While it may be getting the media attention, New Moore Island is just one of dozens that are sinking into the sea. New Moore Island has long been the center of a land dispute between India and Bangladesh. Though residents have taken a short term loan of living space on other shores, the issue promises to only get worse. The dispute over New Moore Island is bringing media attention to the rising sea claiming more land then every before.
New Moore Island by any other name
New Moore Island is a relatively small piece of disputed land - less than 3 square miles. India claims that New Moore Island falls within their maritime borders, and therefore is Indian. The government of Bangledesh calls the island South Talpatti and also claims it. There have never been any permanent settlements on New Moore Island. The Bhola cyclone in 1970 actually revealed New Moore Island / South Talpatti, which is what started the conflict. India had at one point established a base on South Talpatti / New Moore Island, but international opinion was split on the question.
Rising sea levels engulf New Moore Island
The School of Oceanographic Studies in Calcutta reported to the BBC recently that New Moore Island had been entirely engulfed by rising sea waters. Confirmed by local fishermen and satellite pictures, New Moore Island is officially no more. Before the year 2000, sea levels in most of the world went up by approximately 3 millimeters a year, but between 2000 and 2010 sea level has risen at about 5 millimeters per year. Where New Moore Island sits, in the Sundarban Island Chain, sea levels have been rising at the rate of 3.14 centimeters a year. Four islands of the Sundarban chain sunk before New Moore Island.
More island nations might sink
New Moore Island and the Sundarban Island chains are not the only islands at risk of sinking into the ocean. The Maldives, an island nation in the Indian Ocean, has been losing land mass to the sea for years. Top elevation on the Maldives is only 8 feet above sea level, so even a high tide can wreak havoc. In response, the government of the Maldives has been building Hulhumale, a man-made island, for residents to emigrate to. In the Pacific Ocean between Hawaii and Australia, Tuvalu is also in danger of sinking. Experts estimate that Tuvalu’s 11,000 citizens will have no home in as little as 50 years. Each year, 75 Tuvalu residents can use military personal loans to move to New Zealand - but many more are left behind. Tonga, Kirbati, and the Marshall Islands are also at risk of disappearing just like New Moore Island did.
Can the islands be saved?
Most scientists agree that there is no definitive way to measure the cause of small islands sinking into the sea. Islands can rise and fall in addition to the fact sea levels regularly change. There are also arguments about if the increased water levels are due to global climate change or natural variations in the climate. There is no way to really stop an island from sinking into the ocean, though, so islands like New Moore Island are being forced to find solutions.
Sources:
Times of India
BBC News
Wikipedia