Curaçao is changing

When they arrive at the beach, they immediately notice that the water is higher than usual. Part of the sandy shore has disappeared, and the waves are much closer to where they usually put their backpacks.  

“What happened?” Luka asks in surprise. 

“I don't know,” Tsean replies, staring at the waves.

“Look!” He points to the water.  

“It's getting closer and bringing rocks onto the beach. How is that possible?”  

They keep staring at the waves in amazement until Luka suddenly says enthusiastically:

“Maybe Mr. Terry knows! He knows a lot about the earth. Remember on Thursday he told us that our climate is changing?”

“Oh yes!” says Tsean excitedly.

“Mr. Terry lives nearby. Let's go see him.”  

Mr. Terry is their teacher who knows a lot about geography, nature, and the environment.

When they arrive at his house, they see him in his garden, busy planting new trees.  

“Mr. Terry, bon tardi!”, Tsean calls out.

“Can you tell us what's going on with the beach?”

Mr. Terry puts down his shovel and looks kindly at them.

“Hey guys, yeah, sure! I see you've just come from the beach. I saw the same thing this morning from my back porch. This is because of rising sea levels. Due to climate change, sea levels are rising worldwide, and this is affecting Curaçao too.”   

“What does that mean?” asks Luka curiously. 

“Come on in, and I'll explain,” says Mr. Terry.

As they enter the garden, Mr. Terry fetches an atlas. He flips to a world map and starts pointing.

“Because of global warming, ice caps are melting, adding more water to the oceans. This makes sea levels rise and brings the water closer to our land, like what you saw today on the beach.”   

“But what happens to our beach and the sea?” asks Luka anxiously. 

“When the sea level rises, several things can happen,” Mr. Terry explains.

“Firstly, the land can flood with seawater. That means everything on that land, such as roads and houses, could be flooded. And on top of that, waste ends up in the sea. That pollutes our Caribbean Sea.” 

“That doesn't sound good,” says Tsean.

“No, it certainly doesn't,” confirms Mr. Terry.

“By the way, would you like some water, boys?” he kindly asks them.   

“Of course! It's warm, so that would be really nice right now!” says Luka smiling. 

As he hands the boys their cups of water, he continues: “Did you know that because of rising sea levels, the fresh water we use for agriculture and drinking water will become saltier? That's bad for the trees, plants and for ourselves when we drink this water.”   

The boys eagerly drink their water while listening intently.

“Also, the coastline can erode, which means the beautiful white sand we enjoy now will wash away. This is troubling for animals like sea turtles that depend on the sand to lay their eggs.”  

“And what will happen to the hotels and buildings on the coast?” asks Luka.

“Well, if the sandy beaches flood, it could hurt tourism,” replies Mr. Terry.

“Many of our coastal resorts, along with the beautiful buildings in Punda and Otrabanda, could be damaged or washed away by a combination of rising sea levels, thunderstorms, and maybe hurricanes. This would mean fewer tourists visiting Curaçao and people losing their jobs in those hotels. ”

“Aino, Mr. Terry, this sounds bad. But what can we do about it?” asks Tsean.

“There are no easy solutions,” sighs Mr. Terry.

“We can try to adapt our way of life and protect our buildings from flooding. But the most important step is to work together to reduce climate change.”   

“But I'll explain more about that on Monday, guys,” he adds, looking at his smartwatch. “I see I have a call from the Met Office.” 

Mr. Terry heads inside to answer his phone.

“Come on, Luka, let's go home. We'll go to the beach another time,” says Tsean.