Dubbed an “urban musical attraction”, the sea organ – named “Morske orgulje” – isn’t new, nor is the concept of musical infrastructure. In 1986, artist Peter Richards and master stone mason George Gonzalez designed a wave-activated acoustic sculpture on a jetty in San Francisco Bay. They built their “Wave Organ” (pictured below) using elements from a demolished cemetery, materials well-suited to the eerie tones they produce.

The California jetty was, in turn, inspired by “sound sculptor” Bill Fontana who had recorded sounds emanating from a vent-pipe in a floating concrete dock in Sydney, Australia.

The Croatian installation came online in 2005, as part of a larger program of urban renewal. Zadar had been partly destroyed during World War II,  leaving a landscape of damaged concrete and a battered shoreline seawall. Bašić designed a jetty that would work as both environmental infrastructure (a protective embankment against wave action) and community asset (it’s a popular lunch-spot for tourists and locals). Tune in to a bit of wave jam, below:

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QeGDjvCCkfk[/youtube]

The 230-foot jetty contains 35 polyethylene tubes of varying size that thread through a central, subterranean service channel within the larger structure. Waves push seawater through the underwater tubing and force air up through ground-level “whistles” tuned to play seven chords of five tones.  The result is continual music, with unique timing choreographed by the changing patterns of the waves. Bašić’s Sea Organ won the 2006 European Prize for Urban Public Space.

So what’s this bit of European civil engineering got to do with the Middle East?

United Nations scientists have declared 2015 as the hottest year on record, with a month of record-keeping still to go. They’ve also declared 2011 to 2015 the hottest recorded time-span, linking our warming planet to stronger storms, more severe droughts and rising sea levels. Global sea level averages during the first half of the year were the highest since records began in 1993.

“The state of the global climate in 2015 will make history as for a number of reasons,” WMO Secretary-General Michel Jarraud said in a press release. “Levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere reached new highs.” This bad news is part of a “preliminary statement,” as the agency’s full report won’t be released until after the Paris climate talks.

Look to the Persian Gulf, and quickly see how vulnerable Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates to rising seas.  Scan the southern Mediterranean, and consider impacts to coastal cities in Egypt, Israel, and Lebanon. Potentially devastating impacts will make the current humanitarian exodus from Syria and Iraq look like a small town parade. And what better to go with a parade than a band, perhaps of music played by incessantly lapping waves?

The post Climate change has its soundtrack! Concrete organ makes music from rising seas appeared first on Green Prophet.

Think “Mediterranean” and most Westerners conjure up Monte Carlo or Mykonos, Cannes or Nice, often overlooking the southern coastline cities that lie in Turkey, Cyprus, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco. Fourteen Mediterranean port cities are at risk of extreme and repetitive flooding due to climate change, soils erosion, spikes in population and urban sprawl, according to a Program for the Prevention Preparedness and Response to Natural and Man-Made Disasters (PPRD South) report.  According to ANSAmed, PPRD’s top eight cities-at-risk all boast Middle Eastern zip codes: Alexandria holds top risk, followed by Istanbul, Benghazi, Casablanca, Smyrna, Algiers, Rabat, and Beirut.

European cities of Marseille-Aix-en-Provence, Barcelona, Tripoli, Athens and Naples bring up the rear of the riskiest waterfronts, but we head back to the MidEast for the finale – roll up your pant legs, Tel Aviv-Jaffa.

The World Bank offers a bleaker prediction, stating rising sea level could affect 43 port cities: 24 in the Middle East and 19 in North Africa. It ventures that  a 0.5 meter rise near Alexandria would displace more than 2 million people, with $35 billion in losses in land, property, and infrastructure, as well as incalculable losses of cultural assets.

Rising sea levels and temperatures are predicted to incite increased storms, putting these coastal cities at high risk of experiencing extreme “hundred year floods” (floods of such severity that scientists would estimate them occurring only once in any given century).

The PPRD report, which was commissioned by the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development, warned that rapid urbanization will see populations in these cities tripling by 2070.

The Mediterranean Sea is increasingly at risk on every level: 30% of the world’s cargo ships sail it, including 25% of the global oil tanker fleet. Millions of people depend upon this waterbody for their livelihoods.

Last week in Calabria, Italy, a one-day conference entitled The Future of Mediterranean Economies and the Promise of Green Economy was held to discuss this subject along with a broader agenda of sustainable development in the Mediterranean region. Experts joined together to devise ways to reduce man-made wastes, switch fossil-fuel based economies to ones based on renewable energy, and introduce sustainable development in the poorest coastal areas.

Good stuff, but we need to widen the focus on this looming dilemma: this trickle of attentiveness won’t stem rising tides.

Image of flooded pyramids by Shutterstock

The post Middle Eastern & Mediterranean Cities Face 100-Year Floods appeared first on Green Prophet.

The Malacca Straits Mosque in Malaysia is arguably the world’s most beautiful and it is vulnerable to rising seas.

Malaysia is one of the few countries that share Dubai’s obsession with manmade islands and grandeur. We have often cast a critical eye on the Emirate’s core developers for building artificial islands that have wrecked havoc on the Gulf’s marine environment, but the danger doesn’t end there.

As increasing levels of greenhouse gases choke the planet and giant plumes of methane fast-track global warming, glaciers and ice caps melt, leaving all low-lying and coastal developments vulnerable to rising sea levels. Take a look at the beautiful Malacca Straits Mosque in Malaysia. It was propped up on concrete pillars, but how will it fare in a few decades when the Strait of Malacca is one meter higher?

Monitoring sea levels

One of the most important shipping lanes in the world, the Strait of Malacca is particularly vulnerable to climate change. The Malay Government has long known this. Even during colonial times, tidal stations were set up to monitor sea levels in the country.

According to the Sea Level Monitoring Network, “there are 12 tidal stations along the coast of Peninsular Malaysia (West Malaysia) and 9 tidal stations along the coast of Sabah and Sarawak (East Malaysia).”

But this hasn’t stopped such improbable developments as the Malacaa Island – the first “Twin Island City Center” – on which southern shore the Malacca Straits Mosque was built.

The hubris of humanity

Undertaken by Pulau Kembar Sdn Bhd. – a 98.999%-owned subsidiary of Talam – the project involved the reclamation of two artificial islands off the coast of Malacca measuring 40ha and 50ha respectively. Although an impressive engineering feat, we know by now that such construction hinders natural currents and drums up silt, which in turn disturbs marine habitats.

The Mosque was completed towards the end of 2006 and cost US$3.3 million. Although there’s nothing at all green about it, it would be a shame to see such a beautiful building swallowed up by water. But there’s a strong chance of this.

According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), “global warming from the greenhouse effect could raise sea level one meter about one meter in the next century and several meters in the next few hundred years by expanding ocean water, melting mountain glaciers, and causing ice sheets to melt or slide into the oceans.”

This rise would ” inundate deltas, coral atoll islands, and other coastal lowlands, erode beaches, exacerbate coastal flooding, and threaten water quality in estuaries and aquifers.”

Inundated with water

The Welt Atlas map above shows the extent to which Malaysia is surrounded by water. In 1992, the non-government Malaysian Climate Change Group (MCCG) was established to draw attention to the country’s susceptibility to rising seas and other environmental issues.

In response, the government established the Ninth Malaysia plan 2006-2010) that establishes mechanisms to mitigate climate change issues. Science Alert lists some of the plans priorities:

• Conduct Coastal Vulnerability Index (CVI) study;
• Implement Coastline Protection Program
• Develop Integrated Coastal Zone Management
• Implement Flood Mitigation Program
• Identify the Relationship Between Climate Change and Vector-Borne Diseases

Climate change is no secret. We understand the dangers. But our denial jeopardizes all of our hard work – our beautiful works of architecture – and other important achievements. What will it take for us to change?

:: We discovered the second beautiful image of the Malacca Mosque on Urban Peek’s Facebook page.

More on Artificial Islands and Architecture on Green Prophet:

Israel Considers Building an Artificial Island off the Coast of Gaza

 Dutch Company Floats New Idea for World Island Investors in Dubai

Trouble in Paradise: Water Failure at Luxury Apartments in Dubai

The post The World’s Most Beautiful Mosque in Malaysia is Vulnerable to Rising Seas appeared first on Green Prophet.

The sea coasts of Oman and the Arabian Gulf  are those where fishermen still practice their trade in wooden sailing dhows and rare species of whales play offshore from the rugged Oman seacoasts.

Wooden dhows still ply these waters as they did in ancient times.

Geoscientists say that these same coasts, said to be the home of Sinbad the Sailor, are now sinking and shrinking due to rising sea levels as well as erosion from real estate building projects.

Global warming and climate change are being blamed for a lot of problems in coastal areas.

This not only affects countries like Oman that face oceans, but also more enclosed bodies of water like the Mediterranean Sea.

Oman’s Bandar al Jissah is sinking and shrinking due to rising sea levels

Ancient archaeological sites like those on Libyan, Egyptian, and Israeli seacoasts are also in trouble, one of which, the ancient Roman city of Caesarea, is being eroded due to a serious lack of sand to hold back the ravages of the sea. The situation in Caesarea has become so dire that a storm in mid December, 2010 caused severe damage to an ancient sea port and other nearby structures.

Sinbad seeks a safe haven

Real estate development along Oman’s Arabian seacoast, on which an ancient site called Bandar Jissah is being promoted as a heritage site and “safe haven” for vacationers and property investors, is itself in danger of eroding away due to rising sea levels.

Whether or not a character named Sinbad actually hailed from Bandar Jissah, the uniqueness of this site may soon be lost forever unless measures are taken to protect it. If area sea levels keep rising, human protection measures may simply not be enough to save Saraya or the rest of the Oman coastline.

Top image via wikipedia. All others via Lonely Planet

More about Oman and other area ecological issues:
Geoscientists Say Oman is Sinking and Shrinking
New Arabian Humpbacked Whale Species Discovered in Oman
Baharain Fishermen Plea for Help With Their Catch

The post Sinbad the Sailor’s Home Threatened by Rising Seas and Bad Development appeared first on Green Prophet.

Within the next 100 years, global sea levels are expected to rise by at least 1 meter and swallow up coastal towns and cities – a reality from which the Middle East is not exempt. Already geoscientists from the German University of Technology have noted that in certain parts of the Gulf country Oman – the landmass is sinking and shrinking, Gulf News reports.

LiDAR

Using LiDAR (light detection and ranging instruments) technology in a collaborative study with RWTH Aachen University, the scientists found that land losses of a few millimeters occur each year – particularly between Muscat and the beachfront resort Sifah.

They also warned that this discovery should influence coastal development policy, but according to the paper, ocean front housing units are currently under construction and an integrated tourism project that will initiate even further construction along the Gulf.

Hotel owners astride the Dead Sea in Israel learned the hard way that higher water levels are a formidable foe that can only be defeated by setting buildings further away from the sea shore.

Other cities affected by rising sea levels

Oman is not alone. Other coastal cities throughout the Middle East are also vulnerable to rising sea levels. Further up the Gulf, Dubai’s shoreline is cluttered with hundreds of skyscrapers and other costly development projects and in Alexandria saline water is already interfering with the city’s freshwater supply.

It was also noted that Oman could be hit with a tsunami. According to historical records presented by Gulf News, in 1945 then Sultan Saeed Al Saeed wrote that five days after a small earthquake, a tsunami swept ashore, leaving behind molluscs and other sea species in a nearby lagoon.

If we learn nothing else from last year’s tsunami in Japan, at least we should learn this: it’s folly to think that we can control mother nature. We might not be able to stem the tide of higher sea levels, but at least we can permanently disband any seaside construction projects that we know will not survive the next 100 years.

:: Gulf News

More on Rising Sea Levels in the Middle East:

Egypt Moving to Shore up Delta Cities Against Rising Sea Levels

Underwater City Alternative to Floating Islands?

Coastal Erosion Threatens Evolutionary Hotspots in Gulf Region

The post Geoscientists Say Oman is Sinking and Shrinking appeared first on Green Prophet.

We can’t think of anything more unfortunate than getting stuck with an artificial island (like this one that Israel proposes to build off Gaza). But investors who bought one of 300 “countries” off the coast of Dubai will be happy to know that Dutch Docklands from the Netherlands is proposing to create floating islands as a more sustainable option to the “World’s” artificial islands.

Devastating to marine environments out of which they are scraped together, artificial islands are also costly to develop. But in an exclusive interview with Emirates 24/7, Dutch Dockland’s CEO Paul van de Camp reveals that investors who purchased water masses along with their landmass now have a building option that won’t require any additional infrastructure to build.

Van de Camp told Emirates 24/7 that investors with water masses can avoid pouring a ton of money into developing their artificial island.

“As all the equipment is within the island and is therefore completely self supporting; the owners do not have to depend on getting any infrastructure ready,” he says.

The same developers behind the floating Golf Course in the Maldives and The Floating Proverb, Dutch Docklands are also going to propose the floating island option to Qatar, where the 2016 Soccer World Cup is going to be held.

“They will need to build infrastructure and stadiums. Although for many people it will be quite a visionary thought, but we can build a floating stadium or even a whole village for them,” van de Camp told the paper.

With sea levels rising as a result of climate change, many designers and planners are pitting floating structures as a viable infrastuctural and housing solution. Who knows what will come of marine life when human beings extend their colonies into the world’s oceans. In the meantime, let us know: do you think floating islands are better than artificial islands?

:: Emirates 24/7

The post Dutch Company Floats New Idea for Artificial “World” Island Investors appeared first on Green Prophet.

In the Egyptian desert landscape of Wadi Natrun, 200 students and activists worked in the blistering heat to send a message to world leaders heading to Cancan for the latest climate conference. Placing large black strips on the ground and using florescent jackets, the image of a scarab holding a sun with ‘350’ inside slowly emerged and could even be seen from space. The enormous scarab was a call for leaders to agree to a fair and effective climate deal and also symbolized the potential of solar power as a renewable resource to power Egypt’s future.

The Cairo event was designed and organised by the local artist Sarah Rifaat and was one of 12 events around the world by the 350 campaign. Rifaat told the BBC that it was “important that Egypt joined this global call” to tackle climate change.

Devastating Impacts of Climate Change On Egypt

Egypt has a lot to lose from the effects of climate change due low sea levels and scientists have warned that the Nile Delta, which provides a lifeline to the country through agricultural activities could be at stake. In fact, a study commissioned by the Arab Forum for Environment and Development warned that Egypt would be one of the worst affected amongst the Arab countries with 12 million Egyptians at risk due to rising sea levels. Much like the entire MENA (Middle East and North Africa) region, Egypt is also at risk of increasing water scarcity.

Tunisian president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali explained at a recent conference that water scarcity “constitutes a source of deep concern for most Muslim countries given their water poverty, imbalanced demographic growth, arbitrary exploitation of water resources, aggravated pollution, and severe and frequent climate changes, together with associated problems of drought.” He added that resolving this issues was one of the ‘most important duties’ of our time. According to reports, around 1,000 Egyptian youths took part in the climate art event backed by the 350 campaign, which included photo exhibitions to highlight the issue of climate change.

Using Art To Inspire Change & Awareness

The 350 campaign is run by Bill McKibben who spoke to Green Prophet last month and hopes the events will demonstrate the massive public support for bold climate action and the role that art can play in inspiring humanity to protect the planet. “Art can convey in a different way than science the threat that climate change poses to our planet,” he explained. “The world’s best scientists have tried to wake-up politicians to the climate crisis, now we’re counting on artists to help.”

The 350 campaign is named after the upper limit of carbon that is safe in the atmosphere and works to reduce the current level which stands at an estimated 380-390 parts per million to 350 ppm. Other pieces of climate art installed for the event- which organisers say is the first international climate art project- included an elephant in New Delhi, a flash flood in Sante Fe and a human hurricane in Mexico City.

:: Image via Ahmed Hayman.

For more on 350 and the impacts of climate change on Egypt see:

How Books Capture Egyptian Children’s Green Imagination

350.org’s Phil Aroneanu On How To Build An Environmental Movement In The Middle East

Interview: Bracing For A Warmer Future With Bill McKibben

The post Cairo’s Climate Art of Epic Proportions appeared first on Green Prophet.