With a 69 percent increase in maternal mortality, climate change is the secondary issue to social change already destroying SI lives.
It is true climate change is not a fairy tale. The climate is always changing.
It is also true that underground water near the sea sometimes becomes brackish during normal drought. Rocky islands can sink due to earthquake and make their fresh water brackish, same same with water trapped on atoll's when stormy seas wash over or wash an atoll away.
Gardens are producing less food because nutrients in soil are exhausted due to big population pressure, and fertilizer now costs a fortune.
As for less fish from the sea, it is not scientifically possible to attribute fish stock devastation to climate change without full and due consideration of impact of nutrient pollution on the ocean food web. Animals lacking food fail to breed and maternal mortality can occur. Beware.
Yes, SI people are not eating enough essential protein but blaming and attending to the wrong cause is only going to make the situation worse.
In my opinion following long term observation and research since 1982, fish stock devastation is caused by nutrient pollution and ignorance and delay with solutions. Based on evidence of substance is is my opinion fish devastation causing collapse of traditional staple food from the sea is the most likely reason for a recent 69 percent increase in maternal mortality in SI.
Development of the maternal mortality increase coincides with development of fish stock and seagrass food web nursery devastation caused by algae feeding on sewage nutrients. The algae is smothering seagrass and coral.
Baitfish depend on seagrass. Island people and tuna depend on baitfish. Atoll's depend on coral sand and rubble and without ongoing supply atoll's must be expected to wash away and sink.
If Rence Sore or anyone else can refute any of the above then let's hear the evidence here and now urgently in this letters section of Solomon Times online.
Surely it is best to urgently attend to the real priority issues such as protein deficiency malnutrition and maternal mortality and collapse of fish barter subsistence trade in SI and elsewhere, or suffer even greater consequences.
See:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/11/15/2420696.htm
Climate Matter Of Priority
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this letter are those of John C Fairfax and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Solomon Times Online.
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