Sinking Islands, Floating Nation: Can Artificial Islands Save This Country? | Op-Docs

Matthieu Rytz’s “Sinking Islands, Floating Nation,” which paints a visually stunning portrait of Kiribati, an island nation in the central Pacific that is facing an existential threat from rising sea levels. The Op-Doc is a companion piece to Rytz’s feature documentary “Anote’s Ark,” which follows the country’s now-retired president Anote Tong as he races to save a country that is slowly being swallowed by the ocean.
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[@dfg1999]

Very powerful but heartbreaking story. I know that the man-made structure will save the people of Kiribati, but nothing will be the same. The structure will last less than 100 years. They need to find a new home.

[@donharrington8950]

The great thing about islands is you can build synthetic reefs on land in buildings and coral can be used as natural lime cement for hydroponics and geopolymer limestone by using the flow of the ocean and minerals to grow coral cement in warehouses on islands

[@ChuckSilva]

Stunning as only The New York Times can deliver. As long as humanity remains optimistic - enlightened - human knowledge will find a solution. ❤️

[@alexmipego]

That end factoid just murdered me.

[@MrYdady]

The whole world should help pay for this . We should take responsibility for our actions and act .

[@charlesanekwe571]

I LIKE THE WAY COMMON SENSE PREVAILED AT THE END OF THIS VIDEO.

[@TheAlexwilhelm]

no common sense is pack up and leave, if it's underwater how can it be dubai?

[@maxcovfefe]

I disagree. I wanna see this eventually happen. I've seen multiple ways it could work, and it'd be an engineering feat on par with the likes of the moon landing. The Earth is changing. We can debate all day over why, but it's not gonna stay the way it is. It's ALWAYS BEEN CHANGING, it's just happening kinda faster now. Adapt or die.

[@jacobhero1577]

But what can i do to help out?

[@mog7389]

Stop burning fossil fuels.

[@jacobhero1577]

@@mog7389 The corporations above us especially

[@chile8161]

One of the many problem with this world is that we are not doing enough to bridge the gap between climate change deniers and climate change believers. If we can’t bridge the gap between these two groups, then the only home humanity and all things in between are doomed, but if by one forsaken miracle we managed to bridge that gap, maybe, just maybe, planet Earth has a fighting chance to make our home more habitable for everyone to live in.

[@cia898]

And they can’t move to Australia?

[@grumpyaustralian6631]

I just wanna confirm that no, they can not move to australia. We rarely let refugees in, we've been dumping them on Nauru and manus island for years in direct contrast to international laws. Sometimes we don't even take them to the islands, we just patch up their boats, point them back towards indonesia and say "goodluck". One does not simply move to australia.

[@potatotomato6094]

@@grumpyaustralian6631 name checks out

[@jnkiee]

Spiders.

[@OwenRULESSS]

What id call false hope

[@benharrykirk2824]

It's a long shot to be sure. It seems exceedingly unlikely but - then again - so was putting a man on the moon. Either way, no reason not to try.

[@LLee0]

Its cheaper to build taller buildings on the island. Cheaper and more practical.

[@christophec6992]

L Lee taller building vs a barrge with a few feet of soil for plant life. Relitivly Simple, cost effective practical.

[@niltondossantos9790]

Pacific Island Nations:🇵🇬🇳🇿🇫🇯🇰🇮🇲🇭🇳🇷🇵🇼🇸🇧🇹🇴🇼🇸🇻🇺🇹🇻

[@stellarose611]

The design for this actually doesn't seem very efficient... Feels like there's a big focus on aesthetic ?

[@kelindrawn]

Bioshock?

[@SR-kz9un]

Umbrella Corporation, The Hive revamped

[@TriPham-xd9wk]

We can use hydrology princple to float up then use ice to keep afloat i we had less money

[@bornjusticerule5764]

So awesome

[@kellymm7630]

Sad ending

[@donharrington8950]

You want your towers to slowly sink to stabalize the underground of the island the voidacies are from soil becoming hydrophobic from rising ocean levels geopolymer is the best option limestone was the most common only used ancient Hydraulic lime paste cement mixed with nails you can lift 500ton blocks with junkyard cranes magnets

[@thejanamendis9528]

Why not looking for artificial islands.

[@Nikiniyenara]

it will be?

[@Jeudaos]

It can. If anybody has doubts. Search up the Venus Project.

[@WeAreCamels]

Venus project is garbage

[@charlesanekwe571]

TONG WAS HITTIN' THE BONG.

[@TWLogik]

That's like building on top of a sinking ship. The new president is crazy.

[@nanonood2261]

Jacque Fresco's ideas should be used!

[@chrisrus1965]

Really excellent video. We are not going to destroy the planet. We can save it with our technology.

[@julianhobrough1290]

chrisrus1965 Rubbish.

[@ericascott9645]

I’d argue that we’d only have to save it using this kind of technology, because we destroyed it.

[@chrisrus1965]

@@ericascott9645 Think about what you mean exactly why you say destroyed it. Obviously the planet itself is not been destroyed. The only thing that could destroy the planet would be a giant meteor or something. With every ton of synthetic nitrogen humans introduced into the biosphere its ultimate size limit is increased. By releasing carbon that was otherwise unavailable to the biosphere the size of the biosphere has increased by human activity. Prior to human beings much of this carbon was not available, being held back from the biosphere, outside the carbon circle. Similarly the amount of nitrogen that was biologically available was much smaller before the invention of synthetic nitrogenous fertilizer. It was there in the atmosphere but was not biologically available in most cases. The ability to a fix nitrogen from the atmosphere was only achieved relatively recently by very few species. This was another fact you're holding the size of the biosphere back. In terms of a Kinder gentler planted one has certainly been achieved. The director of the La Brea Tar Pits you once told me that if you could take a time machine back to Los Angeles in that same place you would arrive at what he called the furry nightmare full of monstrous beasts fighting to the death. we know for billions of years there was nothing but the survival of the fittest and competition and each one had his enemy and they could not cooperate outside of the very close relatives. Now it is the anthropocene we have arrived and kindness and love can be found much more easily in nature. These people's islands can be recreated. Mirrors and shades can be put up in the atmosphere to cool the Earth and prevent global warming. Solutions can be found to every problem and we have found many so far. Everywhere in and amongst human beings are those animals which have adapted and thrived in the anthropocene. This world has not been destroyed by humans. We will take care of it. We can do this only if we are not afraid to assume the mantle.

[@jennygInspired]

@@chrisrus1965 the problem is we have to admit the planet needs saving before we can invest in the technological advances needed to save it. At the moment, those that have the power are still in willful denial because it isn't profitable. They are too greedy to admit there's a problem and I don't feel they will recognize the issue until it is too late.

[@chrisrus1965]

@@jennygInspired again I ask you to please explain what you mean when you say the planet is in danger because obviously you don't mean that literally. I'm not just being obtuse here. What you meant was the people need saving from environmental problems such as sea level rise. The actual planet is not in danger say what you mean. If it's not what I said just before then what. The planet is not in danger.

[@niltondossantos9790]

Japan save Kiribati

[@iskender1327]

No offense, this seems to good to work Something will go wrong

[@alexmunozluna5641]

Iskender At first yea but with trial and error more success will happen throughout years.

[@flybeep1661]

*too

[@iskender1327]

Fly Beep thanks

[@relaxedclaw]

whether or not it does we need to start working on things like this because the water level is increasing by a lot and we are just going to keep losing land

[@maxcovfefe]

We need people to say this so we can see possible dangers. But we also need people who will use a little less caution and go forward. Without both we'd have no medicine, no science, no maps, no moon landing... This is why there's that old saying, "fail first." If you start by acknowledging "things will go wrong," you've already solved a huge part of the equation. If all else fails, remember: the dinosaurs were a HUGE success! They were around even longer than we've been. We exist as a direct result of a few mass extinctions before us. The universe is a dangerous, violent place. Something will _always_ go wrong. That much is certain.

[@donharrington8950]

Liquid stone geopolymer megaliths sand barge ships with crushed rocks geopolymer cement paper weights

[@VMRDY]

They’re gonna build a smaller version for $450 million? LOL. You can’t even build a medium sized skyscraper for that much. And the economy of Kiribati is only $200 million. This ain’t gonna work and they can’t move to Australia. Their best bet is to move to New Zealand.

[@amandafevrier2638]

That's a pretty island

[@biro24]

Would it be easier to make a new island, like Saudi Arabia has? Or the new port in Germany? Raise it higher the. Sea level. I wrote this when the drums were playing lol

[@hauntedlolita666]

I want to live in an irl Zora's domain.

[@jakebesaw]

Can you please update your NYT intro? It is very 1990's and makes the following pieces appear lesser than they are.

[@raghavsharma96]

Lol exactly what I was thinking

[@adeled8833]

Japanese

[@ImDeviantMrED]

Arrogance is right.

[@rabit818]

What’s the point? Humanity is pretty much on life support.

[@copypaste3526]

Have you ever stayed in ONE building longer than a couple of days?

[@charlesanekwe571]

AM I THE ONLY ONE WHO WATCHED THIS VIDEO HIGH?

[@b3daz]

Fix the island. The simple solution.

[@charlesanekwe571]

So y'all building Atlantica huh? Yo! What kinda mindfuck is this?

[@r0cketplumber]

Charles Darwin showed 150 years ago that coral rubble islands follow changes in sea level due to storm surge deposition of the rubble. There is no crisis in Kiribati.

[@RU-zm7wj]

Have you been there? I have, and there is.

[@k.3004]

Was there increasing sea levels 150 years ago? How high is the rate of disposition compared to the amount of water that floods the added "land"?