Sevenoaks Catalyst Magazine - Science and Society Issue 3 - Lent term 2021 | Page 76

01 MADDIE EVANS

For years we have looked for the future in our stars , but we should be focusing our time and energy on the future of our own planet . David Attenborough ’ s new series “ A Perfect Planet ” explains how lucky we are to live on an inhabitable planet . The perfect temperature , edible food , and breathable air are just a few of the countless things our planet provides us with . Oceans are essential to sustaining life on Earth ; they cover 70 % of our planet . However , we are destroying them and the life they contain at an alarming rate . With climate change causing rising sea levels , it is estimated that 31 major cities will be underwater by 2050 , including New York City , London , and Shanghai . We have only classified 9 % of the animals in our oceans , meaning we don ’ t even know 91 % of the animals we may be killing . In the next ten years our oceans could look a lot bigger and emptier .

In 2016-2017 , 50 % of Australia ’ s Great Barrier Reef was bleached ( bleaching is caused by ocean heatwaves that force the coral to expel the algae living in their tissue , which puts the coral under stress and usually ensuing in death ). Australia ’ s reefs stretch over 1,400 miles and are currently at their lowest point on record . One scientist , Stephen Palumbi , has discovered corals that live in areas of the ocean which are as hot as the ocean off Australia is expected to be in 100 years . They can survive these temperatures because the coral has heat resistant algae . However , this coral is not native to the Great Barrier Reef and has a much lower growth rate than the native species . If we do not take action to reverse climate change , in 10 years we will have lost a huge percentage of the coral and the animals which depend on it .
Imagine if we could build new cities from scratch . Sea levels are rising rapidly which makes storm surges bigger and more likely to breach our coastal defences . By 2050 570 low lying cities will be threatened by rising sea levels , putting over 800 million people at risk and cause damage costing around $ 1 trillion . But if we adapt quickly , we could save millions of people and change the future of our planet . This adaptation could come in the form of floating cities . It isn ’ t a new idea and , globally , we already have some floating structures , e . g . traditional floating houses found along the Mekong river in South-East Asia . The UN has expressed support for the idea in response to rising sea levels and to house climate refugees . I imagine the floating cities would be anchored to the ocean floor and would use desalinated water . The food would be harvested underwater via aquaculture or in from floating farms . The main energy source would most likely be solar panels and the cities would be designed to be hurricane resistant and zero-waste . This sounds like a good idea but some people question whether we can afford to build these structures . The total cost for a city is estimated to be $ 123 million .
Our future may be bright or dark - we can decide . Billionaire Elon Musk is spending $ 62 billion dollars on Space X , a project that will send people to an un-inhabitable planet . Maybe billionaires like Elon Musk , Richard Branson , and Jeff Bezos should put aside space exploration and focus their scientists and money on saving our planet and our oceans . In 11 years , climate change will be irreversible and our oceans will never be the same . Our world leaders aren ’ t addressing climate change . The UK has passed a law to ban all petrol and diesel cars from 2030 - this is a start , but it is not enough . I challenge our countries ’ leaders to acknowledge we have a problem and work to solve it so that we can have a future with a beautiful ocean .