Islands in the Stream

By Bill Maher

Trying to wrap your head around the devastation in Puerto Rico and other parts of the Caribbean is tough enough, but try to imagine how this situation plays out in the longer term and one can easily start to see how global warming could soon cause people to abandon these types of islands entirely.

After all, when it comes time to rebuild, what kind of investment are you going to attract when people start getting the sense that the next mega storm is only 5 or 10 years away? One might see a buyer’s market in higher end islands like Turks or Antigua or St. Barts, since they can make enough money in the short-term to make rebuilding worthwhile. But, rural Puerto Rico? Dominca? Barbuda has been inhabited for 300 years. After Hurricane Irma tore through, there was no one living there. Who is going to invest their money in rebuilding on those islands? 

It’s actually an interesting test for rich climate deniers: Look! There’s a beautiful Caribbean island where you can buy property on the cheap. Sure, those climate hoaxers are warning that it’s likely to be washed away all over again before your investment has time to pay itself off, but what do they know? You want in or what?