Last week, Time magazine ran this cover of António Guterres, Secretary-General of the UN, standing on the island of Tuvalu to show how climate change is shrinking islands or something:
TIME's new cover: The leaders of these sinking countries are fighting to stop climate change. Here's what the rest of the world can learn https://t.co/lLHeaREycm pic.twitter.com/NBEzO3WLSV
— TIME (@TIME) June 13, 2019
And now for the facts, via Bjorn Lomborg.
According to the latest data, the island of Tuvalu is actually growing in size:
Clickbait vs truth:
2018 Nature study shows Tuvalu *increased* in size despite sea level rise and 'will persist for habitation over next century'
Cover of Time with UN Secretary-General in water outside Tuvalu 'Our Sinking Planet'https://t.co/Vtf2KWgz7mhttps://t.co/kKtsYOnv4f pic.twitter.com/WW0znDgYjQ
— Bjorn Lomborg (@BjornLomborg) June 18, 2019
As a matter of fact, “no atoll exhibited a decrease in land area over the past decades to century”:
Story talks about all the 'vulnerable nations' like Kiribati and the Marshall Islands
Both have seen *increasing* land areaIndeed, lastest meta-overview shows "no atoll exhibited a decrease in land area over the past decades to century"https://t.co/I8S4tRzerx pic.twitter.com/9zyMoNDpL0
— Bjorn Lomborg (@BjornLomborg) June 18, 2019
“Findings thus suggest that projected sea level rise . . . may facilitate further vertical reef island building”:
How is this possible?
Bc small islands are dynamic:
Storms breaking up surrounding coral, washing up on beach, slightly increasing/rising area
Sea level rise reducing area
(& humans both increasing area and destroying it through destabilization)https://t.co/GV3C3dhSdA pic.twitter.com/Of9Y32ftB2— Bjorn Lomborg (@BjornLomborg) June 18, 2019
“But, of course, scary alarmism sells better”:
Maybe, just maybe, Time Magazine ought to tell us, that *actually*, these islands are not disappearing under the sea, and that they will likely 'persist for habitation over next century'
But of course, scary alarmism sells better pic.twitter.com/S0WHFumFps— Bjorn Lomborg (@BjornLomborg) June 18, 2019
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