– I was quite confused when we sailed past Gili Anyaran for the first time, says Paul Lubbe (37). It was a strong desire for adventure and a pull towards the sea that made him and Linn Charlotte Klund (36) set sail in 2013. The plan was to sail around the world for three years. It lasted over ten years. They quickly found out that they were time witnesses to a changing climate. The couple began documenting what they saw. Linn Charlotte and Paul and their son in Oslo. They have a few months on land before going out to sea again. Photo: Kirsti Haga Honningsøy At the Gili Islands in Indonesia, they sailed past a large island that was completely underwater. – The map showed an island, but in front of us there was only water, says Paul. Gili Anyaran in Google maps. – Remember the palm trees Close to the surface of the water, Paul and Linn Charlotte could see a coral reef, and with the help of a drone they could see the whole island. The water covers the island by only a few centimeters at low tide. At high tide, the depth is two metres. Local politician Abu Abdullah has lived on the island of Gili Gede in Lombok all his life. People just call him “Abu Gili Gede”. The Gili Islands consist of 13 islands with a total of 1,450 inhabitants. On Facetime with news, 15,000 kilometers away, he stands with water up to his ankles while standing on the sunken island. He sighs and smiles at the same time. – 15 years ago there were very beautiful, white beaches on this island. Now we can only see the island at low tide. Right now I only see coral reefs and starfish where I stand. Abu Abdoullah stands with water up to his ankles on the island of Gili Anyaran. Photo: Private – My father told me that there were palm trees here when he was younger and that all the fishermen came here to rest in the fishing houses. Or they stopped here to prepare the equipment before catching fish, says Abu. – When dad taught me to sail as a little boy, the milestone was coming here, he adds. Of the 13 Gili Islands, two of them are now underwater. – I really hope we can protect the remaining islands. We have two islands that are gone, and I hope this does not happen to the others. People need to come see this. We must save the world from global warming, says Abu. Climate change is the biggest challenge the islanders face, he says. – We cannot control this, this is nature, global warming, and a melting Antarctic, says Abu. – We work with many measures, and are constantly investigating possible solutions. For example, that we can set up mangrove forests in a natural way, says Abu. Gili Amben is the other island that is almost gone. Photo: Abu Abdoullah Gili Amben rises from the sea at low tide. Photo: Abu Abdoullah – Plastic absolutely everywhere on this planet Paul and Linn Charlotte have traveled the world slowly and for a long time, and say they have seen, felt and documented changes in climate and environment. After visiting 50 countries, they now have a hard drive full of photos and recordings. Paul says that the most shocking thing he has seen is how much plastic is out there. – We have been to very, very isolated places, and we have not seen a single place without plastic, says Paul. – For the communities we met, it was always problematic that there is climate change, for example when it comes to growing food. It has felt like this around the world. That traditional weather patterns that people live by are becoming more and more difficult and unpredictable, says Paul. Linn Charlotte Klund and Paul Lubbe were only supposed to sail for three years, but it turned into ten. A sense of adventure and a commitment to climate means that they continue their journey at sea. Photo: Privat They have seen clear signs that there are changes in the world climate, they say. – The trade winds failed in a place where there are actually trade winds all year round. We sailed from Bora Bora. We had a headwind, but there is no headwind there. It was quite terrifying, says Paul. Nevertheless, hope is strengthened rather than weakened, emphasizes Paul. – We were among traditional communities in Vanuatu where the level of education is not that high on average, and who say that it is quite obvious that man-made climate change is happening and that we must do something. No one doubts this, he says. Abu hopes the world will open its eyes It was in 2020 that the couple visited the Gili Islands and found the island under water. – It was quite surreal to see the island and to think that what had previously been a place where people stayed, now lay under the water’s crust right under our boat, says Linn Charlotte. There they also met Abu, who wants as many people as possible to see the island and the reality they face. Overview of Gili Anyaran which is now completely underwater. Photo: Paul Lubbe – We must work together to find out how to protect the earth from harm and disaster, both internally in Indonesia and in the world. – If we get the opportunity to speak at the climate conference in Dubai in December, I think it would be a very good idea. We islanders can see with the naked eye how climate change affects our sustainable life, and work together to find a solution to bring back island life, says Abu. – Dramatic for Indonesia Sea level rise is one of the clearest, and in the long term most dramatic, consequences of global warming, says climate scientist Bjørn Samset at Cicero. – We are now steering towards a place where the islands of Indonesia will experience well over half a meter of sea level rise over the next 80 years. It’s a lot, when the islands lie as low as they do, and are also sinking for other reasons, says Samset. Today, the sea is rising by more than four millimeters a year, on average, but this rise is not the same around the world. – Around Indonesia it is faster than average, as you can see in this picture from the American NOAA, says Samset. – In short, sea level rise is very dramatic, especially for the low-lying island states in Indonesia and the Pacific Ocean, but also for people living in coastal areas around the world. And that actually applies to billions of people, he says. The sea has gradually risen over the past 10,000 years, so we are not unfamiliar with that in itself, says Samset. – But today the speed is four times higher, and it is increasing rapidly, he says. Climate researcher Bjørn Samset in Cicero. Photo: Robert Rønning / Robert Rønning / news – Gradually falling The reasons for sea level rise today are partly that both the land height and the large ice massifs change after the last ice age, but this is less than a quarter of the reason, says Samset. – The rest comes from global warming making the sea warmer, so that it expands, and the ice in Greenland, in Antarctica and in glaciers around the world is melting. At the same time, this is not all that happens. – 10 centimeters will not cause, for example, Gili Anyaran to sink in the time being talked about. There are many natural processes that raise and lower countries and islands as well, and in Indonesia there are many islands that are gradually sinking due to continental drift, erosion. So I would like to think that it is primarily what has happened here, says Samset. – Down with emissions and moving cities – The question is, after all, what happens in the future. There we know, unfortunately, that sea level rise due to climate change will only continue, and also become faster every year for a long time. It is because the melting has already been started, and the world will not get colder again in the foreseeable future, says Samset. – What do we do with this? – First of all, we must cut emissions of greenhouse gases, so that the increase is as low as possible, and that it happens as slowly as possible, so that we have time to adapt, says Samset. – Second, we either have to build dykes or move cities and communities away from the coastal areas. What is most relevant varies from place to place, but in Indonesia there are now whole countries considering whether they have to move, he says. Drone photo of Gili Anyaran. Photo: Paul Lubbe
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Found island that is now completely underwater – news – Klima
