From Africa to the Himalayas, everyone's worried about global warming's potential to drive world conflict. But what about the disputes it will solve? A long-running argument between India and Bangladesh over a small island in the Bay of Bengal has just been resolved: the island's not there anymore.
The Bay of Bengal island, which India called New Moore Island and Bangladesh referred to as South Talpatti, has ceased to exist, the Jadavpur University's School of Oceanographic Studies said this week.
"Satellite images have confirmed that about 90 per cent of the island, about 3 kilometres long and 3.5 kilometres wide, has submerged,", the scientists at the university's School for Oceanographic Studies said
The island was first noticed after a severe cyclone in the early 1970s. Both countries soon laid claim amid speculation there might be oil or natural gas beneath it. No permanent structures were built on it, but in 1981 India sent gunboats, and coast-guard members planted a flag. As soon as India sailed away, security experts said, Bangladeshis took it down.
"There's a lesson here that the world should learn while negotiating over territory," Sugata Hazra, director of the program at the school in Calcutta said. "It's not whether some country makes a gain. It's whether we all collectively win or lose given the impact we're seeing on the global environment."
References:
1. The Earth Times
2. The Seattle Times
3. Newsoxy
3. Newsoxy
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