Climate change in the US: Tangier Island in Virginia is disappearing

[Sunlei]

Source: france24

Donald Trump has previously dismissed climate change as a "hoax". Later this month, the US president will announce whether the country will leave or reduce its commitments to the Paris Climate Agreement. But just a few hours from the US capital, Tangier Island in Virginia is slowly disappearing, amid land erosion and a steady rise in sea levels. Despite the obvious effects of climate change, most islanders remain staunch Trump supporters. Our correspondent went to meet them.

Read more: http://www.france24.com/en/20170515-focus-usa-tangier-island-rising-sea-levels-climate-change-islanders-trump

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video interviews at link

[riversedge]

1. "most islanders remain staunch Trump supporters. " Idiots

[Locrian]

2. actual pic of supporters interviewed...

[dalton99a]

4. Islands naturally disappear all the time

[AtheistCrusader]

14. They actually do. That island is doomed even if we wave a magic wand and halt all sea level rise.

"Relative sea level rise, which takes both rising sea levels and sinking land into account, [Chesapeake Bay] averaged 3.9 millimeters per year, according to USGS data collected from four stations in the southern Chesapeake Bay until 2006. The global average sea level rise is 1.8 millimeters per year"

Even if you deduct global climate related sea level rise, they are still fucked.

They're just fucked a lot faster than anyone else.
https://phys.org/news/2014-04-chesapeake-bay-impact-crater-sea.html


Basically we're getting a 2x time scale view of what the rest of the world is going to have to deal with, in that location. New Orleans is a similar issue, where yes, sea level is rising, but the ground is actually SINKING faster than the sea level rise.

[lunatica]

3. They're in denial because they will lose their livelihood and their home

They seem to be mostly older fishermen who feel they can't start over again. In reality it's tragic. They will get no help at all from Trump or the Republicans. Trump has already cut any money that would go to them.

Maybe they hope they can last until they die before climate change swallows them up.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

13. Ostriches. The sand will wash away before they get their heads out. Do ostriches swim? . . . nt

[tenorly]

5. The canary in the coal mine

It's too late - and even if it weren't, the fossil fuel mafia would never allow any real changes. Leave Miami if you can.

[Sunlei]

9. I know what you mean. We are one big hurricane stormsurge away. The uber wealthy know this...

that's why the homes they own on Va islands and in Florida are 2nd home, well insured vacation mansions.

[tenorly]

11. So many places in the world are in trouble.

Bangladesh, the Netherlands, Venice, Buenos Aires, much of our own East Coast. Let's just hope that 100 years from now or so, we'll have developed some magnetic device to keep the water at bay, or something like it.

[Botany]

6. I give up

BTW about 2 miles from where I am sitting @ right now is Ohio State’s Institute of Polar Studies where
they have literally millions of data points that go back 450,000 years from ice cores that show a link
between climate and atmospheric chemistry but still the republicans, the Koch Brothers, right wing "pastors"
and the fossil fuel industry are selling the “we don’t really know about global warming.”

[Dustlawyer]

7. The brain trust of fishermen/crabbers generally have 6th grade educations.

I have represented hundreds of these fisherman who work with their dads and grandfathers. Most want to start making money right away and see no benefit to further education. The ones that stay in school usually decide not to fish for a living. Most do not understand the need for regulations generally, even when it comes to sustainability of the seafood they catch.

These are the people most susceptible to the propaganda. They understand politicians are corrupt and so Trump's statements are tailor made for them. This is why a well educated population is so important!

[GusBob]

8. good post

Read the book, "Beautiful Swimmers" about the crabbing industry in the Tangier Island area (Non fiction). These folks regard themselves as independent ruffians going back to the Pirate era.

Certainly lack of education is an issue, but these folks think that due to their rugged lifestyle the rules don't apply to them.

They hate outsiders too. Let them have Trump, its a fading way of life.

[Blue_Tires]

10. We've known about this here for awhile, sadly

But as long as Trumps war against education, science, intellectualism, truth and just facts in general continues unabated, I don't know what else to do.

[OldRedneck]

12. Tangier and Smith

Just north of Tangier is Smith Island. These two are, as far as I know, the only inhabited islands in the Chesapeake Bay. Both are disappearing into the Bay as a result of sea level rise and land subsidence.

the folks living on Tangier and Smith are "watermen" -- making a living from fishing and crabbing. Tangier is the larger of the two. Both are served by a physician who helicopters out from the mainland. Tangier has a small clinic staffed by a local nurse practitioner; not certain about Smith.

Both are served by ferries that run from near Reedville, VA, and from the Maryland side. The populations of both are shrinking as young people move away and don't return. Also, adults pack it in and leave.

And, yes, they are big Trump supporters.

[Botany]

16. About 2 months ago I was in Western MD .... New Germany State Park

one day I drove around the area MD, VA, & W.V. and some of the poorest shacks out in the
country had Trump & Rebel flags flying. i blame the people in part for being dumb but because
of Fox News, hate talk radio, Right Wing Politicians, Coal Company P.R., and their Pastors they have been
brain washed to the point of no return.

They are lost cases as far as voting in concerned. We can only hope that we can over come all
the GOP's dirty tricks and take back some power and then maybe just maybe they will see that
our ideas really help them.

[Marthe48]

22. I went for a drive in Monroe County, S.E. Ohio

Same thing -poverty, traitor flags, traitor trump signs.

[Botany]

23. I live in OH and know the area well ..... I went to school in Athens OH

Northern KY or Western WV. Some pretty country but as red and racist as anyplace in
America. I deal with some of those people in Columbus, OH on almost a daily basis.
My local bar is filled w/them. Trump gave them his blessings to be racist or to be misogynist
as per Hillary Clinton.

[Marthe48]

25. I'm in Marietta

I was so happy the other day. I saw a RESIST bumper sticker! I'm not alone!

[Botany]

27. You are about 1 hour away from the reddist town in America, Pomeroy, OH

n/t

[kwassa]

15. well, Trump can turn back the clock, and the island will re-appear!

He is magic that way.

[dembotoz]

17. briga-dork?

[kwassa]

18. well, it might last for about a day ....

[not fooled]

21. "Briga-dork"

Good one!

[IronLionZion]

19. They are Americans and can always move onto land and keep fishing and crabbing

when it gets bad enough, sympathetic well-meaning politicians will give them buyouts of their land if they own.

But there are entire countries of people who live on islands with no place to go, and many large countries are increasingly unwilling to take refugees and are hostile to immigrants. They are so totally screwed.

[sellitman]

20. Fucking idiots

They deserve to lose their homes.

[jazzcat23]

24. I know

I hate to be like this, but I have to agree. Until people (trumpateers) have some devastating thing that happens to them, they will never let go. Until it really hits them, they will remain clueless and constant. It will take more than loss of homes, loss of ability to make a living might get their attention. Even then, they may not connect the dots to the orange man-baby, the cause of all hell....

[underpants]

26. Olde English dialect

We visited there about 40 years ago when I was a kid. Very many people there spoke with a sort of olde English dialect.