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Happy fall Friday, everyone! Here’s your weekly ocean news roundup…
...The House of Representatives’ vote of 29-14 moved the Mercury Pollution Reduction Act out of committee and brings the U.S. closer to reducing mercury pollution. We’ve been working tirelessly, lobbying on the Hill and asking our Wavemakers to contact their Representatives. There is more work ahead but this is a solid step forward.
...Climate change remains a hot topic, but a lot of Americans are cooling off. According to a recent study, only 57 percent believe there is solid evidence that the Earth is getting hotter. This is a drop from 77 percent in 2006. And only a third believe global warming is tied to human activities. Perhaps a milder summer has people thinking we aren’t warming up, but don’t mix up weather with climate – snow falls on a warming planet.
...As the lowest lying nation, the Maldives have vested interest in rising sea levels due to climate change. Maldivian government officials figured they should get used to a watery world and held a meeting underwater, asking all countries to reduce their carbon emissions.
...You may not think of your goldfish as the smartest creature and you are probably right. But don’t think that lack of smarts extends to his wild brethren. Researchers have found that wild fish can recognize shapes and colors, useful skills when avoiding predators and stalking prey. Perhaps your betta just needs more stimulation than a fake treasure chest.
...Carbon emissions are creating more acidic oceans. But in some isolated areas, “death zones” naturally occur where underwater vents release acidic gas. Do the answers to ocean acidification lie in these murky, lifeless pockets?
...The links between predator, prey, and overfishing play out on the Delaware shore. Red knots need to fatten up on horseshoe crab eggs before their migration to the Arctic, but overfishing of the crabs for bait greatly reduced their numbers, threatening the survival of the shore bird. As the number of crabs and birds flocking to the shores increases, a third group joins them: orthonlogists.
2 Comments
October 27, 2009 - 14:29
Climate and Wind Power
I noticed an article on your webpage about exploring the use of offshore wind powered turbines to reduce warming of the planet. While I support Oceana in wanting to make a potentially large scale impact, have you considered the unintended consequences on migratory and coastal bird populations? Wind powered turbines have already caused tremendous negative impacts on inland bird populations including the elusive Burrowing Owl. I cannot even begin to imagine the negative impact that offshore turbines would have on pelagic and coastal waterfowl as well as migrating songbirds. What will Oceana do to make certain that birds of all sizes will not become innocent victims of these offshore turbines?
oceana
October 30, 2009 - 14:10
A response from the climate team
Thanks for bringing up these important concerns -- Oceana has the following position:
While wind is a free, clean, non-climate altering source of energy it must be harnessed appropriately. Siting of wind farms is paramount in ensuring that wind farms do not harm fragile marine environments. For example, wind farms should not be placed in important migratory routes or bird flyways. Special consideration should be given to endangered and threatened species that may be affected by the placement of wind farms, and the same goes for long-lived, slow to reproduce species.
Once appropriate wildlife surveys have been conducted and siting decided, techniques to mitigate any additional harm should be employed. For example bubble curtains and pingers should be used during the installation phase to ensure marine mammals stay away from loud and possibly damaging noises and during the operation phase diffuse lights should be used so as not to attract birds that may be at risk of collision.
Offshore wind energy can present risks to the marine environment if improperly done, however done right offshore wind can provide a clean, renewable alternative to fossil fuels and truly help us halt climate change and ocean acidification, the greatest threats currently facing the world's oceans and many marine, terrestrial and avian species.
While offshore wind can present risks to marine and coastal wildlife, if sited and mitigated correctly these risks are relatively small. Climate change, ocean acidification and the continued use of fossil fuels on the other hand present unacceptably high risks for a myriad of marine and coastal species, risks that wind energy can help to alleviate.
-Oceana's Climate Change and Clean Energy campaign