Targeted culling of crown-of-thorns starfish has resulted in parts of the Great Barrier Reef maintaining and even increasing coral cover, leading researchers to call for the programme to be dramatically scaled up
Global plastic pollution treaty talks hit critical stage in Canada - “Each day, the equivalent of 2,000 garbage trucks full of plastic are dumped into the world’s oceans, rivers and lakes, according to the United Nations Environment Programme. People are increasingly breathing, eating and drinking tiny plastic particles.” If these talks don’t include product caps, manufacturing constraints, they won’t work. #Recycling is not enough by itself to stem the tide of #PlasticPollution#PFAS#plastic#environment#oceans#capitalism#pollutionhttps://apnews.com/article/aad9d558ffaaab65a7e6a9cdd1ebe50f
Many of India’s more than 4 million fishers are sailing beyond the country’s exclusive economic zone into the high seas in search of a better catch.
Rising sea surface temperatures, overfishing near the shore, and the destruction of reefs have decimated nearshore fisheries, forcing India’s fishers farther out to sea where they face greater risk.
And, the fourth stop on the drafting of a global plastics treaty is presently underway in Ottawa: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F77XFvSMTVo
A fifth and final summit will be held in South Korea later this year. Hopefully, whatever is decided upon has a binding, meaningful purpose, and isn't just a feel-good exercise. #PlasticPollution#PlasticPollutionTreaty#Oceans
"For now, though, there are perhaps eighty thousand narwhals in existence. In some corner of the sunless sea, passing through waters cold and dark enough to keep us at bay, there moves a beauty and a strangeness that rivals the unicorn, offering its silent magic up to worshippers."
from 'The Golden Mole and Other Living Treasure', by Katherine Rundell
Artwork by Alix Branwyn
Sargassum, a type of brown macroalgae, has been inundating beaches across the Caribbean since 2011. The seaweed has harmed Caribbean economies and human health, making it a national emergency in some island-nations.
Over the past decade, entrepreneurs and scientists have found ways to turn sargassum into nutrient-rich biofertilizers, biostimulants and other organic products to boost agricultural yields while cutting back on chemicals.
Scientists say that coral reefs are currently undergoing a global bleaching event, with more than 54% of the world’s coral reef areas in the territorial waters of over 50 countries experiencing heat stress. According to one scientist, the percentage of areas dealing with bleaching-level heat stress “has been increasing by roughly 1% per week.”
The world is currently experiencing its second major coral bleaching event in 10 years, with reef systems from Australia to Florida teetering on the brink of disaster following months of record-breaking ocean heat, a US agency announced Monday.
Today, learn about the 32 U.S coastal cities, affecting up to 500,000 people, that are at an increased risk of experiencing one or more major flooding events in the next twenty years, due to land subsidence and sea-level rise. https://news.vt.edu/articles/2024/01/research-sinkingcoasts.html
The Chinese fishing fleet is responsible for systemic illegal fishing and human rights abuses in countries bordering the Southwest Indian Ocean (SWIO), undercutting China’s claims of supporting sustainable development and thriving blue economies in the region, according to a new report published today by the Environmental...
Culling predatory starfish conserves coral on the Great Barrier Reef (www.newscientist.com)
Targeted culling of crown-of-thorns starfish has resulted in parts of the Great Barrier Reef maintaining and even increasing coral cover, leading researchers to call for the programme to be dramatically scaled up
Record-Breaking Ocean Heat Triggers 4th Global Coral Bleaching Event (www.sciencealert.com)
The world is currently experiencing its second major coral bleaching event in 10 years, with reef systems from Australia to Florida teetering on the brink of disaster following months of record-breaking ocean heat, a US agency announced Monday.
Report: Chinese fishing fleet is responsible for systemic human rights abuses and illegal fishing across the Southwest Indian Ocean. (ejfoundation.org)
The Chinese fishing fleet is responsible for systemic illegal fishing and human rights abuses in countries bordering the Southwest Indian Ocean (SWIO), undercutting China’s claims of supporting sustainable development and thriving blue economies in the region, according to a new report published today by the Environmental...
Maori king declares whales are people in push for legal rights (www.thetimes.co.uk)
Whales will be recognised as legal persons under a declaration signed by New Zealand’s Maori king and native leaders across the Pacific....