Here’s a terrific Public Service Announcement promoting a new network of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) collaborating to protect ocean wildlife in California. It was created by Randy Olson (author of “Don’t Be SUCH A Scientist” and producer of “Sizzle” and “Flock of Dodos”).
Check out the accompanying (very cool) MPA website and more importantly, consider getting involved. The site offers plenty of ways for citizen scientists to participate in efforts to protect ocean wildlife.
This just in: we have until October 17th to tell President Obama that we care about the oceans. Here’s an excerpt from Sheril Kirshenbaum’s blog:
Go visit http://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/eop/ceq/initiatives/oceans/ and tell the White House Council on Environmental Quality that you support a comprehensive national policy to protect, maintain and restore our oceans and coasts.
The 30 day comment period ends on the 17th. For inspiration, once again, here’s My Top Ten List of reasons why oceans are vital:
- Ocean critters generate a good deal of the oxygen we breathe.
- We’re talking 99% of the habitat, 97% of the water, and 71% of surface on the planet!
- Oceans drive climate and weather through transfer of water and heat.
- Most U.S. commerce travels through the nation’s ports.
- Oceans account for a $20 billion recreational fishing industry… not to mention, a $60 billion annual seafood industry.
- And we’re talking $8 trillion estimated in oil and gas reserves.
- They support nearly 50 percent of all species on Earth.
- Over 50% of our nation’s population lives in coastal counties.
- Oceans mitigate the effects of CO2 in the atmosphere at their own expense… (okay, and ultimately ours).
- Marine animals and plants produce a ton of compounds that prevent and treat human disease.
Does the human community (and its representatives to the Climate Summit in Copenhagen) find itself in the distinctly difficult predicament of being able to do so very little to address the astonishingly big threats to human wellbeing and environmental health that are looming on the horizon before humanity?
It appears as if the adoption of politically convenient half measures and paltry economically expedient proposals could end up making bad matters even worse. Big problems require binding commitments and bold action.
Are our noticeably spectacular, recent failures to reasonably and sensibly confront the human-induced global challenges already visible to the human family in the offing not the fully expected, all-too-human-driven result of arrogance and greed ruling………and ruling in the world so absolutely because these pernicious traits are dominant in many too many leaders in our time?
After 8 long dark years of avoidance, denial and extreme foolhardiness, perhaps new leadership will give rise to the occurrence of necessary change before it is too late for human-forced change to make a difference. Before nature takes its inexorable course, whatever that may be.
At least consider accepting more fully human limits to the unbridled growth of global overconsumption, overproduction and overpopulation activities (as well as Earth’s biophysical limitations) and then make the choice of behaving accordingly.