Rising Sea Levels, Rising Waves: With the Rising Things, Islands can't Last Forever

Islands in Indonesia on the verge of vanishing, Credit, Nelnewsasia.com

In 2020, two small islands in South Sumatra in Indonesia disappeared, sinking one to three meters below the sea level, with four other islands in that country facing the the prospect of vanishing, since they have elevations of less than four meters above the sea level.

Yelibuya sits between Freetown, Sierra Leone's capital, and Conakry, Guinea's capital, but the island faces the possibility of disappearance, as floods sweep through it on a yearly basis, while the Atlantic Ocean encroaches, taking at least 300 meters of the island over the past 30 years.

Santa Cruz del Islote,  part of San Bernardo archipelago in Colombia, stands at the risk of disappearance, about to follow on the heels of Maravilla Island, which in 2017 vanished, along with its flock of migrating frigates, albatrosses, and pelicans.

These islands won't be the last to disappear, because others such as Kiribati, the Maldives, Vanuatu, Tivalu, the Solomon Islands, and hundreds of others currently stand at the point of vanishing, their residents fearful over an uncertain future.

Absolute sea level rose an average of 0.06 inches per year from 1880 to 2013, but since 1993, the sea level rose at the rate of 0.12 to 0.14 inches per year, twice as fast as the long-term trend.

Yelibuya lacks reliable data, but a 2017 USAID climate vulnerability study found that the coastline of towns such as Yelibuya receded at the rate of 13-to-20 feet per year, with rainfalls more powerful and violent, driving ever more destructive waves into shrinking islands.

Ayetoro in Nigeria shares the prospect of disappearance too in the near future, because its coastline, like Yelibuya's, shrinks, and the town lost over ten kilometers to the Atlantic Ocean in the past 30 years.

Climate Change-induced factors such as absolute sea level rise, shrinking coastlines, ever-more powerful rainfalls lie behind the disappearance of islands, and since experts predict increased levels of sea level rise in the near future, many more islands stand the risk of vanishing.

Six years ago, 68.5 million people  suffered from displacement, more than at any other point in human history till then, but the figure for displacement could hit 216 million people by 2050, according to estimates from the World Bank.

In June 2022, the number of displaced people worldwide reached another all-time high at over 100 million people, a situation inevitable through the number of weather-related disasters, almost tripling in the past 40 years, their frequency and intensity worsened by climate change.

In a study published ten years ago, researchers discovered that rises in sea level stand to swamp more than 10,000 islands, forcing humans into displacement, and making many unique species of plants and animals to become extinct.

Earlier in the year, the United Nations Human Rights Office estimated that women form 80% of people displaced by climate change, get affected by the health impacts associated with climate change than men, and that nations with a high-level of gender inequality have a higher vulnerability to the negative impacts of climate change.

With islands now disappearing due to climate change factors such as sea level rise, and with hundreds of islands close to vanishing from the surface of the earth, many residents could find themselves at the risk of displacement, women stand to experience more of the health risks from the current climate crisis, and millions of people living on the islands may suffer the worst of the negative impacts of global warming, such as coping with the crisis that will come from the extinction of numerous plants and animals.

Therefore, the solution remains slowing down the speed of climate change, while planning for the resettlement of possibly millions of the people who live on shrinking islands, about to how their entire civilization wiped away.

Four Exploding Topic in Climate Tech

A gate Driver, Switchcraft.org

Control Systems

Control circuits and systems manage the operation of power electronics devices. 

They use feedback and control algorithms to regulate output parameters such as voltage, current, and frequency.

In electronics, they often involve fans, heat sinks, or liquid cooling to prevent overheating. In the context of vehicles, cooling systems typically use radiators and coolant to regulate engine temperature. 

The Global Industrial Cooling System Market size is expected to reach $23.4 billion by 2030, rising at a market growth of 5.6% CAGR during the forecast period.

Heat Sink

Power electronic devices generate heat during operation. Heat sinks and cooling systems, such as fans or liquid cooling, are crucial to dissipate this heat and prevent devices from damage.

They typically consist of a metal (usually aluminum or copper) structure with fins or other protrusions that increase the surface area. The increased surface area helps in the efficient transfer of heat to the surrounding air.

Heat Sink Market size was valued at US$ 6.61 billion in 2022 and the total Heat Sink revenue is expected to grow at 7.5% through 2023 to 2029, reaching nearly US$ 10.98 billion.

Protection Circuits

Power electronics systems often include protective features like over-current protection, over-voltage protection, and short-circuit protection to safeguard components and ensure the system's reliability.

Protection circuits are designed to safeguard electronic devices or systems from various potential issues or damage. They serve to prevent or mitigate the impact of adverse conditions. Common types of protection circuits.

The Global Circuit Protection Market size was valued at USD 46,844.9 million in 2022 and is expected to advance at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.9% from 2023 to 2030. 

Gate Drivers

In systems using semiconductor devices like MOSFETs and IGBTs, gate drivers are essential. They provide the necessary signals to control the switching of these devices.

They generate the necessary voltage and current signals to turn these devices on and off efficiently. Gate drivers play a crucial role in ensuring that power switches transition quickly and reliably, minimizing power losses and optimizing the performance of electronic systems such as inverters, motor drives, and power supplies.

The global gate Driver IC market  size was valued at 1.2 billion in 2020 and is projected to reach $1.88 billion by 2030 at a CAGR of 5.0% from 2021 to 2030.

What to Eat

Colombia vegan diet, Credit, Moon and Spoon Yum