I must go down to the sea again...

Everyone has their own favourite places to hang out on the net. I think I'm more conservative (with a small c) than most, and certainly not as widely travelled (surfed?) as my brother-in-law, who's well known for finding the weirdest (and funniest) shit in existence. But wherever you go, sooner or later, you're going to come across an interesting snippet or two.

For instance today, while I was reading an article about the reporting bias (or otherwise) of the BBC, I came across this comment from another reader:
"When it comes to bien pensant issues such as Climate Change, I would definitely NOT trust the BBC. The International Commission on Sea Level Change (INQUA) has just dismissed as scare mongering the IPCCs claim that sea levels are rising. No study in the real world confirms their rigged and speculative computer models. For 35 years the INQUA has been using every known scientific method to study sea levels all over the globe and their results show that it has not risen at all in recent decades. As for tiny island nations such as the Maldives and Tuvalu which such scientific luminaries as Prince Charles and the Archbishop of Canterbury tell us due to vanish, repeated surveys by the INQUA confirm that sea levels have not risen in half a century. Do not expect to see news of this report on the BBC!!"

And it's true. You can check it out for yourself on the INQUA website. I've seen a lot of footage recently of melting glaciers - with torrents of fresh water gushing their way to the sea - and heard a lot of debate about exactly how much sea level is going to rise, and by when. Seems it's not actually happening after all. At least, not yet.

That's not to say there isn't a problem. Just that it's a different problem than the one being reported. For instance, that much fresh, ice-cold water being dumped into the oceans at the poles could well disturb, or even stop, the Great Atlantic Conveyor (or "thermohaline circulation") with dire consequences for all marine, and eventually terrestrial, life. Still... look on the bright side, eh? At least Tuvalu - along with all its clever .tv Internet domains - is safe for the time being.