Going, Going, Gone: The Fate of Low-Lying Islands and Estuaries

Abstract

Garrett Hardin s lifeboat metaphor is used to illustrate the problems of overpopulation and finite resources. Sea levels are rising due to excess atmospheric greenhouse gases that melt glaciers and warm the oceans. With anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions continuing to increase, humankind has placed human culture and individuals at serious risk. Rising sea levels will soon make some low-lying islands uninhabitable.