96 The Mekong Delta · Vietnam

We have selected 100 unique places on Earth that are projected to
undergo profound changes within the next few generations.


We based our selection of the 100 places on the 4th Assessment
Report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

Simply by drawing attention to the beauty of these places, 100 Places to
Remember Before they Disappear creates an argument to preserve
them.

The 100 Places we have chosen to highlight, and the people who
live in them, are in serious danger because of rising sea levels, rising
temperatures and extreme weather events triggered by climate change.

Among ambassadors are Joss Stone, Desmund Tutu for more info visit http://www.100places.com -




. The Mekong Delta · Vietnam

A Place Where Life Thrives Above and Below Water

In Southern Vietnam, the Mekong River forms a network of tributaries and canals that criss-cross the land before flowing into the South China Sea. Deposits from the river and its tributaries have made the Mekong Delta a lush area of vast plantations and one of Vietnams largest rice, vegetable and fruit producing regions.

Most of the 17 million people who live in the delta belong to the rural poor, making their living by farming and fishing. The green waterways are at the centre of daily life, and hum with activity from floating markets, restaurants, petrol stations and occasional tourist boats. Lining the banks are fish and snake farms and houses built on stilts. Some families construct cages below their houses to breed fish to sell at the market.

The people of Southern Vietnam are proud of their vast, fertile land. They call it co bay thang canh, the land that is vast enough for the cranes to stretch their wings as they fly.

The Mekong River makes its way through Chinas Yunnan province, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos and Cambodia before it reaches Southern Vietnam. Being downstream, both Cambodia and Vietnam are heavily affected by pollution from the runoff of pesticides and heavy industry that takes place in the Upper Mekong regions. They are also suffering from the side effects of dams, mainly in China, which are reducing the water flow.

Dams and pollution are not the only threats to the vibrant water-world of the Mekong Delta. The projected global rise in sea level will increase saltwater intrusion into freshwater ponds and rice fields. It will also cause flooding, leading to a loss of cropland, mangroves and marine species. By the end of this century, much of the Mekong Delta could be completely submerged for parts of the year, damaging the livelihoods of millions of families.

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[lordflanderwell]

i wanna rape some cereal.

[smoochym]

"that may well effectively boil the surface of the planet"

ROFL

[b69nn]

how did you get rape on a grand scale and mass murder from a little bit of water rising in vietnam somewhere :s

[yourmumisadick]

we still gots da world cup! yeh!

[lordflanderwell]

you are an expert on rape!congrats!

[smoochym]

It's also an inevitable consequence of CO2 pollution.

[smoochym]

"Serial rape is defined in the Crime Classification Manual (1992) as, "three or more separate events, with an emotional cooling off period [between offenses]" (p. 12). Rape is often believed to be a purely sexually motivated crime, where the offender's only objective is sexual gratification. However, this does not seem to be the case, as rape is more often motivated by the offender's need to displace anger toward, or exert power over the victim. "

[lordflanderwell]

global warming is not real.its a ploy to scare us into anything they want.like high energy prices.

[shigatsuningen]

The solution is simple... add wider sidewalks and free beer for all then we'll be to busy having fun to think of it :)

(piggyback on sarcasm above)

[smoochym]

"storms beyond anything yet seen, droughts and massive costal flooding"

The skys will fall, chaos will ensue, serial rape and murder must surely follow.

What hope is there for humanity?