A Japanese animation about food security – what it is and how to get it. Very well done.

Planning for climate change and rising ocean levels.

The Maldives, a tenuous chain of 1,200 islets southwest of Sri Lanka best known for its spectacular reef-rimmed lagoons, is considered one of the world’s most vulnerable countries in the face of rising sea levels in a warming world. I have a short article in today’s paper on how the Maldives, under its first democratically elected president, will establish what amounts to a global warming relocation fund using revenue from tourism. The idea would be to buy land elsewhere as a new home for the country’s 400,000 citizens should the worst-case scenarios play out.

Some of the atolls in the Maldives. (Credit: NASA/ GSFC
/METI /ERSDAC /JAROS)

For the moment, it relies on sea walls, built with money from Japan, to protect its one-square-mile capital, Malé, which constitutes the world’s most densely populated island. Population growth — taking the Maldives from 200,000 to nearly 400,000 people in just 20 years — is make the real estate problem worse.

The Maldive islanders’ long-term investment in a relocation fund seems smart given the nature of the climate problem. While the near-term rate of sea-level rise remains uncertain, the long-term picture of rising seas in a warming world is crystal clear. The plan reminds me of Abu Dhabi’s investment in a center for energy research — the cornerstone of a nonpolluting car-free “city” in the desert — as a means of building its post-oil economy, even as oil still flows from the ground.

It still seems rare for human societies to invest for the long term, plan for the worst case while hoping for the best, and favor resiliency over last-minute response (any relationship to the financial collapse here?).

NY Times Nov. 11, 2008

Will PEAK OIL devour Vancouver’s Politicians?
Or, will our politicians battle INERTIA and defeat the monstrous status quo?

Wed. Oct. 15, 2008, 7 – 9:30 PM
BCIT Downtown Campus
555 Seymour St., Vancouver

WATCH WITH FASCINATION as our panelists reveal their plans for addressing these critical issues!

• Is the Lower Mainland ready for a LOW-ENERGY FUTURE?

• Is GATEWAY a solution to our future transportation needs, and – if not – what is?

• Is there a plan to make sure we’ll all have enough FOOD to eat next year and 20 years from now?

• How do we reshape our pattern of community for a world with less and LESS OIL?

• How do we ensure an adequate ENERGY SUPPLY for the Lower Mainland?

Before you cast a vote in the next city election…
FIND OUT what these candidates plan to do.

Introducing Mayoral Candidates:
Gregor ROBERTSON – candidate Mayor Vision Party
Councillor Peter LADNER – candidate Mayor NPA
Betty KRAWCZYK – candidate Mayor Work Less Party

With:
Councillor Suzanne ANTON – candidate Vancouver City Council
Mayor Derek CORRIGAN – candidate Mayor Burnaby
Council Candidate Andrea REIMER – candidate Vancouver City Council

JOIN US for a rousing panel discussion and SEE FOR YOURSELF how some of the Lower Mainland’s top politicians PERSONALLY plan to address the many problems posed by PEAK OIL.

YOU WON’T WANT TO MISS THIS.

Wednesday October 15, 2008
7 – 9:30 PM
BCIT Downtown Campus
555 Seymour St., Vancouver
(a few blocks up from Waterfront station)
Tickets $7 in advance, $10 at the door.

Advanced Tickets:

http://vancouverpeakoil.org
Brought to you by Vancouver Peak Oil and The Great Bear Pub, and sponsored by:
The Cooperative Auto Network