Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is hovering at a landmark 400 parts per million, a level never before experienced by human beings. Scientists say we’re playing with fire, risking the planet’s future if we don’t start to lower the greenhouse gas levels forcing climate change. How should we react to this news? First, we need to envision climate change more accurately, as a deadly threat.
Tags: · 400 ppm, BarbaraKesslerBlog, Carbon Dioxide, Climate Change, CO2 pollution, disease, Drought, fires, Forest, freshwater, global warming, Greenhouse Gases, ice melts, Oceans, planet, rising seas, super storms, Wildlife
For the first time, scientists have discovered extensive blooms of phytoplankton under Arctic Ocean ice, contradicting the widely held conviction that such blooms could not occur under sea ice that blocked the sun’s rays from triggering the blooms. Sci…
Tags: · Arctic, Climate Change, NASA, Oceans, phytoplankton
Los Angeles became the largest city in the US to pass a plastic bag ban, when the City Council voted 13 to 1 today to disallow the use of plastic bags in supermarkets.
Tags: · bag ban, Los Angeles, Oceans, plastic bags, plastic debris, waste
Our oceans, long taken for granted, are being stressed by pollution, over-fishing and climate change. Plastic gyres, swirling pools of plastic refuse, occupy several spots in the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. The largest one, in the North Pacific, is estimated to exceed the size of Texas….These linked, but disparate problems — pollution, unsustainable fishing practices, jobs at risk — won’t be solved easily. That’s why several environmental and conservation groups working around the globe have formed the Global Partnership for Oceans. The groups hope that together they can work to save the marine environment before human pressures cause natural fisheries to collapse.
Tags: · EDF, IUCN, National Fisheries Institute, Oceana, Oceans, overfishing, plastic gyres, pollution, sustainable fishing, World Bank, WWF
From Green Right Now Reports The Surfrider Foundation, which supports beach and ocean conservation projects, is concerned by the budget proposed by the Obama Administration this week. The proposed FY 2013 EPA budget would axe $9.9 million from the federal Beach Grant Program, which Surfrider says would cut or curtail coastal water quality monitoring by [...]
Tags: · Beach front clean ups, Beach Grant Program, beaches, Oceans, Surfrider Foundation
Sharks will be protected from the wasteful, inhumane practice of shark-finning in U.S. waters with the U.S. House passage today of the Shark Conservation Act.
The bill, which the Senate passed yesterday, will strongly discourage “finning” by requiring that fishing boats bring sharks to land whole. It also will forbid the transfer of fins at sea by U.S. fishing vessels.
Oceana’s federal policy director Beth Lowell, praised Congress for getting to the measure before adjourning, saying that the U.S. is showing leadership in protecting oceans.
“Oceana applauds Congress and its ocean heroes for passing such an important piece of legislation,” said Lowell, who called out sponsors Senator John Kerry (D-Mass.) and Congresswomen Madeleine Bordallo (D-Guam).
Tags: · greenrightnow.com, Madeleine Bordallo, Oceans, Sen. John Kerry, Shark Conservation Act, shark finning, shark protection, sharks
Disneynature’s OCEANS hopes to open with a splash on Earth Day next week, and not just to keep profits strong. The movie aims to raise money for coral reefs in the Bahamas and spread awareness of the imperiled, wider marine world — much like Disneynature’s Earth drew attention to terrestrial issues last year.
For everyone who sees the film during its debut week (April 22-28), Disneynature will make a contribution to the Nature Conservancy to help restore and preserve coral reefs around the Bahamas.
Coral reef in the film OCEANS (Photo: Jeff Yonover)
Tags: · Bahamas, coral reefs, Disneynature, Oceans
From Green Right Now Reports
On Earth Day this year, April 22, Disneynature will release Oceans, which will explore the mysteries and dangers of these bodies of water that cover nearly three-quarters of the Earth’s surface.  French co-directors Jacques Perrin and Jacques Cluzaud used the latest underwater technologies to capture never-before-seen images, the company said.
(Photo: Disneynature)
Disneynature said it will make a donation to The Nature Conservancy to save coral reefs in honor of every person who sees the film during its opening week (April 22-28) in a program being called “See OCEANS, Save Oceans.”
The film is narrated by Pierce Brosnan, a long-time environmentalist who has focused his efforts on promoting ocean conservation. The actor has lent his support to the International Fund for Animal Welfare’s “Save the Whales Again!” campaign, as well as working with environmental organizations including Sea Shepherd, California Coastal Protection Network, Ocean Futures Society, Oceana and Waterkeeper Alliance, and others.
Tags: · Disneynature, Oceans, Pierce Brosnan, The Nature Conservancy
By Melissa Segrest
Green Right Now
This is an interesting time to be Ric O’Barry.
On one hand, the marine mammal activist is counting down the hours until Sunday, when he may win an Oscar for his role in the documentary The Cove – a compelling and gruesome expose about the secret slaughter of dolphins in Japan.
Tags: · Academy Award and The Cove, Dawn Brancheau, dolphins, Endangered animals, Fishing, Japan, Japan and killing whales, killer whales, Oceans, orca, Oscars and The Cove, Ric O'Barry, Save Japan Dolphins, seafood, seaquariums, SeaWorld, SeaWorld trainer killed, Taiji Japan and dolphins, The Cove, The Earth Island Institute, Tilikum, Whales
From Green Right Now Reports
The more you learn about your carbon-footprint, the more you’ll realize that it’s weighed down as much by food choices as what car you drive and your home energy program. Food production comes with a whole cornucopia of green issues, from pesticide use to deforestation to world transportation.
No food issue, though, is more important than choosing the right fish. Seafood merits special attention, because the fish varieties that we’re consuming could be on the brink of survival. Ocean ecosystems are being wrenched apart by the overfishing of certain species and the destructive fishing techniques used to harvest others.
Tags: · FishChoice.com, fisheries, Monterey Bay Aquarium, ocean ecosystems, Oceans, responsible dining, seafood, sustainable fishing
By Harriet Blake
Green Right Now
“Don’t let the vacation ruin the destination.”
These words of wisdom hail from environmentalists who have legitimate concerns about ocean pollution due to cruise ship dumping.
Cruise ship vacations have gained in popularity in the last decade, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, which states that the industry has grown nearly twice as fast as any other means of travel during that time frame. And, at the same time, the average ship size has been growing at about 90 feet every five years. Ships used to average about 3,000 passengers, but today some carry as many as 8,000.
So with larger ships carrying more passengers, there is mounting concern about how this growth will affect the ocean’s marine life and water quality.
Recently the World Wildlife Federation’s Baltic Sea chapter recommended that area ports upgrade their facilities to cope with contamination from cruise ship sewage. The WWF said that Baltic-area ports are not keeping their facilities up-to-date in terms of disposing of cruise ship waste and suggested that the money being made by cruise ship tourism be spent upgrading the facilities, according to a report in the Environmental News Service.
Tags: · cruise ships, dumping, effluent, EPA, Friends of the Earth, garbage, Oceans, Sewage, Travel, treated wastewater, untreated wastewater, Vacations, World Wildlife Fund
From Green Right Now Reports:
Greenpeace followed up the release this week of its latest Carting Away the Oceans scorecard with a friendly and fishy demonstration outside Trader Joe’s stores in San Francisco.
Greenpeace members, two of whom dressed as orange roughy and others who parodied Trader’s by wearing Hawaiian shirts mimicking the store’s trademark uniform, handed out information on why its important to select and buy seafood that can be replenished and also asked prospective customers to sign petition postcards to privately held grocery company.
Tags: · Carting Away the Oceans, Greenpeace, groceries, Oceans, overfishing, Retailers, seafood, seafood Red List, sustainability, Trader Joe's
Barbara Kessler
Andrew Winston
Danielle Nierenberg
Anthony Swift