Free Republic

The Pacific Islands are scattered across a vast area of ocean, with some of the clearest waters in the world, and pristine beaches and rainforests. They are a magnet for tourism, which is vital for many of the countries’ economies. But the region’s travel industry, and those who rely on it, are increasingly fearful of the impact of continuing climate change. “Pacific Island leaders have declared climate change as the foremost threat to the livelihoods, security, and well-being of Pacific communities,” says Christopher Cocker, the chief executive of the Pacific Tourism Organisation. “Without immediate and innovative action, the future of...

A Native American man in Montana has what may be the oldest DNA native to the Americas, according to news reports. After getting his DNA tested, Darrell "Dusty" Crawford learned that his ancestors were already in the Americas about 17,000 years ago, according to the Great Falls Tribune, a Montana newspaper.

The constant media refrain that man-caused global warming is dooming many small Pacific islands to sink beneath rising sea levels continues, even as science – and in one case the former president of an "endangered" island – refutes the alarmists, as Andrew Holt of the Herald-Sun in Australia reports: [A] new paper by Virginie K. E. Duvat, of the Institut du Littoral et de l'Environnement, University of la Rochelle, France: A reanalysis of available data, which cover 30 Pacific and Indian Ocean atolls including 709 islands, reveals that no atoll lost land area and that 88.6% of islands were either stable or increased...

Hi all I am moving to American Samoa next week and was wondering whether any of you friendly freepers have lived there and know what its like. I have read up on the net as well as various books but would like to hear from anyone who can supply me with the view of life in Am.Sam. as an ex-pat.