Matthew Lambourne, Mullumbimby
Jim Mangleson seems to be a bit confused about rising sea levels (Letters, 35.27). He is quite right to say the sea level in Sydney has risen around 65mm over the last 100 years, but that is only one place around Australia’s thousands of kilometres of coastline.
Taking other gauges into account, the rise is around 200mm, not far from the global average of about 250mm. Jim goes on to say ‘the water was much warmer and the sea level much higher’ 6,000 years ago.
Quite right, and nothing to do with ‘diesel cars’, but it was the ending of the last ice age. Since then, temperatures and sea levels have been slowly dropping as we headed towards the next ice age, until around 150 years ago when land clearing, agriculture and fossil fuel burning changed things around.
Temperatures, after dropping maybe 2°C over 6,000 years, have risen more than 1°C in 150 years. If Jim’s 3 metre drop in sea level is right, that is 0.5mm per year over those 6,000 years – now sea level is rising at about 4.5mm per year, including in Sydney.
That is the problem – a natural slow drop in temperatures and sea level has been changed, by us, in 150 years to rapidly rising temperatures and sea level.
These rates of rise are accelerating, particularly sea level which lags behind temperature as higher temperatures penetrate into the deep ocean.
We don’t need computer models to see where this is going, a simple sea level/temperature correlation including an appropriate time lag shows we are heading for the same sort of future sea level rises as the computer models suggest.
We have been warned.
Fair-dinkum what jokes, these serial climate deniers are, they’re now trying to dig themselves out of very deep holes by peddling that ridiculous line “Oh I’ve always believed in climate change, the climate has always changed, it’s just this global warming bull that I don’t believe in”. Well shock horror!! we already know that the climate has changed many times in our 4.5 billion year history, but that natural process has taken many thousands of years, not less than 200. And maybe they should also ask the people who have inhabited tropical islands for hundreds of years, and are now being forced to relocate because their homes are disappearing, whether see levels are rising. And please, please don’t reply and say “it’s not the sea-level that’s rising it’s the land that’s sinking”, that’s too bloody stupid even for climate deniers. I know it would probably be easier to clime Mt. Everest than to convince these people how non-sensical they are, but what the hell, it is Christmas, CHEERS.
Quite right Matthew.
The sand erosion at Byron Bay is because the high tide is above the usual high tide. The waves bite into the base of the sand cliffs and the cliffs collapse.
Meanwhile out into the Pacific, the Solomon Islands hierarchy keeps having talks with Scott Morrison because of the ocean rising up over the islands. The average height on many parts of the islands is about 8 feet above high water mark.. They are but sand islands. Eventually the Islands will be uninhabitable and any people there will have to migrate to Australia. The Islands are a British colony.
Hi Jim , can you believe this person Keith Duncan ? Sits in his little labor office lecturing
all , “deniers deniers ” what a nuisance he is .
a complete hypocrite in the first order . still drives a car , flys , receives electricity bills , uses Gas ,
The list is endless.. “do as i say not as i do”
Jim as i have previously stated on numerous occasions with the likes of this bloke in the labor party ranks , is why they will be in opposition for some time. !! go pontificate somewhere else Mr Duncun .
Welcome back Barrow old son and a Merry Chrissie and climate change denying New Years, yeah. Keep up the denialism, it might just work in delivering your New Years resolution, to make existential climate change just disappear.
Who can forget Peter (MInister for Cruelty to Refugees) callous joke about Pacific Islanders about ‘to have water lapping at their doors’!
It would cheaper to build renewable energy plants and supply electric cars to all Australians than the billions it costs taxpayers to rebuild housing and infrastructure after every increasingly violent disaster. Then there’s the billions we spend subsidising mining operations.
Insurance companies know how bad things are going to get and are assessing whether it’s financially viable to ensure against these increasingly destructive disasters. Financial institutions are refusing to finance new coal mines.
Climate change deniers will most likely scream blue murder if their homes are inundated by the ocean, (as they do at Belongil and elsewhere, wanting taxpayers to fund walls to protect their homes) or destroyed by flood, fire or cyclones and their insurance company refuses to pay. Denying the cause won’t rebuild their houses.
I can believe Keith, Barrow. You sound like a monkey spitting out peanuts.
If you don’t want to grow up that’s okay by me. It’s all ‘me-me’ Barrow stuff.
Still, you could try ‘island tripping’ yourself.
Thanks for the support folks, but it’s only the usual background banter from the “nom de plume section of the peanut gallery”. But it is disappointing when one tries their best to offer advice to the less fortunate and to be attacked in such a vicious manner for doing so, at such a festive time of the year when all people should be showing goodwill towards their fellow man (and woman). It’s difficult to ascertain just how such nastiness evolves in certain people, maybe bullying at school, who knows? But one thing is certain the perpetrator belongs to the “right” side of politics where sadly, nastiness seems to be worn as a badge of honor. Happy New Year, it’s going to be interesting.
Those who deny Climate Change should recall that all ‘insurance mobs’ don’t
cover what is cause-&-defect in any policy. Forget insurance, Barrow. The banks
are right on to it.
Keith Duncan !!
Attacked in a Vicious Manner ?
Serial Climate Deniers? ” Peanut Gallery ”
Its okay for the far left to belittle anyone
quite acceptable really is it not Keith ?
But soon as someone puts you to the test
Or Fact check you start name calling ..
How dare they have alternative views or opinions
Keith .. ? And you still have not responded to my
Request to debunk my facts on your master
Scientist Tim Flannery ? The expert who burdens
Taxpayer’s every day to the tune of 500k to a million on mothballed desalination plants
Because it rained again Keith and will do again !!!
Those are my opinions ! “If you don’t like those
I have others ” and Merry Christmas to all and a safe and happy new year..
Yo Barrow, old son. you back again for more of the same. I don’t get it, you whingle about being belittled but look in the mirror my man, you keep bringing it all upon yourself. Sure have an opinion old son but do yourself a favour and bone up on the science and the facts. The Climate Emergency is R E A L, the proof is all around you, yet still you in a solid state of denial.
Go ‘look’ at the people on the sinking islands & tell them their imagination has you
in a spin, Barrow. Trust your own eyes & ears. It’s easily done.
It is totally amazing how the climate deniers are living in their cosy little homes which are not affected by the environmental factors that are having a huge impact on the planet. It is like horse racing, the horses wear blinkers which hide the fact they are just a pawn in the human’s plan to make money. Just like the fossil fuel industry, they just want to make money regardless of the fact the environment is paying the price for human greed.
A great analogy comparing horses wearing blinkers to serial climate chance deniers Michael, however I must caution you that horses are extremely sociable and highly intelligent mammals. Eminent Australian scientist, Tim Flannery is a highly qualified mammalogist (amongst other degrees), and could offer informative advice on the intellectual ability of different animals, I think that he has recently taken up a prestigious position at the Sydney museum.