Saturday, February 27, 2016

71 degrees in Grapevine, TX, northeast of Ft Worth; 70 degrees in Dallas; barely above freezing (37 degrees) in Boston; a foot of snow in the Chicago area overnight; another blizzard/snowstorm predicted for the Midwest next week. With short-sleeve weather here in north Texas, I'm trying to find the downside of global warming. How are the Maldives doing? The most recent article of note on the rising sea level around the Maldives was from a December, 2015, article in The Los Angele Times:

In 2004, a tsunami swallowed two-thirds of the country. As a result, over 20 islands were permanently erased from the map. The Earth is currently undergoing a climate change of historic proportion, with sea levels rising noticeably from the melting of glaciers and icebergs. If the trend continues, the Maldives will be completely submerged in 30 years.

One should start planning soon as the Maldives is disappearing under the ocean.

The islands were formed from underwater volcanic eruptions. The year-round warm weather, endless white beaches and inviting water make the Maldives an exotic and scenic paradise on Earth, and a perfect getaway for vacationers and honeymooners.

According to the International School Network, 80% of the tourists are for romantic getaways. Around 80 islands are major tourist attractions. A single resort operates each tourist island, and each island is not big. Therefore, providing a quiet and private spot sought after by the newlyweds.

Twenty islands permanently erased from the map. What map? I don't have a map of the Maldives.

Whatever.

We never get the denominator in these stories. Twenty islands permanently erased from the map. So how many islands are there in the Maldives? 1,190. One thousand one hundred ninety. Twenty lost in the 2004 tsunami which had nothing to do with global warming.

Whatever. There's always Hawaii.

I'll be riding my bike this afternoon in short-sleeve weather.