DESTRUCTION ISLAND

Solomon islands edition

WHO IS THE MAJOR DESTRUCTOR OF PARADISE?

WHO IS THE MAJOR DESTRUCTOR OF PARADISE?

Solomon islands edition

(Click on the chosen contestant to get to know him/her better)

SHAKE

@stormy.solomon

@sealy.solomon

@mr.black.solomon

@deffy.solomon

Get to know the bold and sassy contestants that will the island!

THE CONTESTANTS

(black seas)

MR. BLACK

(storms)

STORMY

(sea level rise)

SEALY

(deforestation)

DEFFY

I am the most feared by all forests and ecosystems. I'm the best to make humans look dumb!They help me deforest forests and then I decrease oxygen production and increase the greenhouse effect (since the trees I destroy are considered one of the biggest liberators of CO₂).I am also really good at destroying habitats and extinguishing species. In the last decade, the Solomon Islands lost 205 kha of tree cover and I pretend to delete the little that is left of this vegetation cover. My plan to conquer the Solomon Islands is to use humans to my advantage since they like me, and then betray them like I always do.

DEFFY

(deforestation)

DEFFY

" I'm always handy to make room for palm oil and cocoa plantations, besides the mining and the infrastructure development."

To keep me from shining, governments and environmental organizations have tried to implement rules such as:

• Establishment of protected areas;
• Implementation of policies to regulate logging;
• Promoting sustainable economic alternatives for local communities.

According to GFW data, the Solomon Islands have already lost 1,440 square kilometers of tree cover. More than 80% of the timber harvested from the Solomon Islands is directed to its biggest consumer: China. Since other countries like Southeast Asia and Africa have strengthened their restrictions, the wood from the Solomon Islands has been in the overwhelming majority and the main importation choice of China. I love it!

My biggest fan on these islands is the logging companies.

The Solomons' land is cleared for timber, forestry, oil palm plantations, farming, urban and rural developments, and infrastructure. Only 1% of the land is for plantations and they still contribute to the removal of forests.But let's talk about illegal logging!

Malaita and Santa Isabel have completely lost their Intact Forest Landscapes, which are areas of original land cover that are large and connected enough to host all their native plant and animal species. Data source: UMD/Google

(Click on the chosen contestant to get to know him/her better)

SHAKE

@stormy.solomon

@sealy.solomon

@mr.black.solomon

@deffy.solomon

Get to know the bold and sassy contestants that will the island!

THE CONTESTANTS

(black seas)

MR. BLACK

(storms)

STORMY

(sea level rise)

SEALY

(deforestation)

DEFFY

If I'm not the example of a strong contestant I don't who will it be!

Year after year the sea rises 8mm since 1993 in the Solomon Islands. The glaciers of Antarctica and Greenland continue to melt because of the increasing global temperature. I love hot days! As I keep rising, I expose the communities to major risks such as coastal saltwater intrusion which leads to decreased levels of freshwater supplies and increased risks to communities’ food gardens and food security in general. I will increase the impact of coastal flooding and storms and they will progressively demolish the leftover islands.

SEALY

(sea level rise)

SEALY

"My power? I can displace millions of people by only engulfing coastlines.Nuatambu Island, home to 25 families, has lost more than a half of its habitable area, with 11 houses washed into the sea since 2011. And this is only a sample."

*THE CLIMATE FUTURE IN THE ISLANDS

Nusa Ivili, the island that disappeared in 3 years

* According to the Solomon Islands Meteorological Service and the Pacific-Australia Climate Change Science and Adaptation Planning (PACCSAP) Program

• Coral bleaching will increase
• Sea levels will continue to rise
• High temperatures and very hot days will increase in frequency

According to the Solomon Islands Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, Disaster Management, and Meteorology, I will rise by as much as 1 meter by 2100, which the people from Solomon might find frightening.In some cases, the coastlines might retreat 30 meters, based on the sea level data of Honiara.

Relocated population %

people were relocated due to cyclones, flash floods and other climate-related disasters

26.000

When they don't completely disappear, islands shrunk in size forcing villages to be relocated.The Solomon Islands have hundreds of islands with 640.000 habitants, which means, that they are an easy target since these islands are one of the poorest countries in the Pacific Ocean and people don't have enough resources to survive.

Nusa Ivili. One of my victims. On this island, people usually had picnics with their families in the early 2000s: an island full of life. In less than three years, Nusa Ivili disappeared and now, this is what you can observe from what's left of it:

(Click on the chosen contestant to get to know him/her better)

SHAKE

@stormy.solomon

@sealy.solomon

@mr.black.solomon

@deffy.solomon

Get to know the bold and sassy contestants that will the island!

THE CONTESTANTS

(black seas)

MR. BLACK

(storms)

STORMY

(sea level rise)

SEALY

(deforestation)

DEFFY

Now, you understand why I will win this show!

You all think you know me, but you don't! And I am here to show you how powerful I am. I am caused especially by humans in accidents involving tankers, barges, pipelines, refineries, drilling rigs, and storage facilities, and also because of hurricanes. Everywhere I go I always cause huge destruction. The biggest one I did in the Solomon Islands caused such great destruction that it could take about 50 years to rebuild with the help of the country's government.

MR. BLACK

(black seas)

MR. BLACK

"I am the black seas and I'm worse than everyone thinks"

"Humans are my allies"

Take a closer look at my impacts on the island:

In the next four months they had no food, no water, health, and physical problems (skin burns), many economic issues due to the lack of fishing, and the SMELL..., they couldn't even sleep because of it! The island lost a lot of biodiversity. I almost felt sorry for them, but the reality is that humans were my allies in this destruction!

Like I said, I have already been in the Solomon Islands, in Rennell Island. On Feb. 5, a Hong Kong-based bulk carrier, the MV Solomon Trader, ran aground off a remote island in the Solomon Islands. It spilled 80 tons of heavy fuel across coastal waters. It was terrible for them!

(Click on the chosen contestant to get to know him/her better)

SHAKE

@stormy.solomon

@sealy.solomon

@mr.black.solomon

@deffy.solomon

Get to know the bold and sassy contestants that will the island!

THE CONTESTANTS

(black seas)

MR. BLACK

(storms)

STORMY

(sea level rise)

SEALY

(deforestation)

DEFFY

I usually pass through the Solomon Islands' EEZ around 21 times per decade. Around 27% of them are typically considered severe events. As I said ENSO influences me so well to do these things! My favorite location to ruin the island is in the southern Solomon Islands of Makira, Ulawa, Rennell, and Bellona.According to a master organization Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR), the risk of trouble is classified as high in these islands. In my interpretation, this means there is more than a 20% chance of potentially damaging wind speeds for the country in the next 10 years.

STORMY

(storms)

STORMY

"I am the storms and I have a big historical effect in the Solomon Islands during the period of ENSO (El Niño Southern Oscillation)."

There are usually two phases: El Niño and La Niña. During El Niño, the ocean surface waters are warmer than usual, and equatorial divergence is located well to the east of the Pacific. In the case of La Niña, the temperatures are colder and equatorial divergence occurs across much of the region.

Something that I usually prefer not to talk about and that makes me sad, is the possibility of my damage decrease in frequency in the range of 6%-35%. But something that excites me is the ENSO influence factor, which for me could be essential for the increase in wind speeds in my performance.

If you don't know what my friend ENSO is, I pass to explain. So basically, is one of the drivers of inter-annual climate variability affecting the beautiful Solomon Islands. ENSO is known to help me to have distinct oceanographic, temperature, rainfall, and cyclonic conditions.

Now, I'm going to tell a secret. I prefer when the island is in the period of La Niña because that's when I spread the fear to this population!

WHO WILL IT BE?

What man-made disaster affects the Solomon Islands the most?

ROUND 1: elimination

The weakest contestant will be eliminated.The public statistics will determine who doesn't affect that much the Solomon Islands.

-Study made with 30 people

What is, in the public's opinion, the man-made disaster that affects the most the Solomon Islands?

ST

20% of the sample voted that Stormy was the most destructive of the island.

20% of the sample voted that Mr. Black was the most destructive of the island.

SL

53.3% of the sample voted that Sealy was the most destructive of the island.

6.7 % of the sample voted that Deffy was the most destructive of the island.

ELIMINATION

DEFFY LEFT THE DESTRUCTION ISLAND

What do the other contestants have to say?

Mr. Black

Understanding the interaction between me and climate change requires further study on the subject to know the potential changes in my seasonality of action and routes and my potential risk in unprecedented places. This situation scares me about my destructive future on these islands, but my potential risk is still very alarming and destructive to this population. If we talk about diminishing the potential of my competitors we always end up remembering Mr. Black. The "supposed claimants" always find a way to fight the oil spills, as they have set up an organization called NATPLAN, where all companies operating in the Solomon Islands have the following roles and responsibilities, to decrease the risk and prevent the spread of the oil spill. SIR, THE BOAT TO TAKE YOU HOME IS ARRIVING.

STORMY

I can have a huge impact on the loss of biodiversity, impairing the insulation of the fur of aquatic mammals, as well as dewatering the feathers. Many of the animals ingest the oil that's in the sea, which can lead to illness or even death. Now, you understand the destruction that I can do. In my opinion, the strongest contestant here is Sealy. However, humans have been keeping their eyes on climate change, which is the main cause of the increase in the average sea level. The new measures that humans have created to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases, may stabilize the planet’s temperature and thus attenuate the sea level rise. Although these measures are already in place, they will take a while to take effect. But when they do: SEALY WILL BECOME WEAKER.

MR.BLACK

Global warming can be addressed if governments take action on the number of CO2 emissions during fossil energy production but the sea level rise can't be stopped anymore.If the rise can't be stopped nor the ocean acidification can. The balance of tropical reefs won't be restored since this acidification has been slowly increasing In the Solomon Islands’ region, projections tend to show a decrease in the frequency of tropical cyclones by the late 21st century and an increase in the proportion of more intense storms, even though the intensity of these cyclones is still being discussed by meteorologists. SO, STORMY MIGHT BE IN TROUBLE SOON.

SEALY

3 FINAL CONTESTANTS

THE PRODUCTION HAD AN INTERVIEW WITH JOSÉ JANELA, BIOLOGY TEACHER AND QUERCUS ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION COORDINATOR, TO DECIDE WHO IS THE MAJOR DESTRUCTOR OF THE SOLOMON ISLANDS AND TO SPEAK SOME FACTS ON THE

-About Quercus: Quercus is an Environment Non-Governmental Organisation raised in Portugal in 1985. This ONG has played a role in defending nature and environmental causes, including taking action on multiple topics, such as climate change.

NOW LISTEN TO THE EYE

José Janela from Quercus

THE EYE: juri

Interview with José Janela from Quercus

THE EYE

FINAL RESULTS

The EYE concluded that these three contestants are related to the same origin: the burning of fossil fuels, causing the increase of greenhouse gases emissions and, consequently, the increase of the greenhouse effect. José Janela also mentioned that these man-made disasters combined have devastating repercussions for the Solomon Islands. Although it was tough, the decision made was based on the future consequences that the disasters might have; the frequency and intensity of the disaster, and which one is more difficult to be stopped.

THE EYE

SEE YOU NEXT SEASON