No one is an island

And you had best be thankful about that.

Islands are beginning to disappear.  Global Islands Net is an organization that has listed those islands that are most at risk of being overwhelmed by rising sea levels.  Many are Pacific land masses and atolls, such as Fiji, outlying islands of Paupa New Guinea, The Solomon Islands, and various lesser known locales of Micronesia.  Did I say "lesser known?"  Perhaps.  But there are people living on them nonetheless.  That means a goodly number of people are facing displacement from their homes.  That's right.  We are beginning to see the very first refugees resulting from climate change.  Heck, it's already happening.  The village of Shishmaref, located on a barrier island in Alaska, is already in need of relocation due to rising sea levels.  Click the link provided.  That's right.  Climate change refugees.  Bet you haven't heard that much about it in our news media?  No, we'd rather know about Charlie Sheen and Sarah Palin.  Speaking of the latter, I wonder if Alaska's former governor is even aware of this community's plight?  Even if she were, I doubt she'd even consider changing her position on Global Warming.

It truly is beyond me how any logical, reasonable mind could be opposed to the reality of climate change.  Just yesterday, Scientific American published a study that says that the current of the Arctic Ocean is warmer than it has been for 2,000 years.  2,000 years!  It won't be long before the sea becomes wider and free-flowing during the summers.  But wait!  There's more!  It has been found that a shrinking polar ice cap reflects less sunlight off the Earth.  That means...wait for it...rising temperatures!  Drought!  War for resources!  All kinds of fun stuff!

"Wait a second," you say.  "The Northeast U.S. has experienced record low temperatures this year, coupled with an ungodly amount of snow.  How the heck can you say the Earth is warming?"  On the surface, it would seem contradictory.  But there is an article in The New York Times that does a better job of explaining than I can.  Unfortunately, I've been reading the Times so much today that they're no longer allowing me to access the articles for free.  So I can't link you to it.  Just go to The New York Times and search for "Topsy-turvy Weather: U.S. is frigid, Arctic is warmer than usual."  There is an explanation for how it can be incredibly cold while the globe bakes from too much heat.  Then of course, this is all a "fictional plot concocted on behalf of the Liberal agenda, trying to devastate our economy and block our God-given right to making a profit."  Or so they would say.

The writer in me is extrapolating this data on Global Warming and extending it into the future.  What kind of future am I seeing for the characters of my books to inhabit?  Well, it's hot, it's wet, it's overpopulated, and I don't like it.

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