What does a muddy hippo, coral atolls in the Pacific, and enchiladas have in common? 

Voyage of Kiri...!  Dealing with change is always more fun with some creative mixtures.

About the Voyage.  One day, I read about people in a small coral atoll called Kiribati, who may need to evacuate because of sea level rise and environmental problems. Aggravated by the mismanagement of their resources, their water system is out of wack, and 100 thousand people might be affected. Makes me wonder: what about our own coastline?  What might we be overlooking?

Our plan is to travel the Pacific coast of Mexico and find out how the climate might affect the wellbeing of coastal communities, and what are the solutions for sustainable design.  From Santa Barbara (our home) to Huatulco, Oaxaca (where we’ll be doing research) from end of April to early August.  We will meet people at schools, businesses, and NGOs, and share their message.

Kiribati, island nation

The Voyage of Kiri is named after Kiribati (pronounced Kiri-bas), an island nation in the Pacific Ocean made up of low-lying atolls. The nation may become one of  the first environmental refugees from climate change.

The archipelago has an average height above sea level of only about 8 feet, which has made it susceptible to sea level rise and salt water infiltration in its aquifers. Poor resource management - such as trash disposal and coral blasting - has made the situation even worse.

As a consequence, the nation is making preliminary plans for evacuation of a percentage of its population, which is over 100,000 people. Other locations that are confronting a similar predicament include the Maldives in the Indian Ocean and certain islands in the Arctic Circle.

Why is this an inspiration to the Voyage of Kiri? In most places, environmental changes aren’t as dramatic as in low-lying Kiribati, but over time our communities are being affected - fish stocks are plummeting, water is becoming more scarce.

The story of Kiribati reminds us that it pays to be smart about the short term for the benefit of our long term wellbeing.

UN Climate Talks

Last December, major climate talks occurred in Copenhagen, but nothing was decided. The next conference is in Mexico in December 2010. We sharing the message of climate adaptation at the conference, particularly with the importance of water.

Most talk has centered around climate mitigation, or “how do we reduce greenhouse gas emissions?” But there is a flip side to the coin: climate adaptation, or “climate change is occurring, so how do we deal with it?”

Coastal areas will be particularly affected, being in fragile boundaries between land and sea. Examples might include vulnerability to storm impacts, changes in fish stocks, fresh water depletion, and sea level rise - and others we’ll discover along the Voyage.

Answer: Because we look alike!

The van was fondly named El Hippo because of its similarity to the African mammal. Note common characteristics: muddy, open mouth when upset, bulky body. Plus, hippopotamus means “river horse” in Latin, which fits our study of watersheds (and climate).

Question: Why are there hippos on the map and logo?

Kristian Beadle loves the coastline of the world. For the Voyage of Kiri, he is acting as a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar based in Huatulco, Oaxaca. He recently graduated from the Bren School of Environmental Science and Management with a focus in sustainable tourism in Mexico. He grew up in Brazil, speaks five languages, and likes to sail aboard his trimaran.

Check out Kristian’s profile on LinkedIn.