Biologists are concerned about the politically incorrect names of some animals and plants, as about 20 percent of them are named after well-known people, some of whose achievements are questionable.
The Observer newspaper notes that the American Ornithological Society recently announced that it had changed the common names of dozens of birds due to their association with racists or misogynists.
It is noteworthy that the German entomologist Oscar Schiebel, who was an admirer of Hitler, found in the caves of Slovenia in 1937 eyeless beetles that made annoying sounds, so he gave them the scientific name Anophthalmus hitleri, and this name is still in use. (politically incorrect name).
There is a butterfly Hypopta mussolinii flying over the Libyan desert. From Australia to Africa, the scent of flowers of the genus Hibbertia, named after the famous English slave owner George Hibbert, a staunch opponent of the abolition of slavery, spreads.
In general, not all names are given by fans of a particular character. For example, in 2017, pro-democracy entomologists named a newly discovered species of moth Neopalpa donald trump. Because, as they explained, the insect has light scales on its head, reminiscent of President Donald Trump's hair.
It should be noted that the system of classification of plants and animals was invented by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in the eighteenth century. It includes identifying an animal, fungus, or plant by giving it a double name - the first genus, and the second species - in Latin or Greek. But in light of the recent protests led by an activist movement demanding freedom for blacks and an end to violence against them, as well as movements defending gay people for being “politically correct,” many Western scholars insist on changing the old order.
But the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN) has announced that it will not even consider changing the rules of the current system. Many scholars agree with her, saying that all this will lead to great confusion.
The scientific dispute threatens to develop into an international scandal in the near future. The issue of renaming unwanted names will be presented to the International Botanical Congress to be held in Madrid, in July 2024. It is expected that the discussion will be heated at this conference, especially between “Hitler supporters” and others.
It should be noted that James Watson, Nobel Prize winner, discoverer of the structure of DNA and "decipherer" of the human genome, was immediately dismissed from his position as head of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory and stripped of all titles, due to politically incorrect statements, so what can we say about scientists? Ordinary people?!
The first islands to become uninhabitable due to climate change
About one million people live on atolls, such as those in the Maldives, Tuvalu, Kiribati, and the Marshall Islands.
These islands are only a few meters high, making them among the places most at risk from rising sea levels as a result of climate change.
Five uninhabited islands in the Solomon Islands have already disappeared under the waves in the last century.
The Maldives, Kiribati, Tuvalu and the Marshall Islands have the highest proportion of their land area at risk because they are all atolls and lack sufficient high ground for refuge compared to other low-lying island states that have more high ground available to flee to.
So, which islands will be underwater, and uninhabitable, as soon as possible due to climate change?
As it turns out, it's impossible to answer this question, and four islands show why: Scientists don't have accurate data on the elevation of many of these remote islands, and even if they did, this information doesn't predict when they will be submerged.
Jeronimo Gusman, a researcher at the World Climate Forum, said that atolls are very dynamic and have the ability to change shape, change height and even merge very quickly, making it difficult to determine their imminent inundation.
Roi Namur, Kwajalein Atoll in the Republic of the Marshall Islands
Disappearance may not be the only measure of a place becoming uninhabitable. When waves roll over low-lying islands, they pollute fresh groundwater with salt. Rising sea levels mean frequent floods, and groundwater cannot recover from daily or even annual floods: food trees die and water must be imported.
A 2018 paper published in the journal Science Advances analyzed floods in Roi Namur in the Marshall Islands. It predicted that most atolls would not have drinkable water by the 2060s (if global climate goals are not met) or by the 2030s if the ice sheets collapse under a “worst-case scenario” for climate change.
Thousands of Marshall Islanders have already emigrated.
Moundu, Laamu Atoll in the Maldives
In 2004, floods destroyed the islands of Mundu and Kalheedhoo in the Maldives. The government announced that the two islands would be uninhabited from then on.
Despite the difficulties, island communities are trying to adapt to the challenges posed by climate change. Mundo Island witnessed the return of its residents despite the government declaring it uninhabitable. The example of Mundo highlights the resilience and determination of islanders in the face of adversity.
Sand can grow on such coral reef islands, a 2018 study examining Maenadhoo Island in the Maldives found. But the islands are getting new sand from coral reefs, and global warming is killing coral reefs.
At a temperature increase of 3.6°F (2°C), 99% of coral reefs die. At 2.7 F (1.5 C), some coral remains.
In doing so, the health of coral reefs will determine which islands can remain stable in the face of rising tides.
Fungavalli, Funafuti Atoll in Tuvalu
Tuvalu, the capital of Vongavali Island, is home to about 4,000 people. By 2100, 95% of the island could be submerged during high tide.
To combat this, Tuvalu recently added artificial high ground to one side of the island. The long-term plan includes making the island approximately 50% wider, then eventually raising the sides.
But a 2022 analysis of multiple risk factors found that even these protection efforts may not keep the islands habitable: Deteriorating ecosystems will hurt tourism, fisheries and islanders' abilities to finance solutions.
The scale and speed of global efforts to limit climate change would make a tangible difference. Ultimately, which islands and island communities can survive will depend largely on how the rest of the world responds.