A cautionary tale from an island nation under siege from global warming

The President of Nauru, a small island in the Pacific Ocean, highlights the risk that his country, and others like it, face from the threat of global warming.  Essentially they are looking at the very real prospect of being submerged by increased storms and rising seas.  It is a compelling story which he briefly outlines in a New York Times op-ed.

Here is brief snippet of the op-ed from Marcus Stephen the President of Nauru (the whole piece is worth a read):

“Climate change also threatens the very existence of many countries in the Pacific, where the sea level is projected to rise three feet or more by the end of the century. Already, Nauru’s coast, the only habitable area, is steadily eroding, and communities in Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands have been forced to flee their homes to escape record tides. The low-lying nations of Tuvalu, Kiribati and the Marshall Islands may vanish entirely within our grandchildren’s lifetimes.

Similar climate stories are playing out on nearly every continent, where a steady onslaught of droughts, floods and heat waves, which are expected to become even more frequent and intense with climate change, have displaced millions of people and led to widespread food shortages.”

Confronted with this challenge humanity has two choices – watch as global warming imposes severe damages to all aspects of life OR take action to curb the pollution causing global warming.  I know which choice I prefer – and you can tell what the President of Nauru would prefer.  Will other world leaders heed his cautionary tale?  I sure hope.