There was an interesting article in the New York Times today about a plan by the Netherlands to build a tulip-shaped island off-shore to help protect its coast from sea level rise. Here is the photo that appeared:
From the article:
The idea, Mr. de Boer went on, would be not only to gain land and protect the coast, but also to showcase Dutch engineering skills. At the same time, an island could be an energy powerhouse, shaped like a ring to create so-called blue energy by using the contrast of fresh and salt water to generate electricity, or the ebb and flow of the tides. Wind turbines could also produce even more energy, he said.
A green project all-around? I’m skeptical, but the concept is quite interesting on many levels.
What an innovative idea – shame about the CO2 emissions generated by the millions of tons of concrete that would be required.
The Netherlands has a lot to fear from sea level rise just like the East Anglia region of England just across the channel. I have some images on my blog entry that show what the UK would look like with large sea level rises :
http://andrewwhaley.blogspot.com/2008/11/manchester-on-sea.html