A recent issue of the Economist magazine has a special report on the world’s oceans. If you’re interested, here are the stories and links:
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Troubled Waters - The sea is suffering, mostly at the hand of man - A summary overview of the loss of wildlife, warming waters, rubbish, and ecosystem effects. You can also listen to a 16min audio interview with the magazine’s writer at large, John Grimond.
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Scramble for the Seabed - The latest land-grab is under water and under way - Underwater mining is the name of the game. According to an International Convention, certain rules allow for the extension of a country’s geographic waters. 15 million square kilometers are estimated to be available, and the Arctic holds big hopes for a few big countries. See this video on Oil, Trade, and Arctic Ice (4min).
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The Curse of Carbon - A meltdown tinged with acid - Accumulated carbon in the atmosphere is making the top layers of the ocean more acidic, which if sustained could allow for only a few species like jellyfish able to survive. Trouble also looms for coral reefs; it’s predicted we can lose half of them by 2050. Rising ocean levels are of concern, but it’s the melting of land-based ice that poses the greatest danger. Quoted, “If even half of the West Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets were to melt, sea levels would rise by six or seven metres, flooding many of the world’s big cities.”
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More Abused than Used - But the sea can be harnessed for energy, and to store carbon - Pollution from plastic debris, pesticides, and other sources have created huge ecological effects including dead zones. Remediation efforts are possible, but the cause factors are so diverse.
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Plenty more fish in the sea? - No longer: technology has made the elusive and inexhaustible into easy prey - Read this if you’re interested in the real state of fish supplies. See also their article on farmed fish.
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Grabbing it All - In most places fisheries policies have failed completely - Policy, regulation, and shark fins.
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An Icelandic Success - A model way to catch and keep fish - Seems like they have a good case study going. “Central to its policy are the individual transferable quotas given to each fishing boat for each species on the basis of her average catch of that fish over a three-year period.”
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Saline Solutions - The sea needs research, management, property rights—and political action - Closing statements on what needs to be done, as the risks of doing nothing are just too frightening.
