[LINK] We live in interesting times.... Or - is the gold standard really extinct.

[Ivan Trundle]

On 22/10/2008, at 3:00 PM, Marghanita da Cruz wrote:

> So what if the Barrier Reef goes....China flooded the Three Gorges  
> and Bagdahd is pretty uninhabitable.

The reef acts as a buffer without which residents of the entire  
Eastern Queensland seaboard would suffer tremendously. Climate  
modelling by insurance companies (yup, they're the ones who drive  
this...) show that many places will be uninsurable, and already the  
data shows that coastal areas north of Cairns are now reaching into  
the uninsurable category (like Florida Keys). Whilst this might seem  
insignificant, it matters greatly to people who inhabit these areas,  
and any form of development or enterprise. Insurable risks are often  
the primary drivers of business activity (or impediments), and if the  
eastern seaboard is likely to become marginal, people will have to  
move elsewhere.

iT