Solomon Islands disappearing beneath rising sea at ‘unprecedented’ rate

Solomon Islands disappearing beneath rising sea at ‘unprecedented’ rate

With crystal clear blue waters and white sandy beaches, the Solomon Islands are one of the most stunning and remote parts of the Pacific Ocean.

But despite the archipelago’s isolation, it’s no stranger to the unforgiving impacts of climate change: the island paradise is drowning.

‘In Too Deep’ airs tonight on 60 Minutes at 8.40 after LEGO Masters Australia. For more on 60 Minutes, visit the official website.

Tonight, Liam Bartlett goes on a confronting journey to the front line of global warming. 

In the past 20 years, sea levels in the Solomon Islands have risen over 15 centimetres. It doesn’t sound like much, but it’s led to many islands losing critical land mass. Others have disappeared completely. 

Sceptics say the vanishing islands occur as a result of natural erosion, but Bartlett reports that’s not the case. The remnants of 300-year-old trees which once stood tall, but are now all but drowning, prove the point. 

Renowned marine ecologist Dr Simon Albert agrees. http://bit.ly/2E4sDXw

 

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