In February 2023, the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that rising sea levels will cause a “mass exodus of entire populations on a biblical scale”, noting in particular the effect around the river basins at the foot of the Himalayas. Rising sea levels have been the poster alarm scare for decades with their associated riff of billions of climate refugees on the move in the near future. As is usual, it is a shame that mere facts get in the way of unhinged political rants. In 2016, a Dutch research project found that since 1985 the world had actually gained more land than was lost to water. So far as the river basins of the Himalayas are concerned, a recent science paper discovered that Bangladesh had experienced a 13.7% growth in its coasts since 1990.
Commenting on the net growth of Earth land mass, National Geographic noted that it amounted to an area the size of Lake Michigan. The changes are spread across the planet and are both natural and man-made. The Dutch researchers at the Deltares Research Institute used Landsat satellite data to map the changes around the world. The mapping scientists were “surprised” at their results. according to National Geographic. More surprise was expressed by the magazine that “coastal areas across the globe had a net gain of more than 13,000 km2”.
With his ludicrous “global boiling” trope, Guterres is little more than a high status ranting fool. But he is plugged into the sea level scare that is ubiquitous throughout the Net Zero narrative. As early as 1989, UN activist Noel Brown was talking about entire nations being wiped off the map by 2000. One sixth of Bangladesh would be flooded and this would displace a quarter of its coastal population, amounting to up to 25 million people. The online science publication No Tricks Zone notes that the opposite has happened, with the total land surface of the country expanding from 134,382 km2 to 137,656 km2. The coasts around the Bay of Bengal have grown by 13.7% to 20,330 km2, while the population has swelled to around 173 million.
Of course, human activity can increase land mass with many reclamation projects seen across the world. But natural processes are often downplayed in the rush to promote mass psychosis and push populations to accept the Net Zero fantasy. Many small island states in the Pacific are growing in size due to natural accretions but that doesn’t stop a worldwide green campaign to divert huge amounts of cash to pay for climate ‘reparations’. These obvious shakedowns, much favoured by planet-saving types who attend COP meetings, are sometimes referred to as poor people in rich countries paying rich people in poor countries. Land itself is often on the move and in many places across the northern hemisphere the gradual post-glacial retreat of the ice sheets has led to substantial and continuing rebounds.
No Tricks Zone observes that the recent Bangladesh land expansion was a consequence of receding relative sea levels along the coasts and synchronous seaward coastal land growth. It also notes that coasts are growing elsewhere, sourcing a 2016 BBC report on the Deltares project. “We expected that the coast would start to retreat due to sea level rise, but the most surprising thing is that the coasts are growing all over the world,” said Dr. Fedor Baart. “We were able to create more land than sea level rise was taking,” he added.
Perhaps someone should tell the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). It uses a notorious climate model ‘pathway’ to suggest a global temperatures rise of 4°C will lead to a possible one metre higher global sea level by the end of the century. Due to land movements, sea level rise can be difficult to measure and tidal gauges are probably the best indication we have. These show a current rise around 2mm per year (20cm per century), not the 13mm proposed by the IPCC.
Of course, the IPCC’s ‘worst case’ basis is in regular use. None seem more creative than the World Economic Forum. It recently referred to a study that predicted a “total collapse” of the Greenland ice sheet by next year. With the ice sheet at a “tipping point of irreversible melting”, scientists are said to “currently expect an unavoidable sea level rise of one to two metres”. The WEF report was headed ‘Sea level rise: Everything you need to know’, suggesting that at least someone in that benighted organisation has a sense of humour.
As expected, the fast-sinking Guardian is well to the fore when it comes to hysteria and climate alarm. In 2020 it reported on a survey of “more than 100 specialists” that estimated a possible global sea level of 1.3 metres within 80 years. One of the co-authors of the report was the Potsdam Institute’s Stefan Rahmstorf, a man sometimes described as the alarmists’ alarmist. Among the cities that may have to be abandoned, claimed Rahmstorf, were Miami, New York, Alexandria, Venice and Bangkok.
Any advance on 1.3 metres? Not hard to find when you have Matt McGrath and the BBC on the job. In 2019 he gave us his two metre scare noting that “scientists believe that global sea levels could rise far more than predicted”. Dignifying the IPCC computer modelled twaddle as “the long held view”, he stated that “expert opinions” suggest a two metre rise, and this could lead to the displacement of hundreds of millions of people.
Chris Morrison is the Daily Sceptic’s Environment Editor.
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I would like more scientists to use real data rather than use ‘computer models’ which unconsciously include the biases of those who run them.
What is even worse is taking output from one computer game and putting it into another as ‘data’.
The problem for them is, the data doesn’t exist, so they have to make numbers up and use ‘what-if’ in order to get the results they want.
Unconsciously?
First I don’t believe that but on a practical scale, the amount of cash those people get means we can discount error. It is by design they make scary forecasts.
Another top article. Many thanks.
Also many thanks to Watts Up With That, a beacon of light in a strange world.
With regard to Britain’s climate:
The UKs weather in 2023. Paul Homewood.
‘According to the Met Office, the UK climate ‘is continuing to change’ and become more extreme.
But what does the actual evidence tell us?
Using official data up to 2023, from the Met Office and other sources, this paper examines UK climate trends, and assesses the truth of these claims. The results are as follows:
The rate of increase in average temperatures has been markedly lower since 2007 than before. The rate from 1987 to 2007 was 0.06°C per annum, but since then it has been 0.01°C per annum.
Although June 2023 was the hottest in the UK in records dating back to 1884, it was only fourth hottest on the longer CET series, a full degree cooler than June 1846.
Previous Met Office studies indicated that much of the warming since the 1970s was the result of increased sunshine, likely due to cleaner air. These findings contradict more recent Met Office claims that UK temperature changes are linked primarily to global warming.
The frequency of days with extreme temperatures has been in decline since the 1970s, as more hot days have been offset by fewer cold ones.
Annual rainfall averages in England and Wales during the last decade have been at similar levels to earlier periods, such as the 1870s and 1920s.
While winters have become slightly wetter, there has been little change in rainfall trends for the other seasons. In particular, summers are not getting drier, as projections have suggested.
Rainfall is not becoming more extreme, whether on an annual, monthly or daily basis.
Sea levels have been rising at between 1.3 and 2.0mm a year around the UK, after taking account of vertical land movement, and there has been no acceleration in the rate of rise on multi-decadal scales.
Wind storms have been declining in frequency and intensity since the 1990s. In short, although it is slightly warmer than it used to be, the UK climate has changed very little in recent years. Long-term trends are dwarfed by the natural variability of British weather. Nor is there any evidence that weather is becoming more extreme. Nothing in the data indicates that climate will become more extreme in future’
https://www.thegwpf.org/content/uploads/2024/11/UK-Weather-2023.pdf?mc_cid=115af24a9b&mc_eid=c926002e71
That all sounds a bit like that Italian peer reviewed paper that concluded:
‘In conclusion on the basis of observational data, the climate crisis that, according to many sources, we are experiencing today, is not evident yet.’
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1140/epjp/s13360-021-02243-9
Oh! That paper was retracted…….because it was apparently written“by people not working in climatology and obviously unfamiliar with the topic and relevant data,” said Stefan Rahmstorf, Head of Earth Systems at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research.
Hmmm……..more like written by people who Mr Rahmstorf thinks might be trying to move his very expensive cheese……
(https://www.reddit.com/r/BettermentBookClub/comments/ovs804/who_moved_my_cheese_by_dr_spencer_johnson_summary/)
So more proof that we are being fed lie after lie by this cult. The biggest concern this morning due to these lies, is how much of the £240bn Millibrain has committed us to. Presumably as the largest G7 that gave this ridiculous circus any credence, he has promised the lion’s share from us, assuming Rachel from accounts position is now so weakened that she will not be able to say no.
The link between climate stuff and international finance now smells very bad. We are paying out a fortune for the Emperor’s non existent new Clothes. It is hard not to conclude that there is some sinister globalist plot going on and we are all being played for a bunch of fools.
Richard Littlejohn suggested recently that Thieves was just a trainee while at the Bank of England further undermining her claims to be an economist. Economy with the actualite seems to be her forte.
He may well be right, however I won’t ever listen to a word he says after what he said during covid re. People’s bodily autonomy
Well, they might do a complete 180 degree turn and declare that the seas are now actually shrinking, which would mean less rainfall, or something. Whatever happens, there is always some airy fairy catch all explanation, eagerly swallowed by some members of my family who live in a state of constant fear! (We don’t talk much these days.)
Chris Morrison’s article is very timely, considering that Third World nations including India attending the UN Climate Change conference COP29 are whining that western nations giving them $300 billion every year is NOT ENOUGH, and some island nations are demanding $20 billion a year EACH because they say they will soon be flooded by rising sea levels.
Poorer nations express frustration after last minute COP29 deal | ITV News
“It’s not near the full amount of $1.3 trillion that developing countries were asking for, but it’s three times the $100 billion a year deal from 2009 that is expiring.”
“ …with India negotiator Chandni Raina calling it “a paltry sum” saying India could not accept it.”
“Nigeria’s Nkiruka Maduekwe, CEO of the National Council on Climate Change, called the deal an insult and a joke.”
*****************************************************************************
So get ready to hand over £billions for climate change, £billions for slavery reparations, and £billions for Third World farmers.
Apt public comments:
— “The scammers running this talk fest will line their own pockets. They will set up organisations to use the money to “pay” for green projects. The organisations will be rife with nepotism, sky high salaries, huge numbers of “consultants”. There will be millions even billions lining the pockets of those at the top, and a few tokens such as wells that breakdown after 6 months, and flood defences that wash away in the first severe storm, for the photo opportunities designed to make the gullible feel good about the money squandered.
The Green’s and NGO’s will tell you this is untrue. It is more than 3 decades since I worked for a charity, it was happening then and from what I hear it is worse now.”
— “Poorer nations be damned, the West has wasted trillions on these money grabbers for years. Let them stand on their own two feet, it’s the richer countries that produce the wealth and the science.”
[It’s called “The Marxist Redistribution of Wealth”,
to make the whole world poor.]
Or…. We could just say ‘no’
I have discovered very late in life that those three words “Just Say No” are among the most important advice anyone ever gave. Or took!
Guterres should be dismissed from office for his sensationalist, unjustified and unscientific remarks on climate (“boiling oceans”). The UN has become an increasingly activist organization for globalist causes instead of concentrating on its founding principles to encourage and maintain peace between nations.