Program.

For those who don't know, pink slime, the jelly-like phenomenon that has vegetarians counting their lucky stars, is made from fatty beef trimmings that were formerly reserved for pet food products and cooking oils. These sub par portions are at a higher risk for salmonella and E.Coli contamination than actual ground beef, and are thus treated with ammonia to kill bacteria. The resulting "pink slime" has a consistency similar to toothpaste, and can be used as a filler in hamburgers and ground beef.

The reported purchase of pink slime by the USDA has sparked public controversy, outcry and general unease. While some vehemently oppose the use of pink slime in school lunches, others (presumably the childless) have argued in favor of the initiative, citing fiscal responsibility. Major fast food chains have already dropped pink slime from their menus, however.

Personally, I think the least that the USDA could do is buy 7 million gallons of Mylanta to serve as dessert.