WELP: Rising Sea Levels Have Wiped 5 Pacific Islands Right Off The Map

If you weren’t yet convinced that we’re totally fucked, you’re definitely working against a growing body of evidence that suggests that we are.

Five islands in the Solomon Islands that were present in the 1940s have now been completely swallowed by the ocean. Thanks to a combination of rising sea levels and strengthening trade winds, sea levels have been rising 7mm every year – which may not sound like a lot but was clearly enough to wipe five islands of the face of the Earth (well, sea).
Some of the islands were as big as up to five hectares, which, at roughly the size of five rugby fields, is no small amount of land. Other islands in the area have been similarly effected, with one, Nautambu Island, having lost 11 houses to the sea since 2011.
As well as forcing people out of their homes, the loss of the islands will also fuck over turtles and other wildlife who would have otherwise used them as shelter from predators.
While the sea levels in the Solomon Islands are rising particularly fast, it’s still an indication of what’s coming for the rest of the world unless we can somehow stop completely fucking up the environment and stop the glaciers from melting.
Source: SBS.
Photo: Getty Images / Chris Jackson.

More Stuff From PEDESTRIAN.TV