Australia, 2050 after climate devastation!

[StageLeft]

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE62E0O520100315

Australia circa 2050, population 35 million, climate change induced rising sea levels have flooded the Gold Coast resort region, apartment blocks are now used to grow food and people commute in monorail pods above the sea.

In another city, Australians live on floating island pods with apartments both below and above sea level, the population has shifted from land to the sea because of the sky-rocketing value of disappearing arable land.

Lulz, can somebody bump this in forty years? This is every bit as ridiculous as the stuff we read about in popular science that was printed decades ago with flying cars and great air ship hotels and God knows what else.

Remember, they are actually talking about Australia, a vast continent 2/3rd the size of the US with less than 10% its population, so short on land they are "living under the sea" and for some reason can't build a green house on any of their billions of acres so they have to plant crops in their apartment buildings. I can see a minority report-type pod highway in some congested areas of the world, but that's about it.

 

[rudder]

Marked for 40 years later.

 

[Draftee]

These are pretty out-there ideas, but I think that is the point; not to limit the possibilities about the future.

Australia is the driest inhabited continent on the planet, so forces impacting on its development are unique. A small change in its climate is going to be significant in impact.

I heard some amazing statistic that 85% of the population occupies just 1% of the continent. 2/3 of it is desert/arid/semi-arid.

 

[Throckmorton]

You're assuming it's cheaper/easier to move a city than to live in a partially submerged city.

Europe is pretty big, plus Asia is right next door. But they still paddle around Venice and the Dutch keep sticking their fingers in dikes.

As for agriculture, first let's dismiss the greenhouse idea. It's just as ridiculous as growing crop son top of buildings. So how do we deal with the reality that further inland the soil isn't going to be as fertile?

 

[nonlnear]

But the preservatino of Venice is an exercise in stupidity. It IS cheaper to move the city than to adapt it - at least in Venice's case. Even the Venetians can't afford to live there any more. The whole place is turning into one big stinking crumbling hotel/museum.