This week, IoM Friends of the Earth’s Pete Christian considers the perils of continued climate change to our island
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Island dwellers are particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change.
But we tend to think of the risks in local terms.
For the Isle of Man, we ask: how often might the Ben not sail. Or, how many days cold storage have we got? Or, does the revamp of Douglas seafront take account of rising sea levels?
All these are things require examination, but global factors should be in our minds as well, as described by William Hague’s envoy, former military commander Rear Admiral Neil Morisetti, in his first interview. He views climate change as ‘one of the greatest risks we face’, posing as big a threat to the UK’s security and economy as terrorism and cyber attacks.
He warns that increasingly extreme weather events involving drought, storms and flooding are exacerbating tensions over water, food and security in countries prone to conflict.
‘The areas of greatest global stress and greatest impacts of climate change are broadly coincidental,’ he said.
Just because it’s happening thousands of miles away doesn’t mean we can be complacent: thinking it won’t affect us is a very dangerous mind-set.
In a globalised world, food production catastrophes, even on another continent, or disruption to fuel supplies through the Strait of Hormuz, at the very least can quickly cause massive price increases.
Supply shortages would become supply failure, extending into our sheltered island life.
This isn’t empty theorising. Recently, Toyota UK car plants went on to a three-day week after floods in Thailand cut the supply chain, also leaving computer firms in the US and Europe short of microchips.
OK, these in isolation are things which industry can cope with.
However, at the risk of sounding alarmist, imagine drought and famine leading to displaced, hungry and thirsty populations around the Gulf, an area awash with armaments.
How confident can we be that the oil tankers will continue to sail serenely on to feed our oil dependent lifestyles?
It’s not just me and the good Rear Admiral either.
US Admiral Samuel J. Locklear III, who led the naval action helping to defeat Muammar Gaddafi, said a climate change-provoked event is the ‘most likely thing . . . that will cripple the security environment’.
US General Wesley Clark believes ‘stopping global warming isn’t just about saving the environment, it’s about saving America for our children’s children’.
Chuck Hagel, US Defence Secretary, thinks we can no longer ‘separate environmental policy from economic or energy policy’.
When these hard-headed military commanders start getting worried, those who are wary of environmentalists’ cautionary words should listen.
The Isle of Man’s is a small voice, but I want to hear our leaders joining with other island communities, and countries around the British Isles and the Commonwealth, shouting a lot more loudly, and returning from international forums with more than ‘it was a good opportunity to meet our counterparts’.
At root, climate change is largely the result of burning fossil fuels, an issue for the island in a future Green Column.
For now, remember President Obama’s words, highlighted in last week’s column: ‘We don’t have time for a meeting of the flat earth society.’
And to borrow from an earlier speech: ‘If not now, when?’