February 20, 2000

11:57 PM

Grab your water-wings while you can, because I'm afraid I am the bearer of bad tidings. We only have a billion years of beach time left, because our planet's ocean's are going to dry up completely. Fortunately, earth will be almost completely unlivable by then, so our descendents will already be dead. According to professor of meterology James Kastings, "My calculations are somewhat pessimistic and present a worst case scenario..."
posted by sixfoot6 (2 comments total)

well, according to the discovery channel, drying up is that last of our worries. we're going to get smacked by giant space rocks way before the sun toasts us.

so don't sweat it!
posted by mmanning at 6:32 PM on February 21, 2000

try telling that to these people who's island home is being swallowed: "Tuvalus main island and capital, Funafuti, will Saturday and Sunday afternoon receive spring tides of 3.2 metres (11 feet). No point of land in Tuvalu is more than 4.5 metres (15 feet) above mean sea level. [an expert] said spring tides have been steadily getting higher, causing serious problems, and this month they will be their highest ever. On overcrowed Funafuti, home to most of the 11,000 population, the groundwater has already become undrinkable thanks to sea-water intrusion, and often century-old pits used for growing the root crop taro are being flooded by sea-water." [read the whole article, it's very interesting]
posted by palegirl at 7:29 PM on February 21, 2000