Rant of the Week

Tuvalu: A Land Soon to be Down Under

 

George Wright, the fugitive murderer and bank robber recently found, after 41 years, in Portugal, might have been better off had he chose Tuvalu to hide in. It's way out there in the middle of the Pacific, half-way between Hawaii and Australia, about as remote as you can get. I don't believe they require your fingerprints on an id card for citizenship.

But then again, he might have been noticed. Tuvalu, with a population of about 30,000 and a gross land area of about 8 square miles, is the second smallest nation in the United Nations. Only Vatican City is smaller.

There may not be much of a future in Tuvalu. The highest elevation of the land in Tuvalu is about 15 feet above sea-level. During a good storm, you have to be careful where you park your car.

Yes, the citizens of Tuvalu are concerned about Global Warming because of the of the results of Global Warming will be a rise in sea levels. Just to understand this clearly-- the sea levels don't need to rise 15 feet to cause a problem for the Tuvaluans (if that's what they call themselves). If it only rises a foot or two, they will be in deep trouble. If it rises much more than that, they will have to be evacuated to New Zealand or Australia.

 
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