Marine population halved since 1970 - report

[hunter]

Populations of marine mammals, birds, fish and reptiles have declined by 49% since 1970, a report says.

The study says some species people rely on for food are faring even worse, noting a 74% drop in the populations of tuna and mackerel.

In addition to human activity such as overfishing, the report also says climate change is having an impact.

The document was prepared by the World Wildlife Fund and the Zoological Society of London.

http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-34265672

Nothing to say really.

[daleanime]

1. kick, kick, kick....

No, nothing to say. But watch another important OP sink like a rock.

[Nihil]

2. You think it's bad here?

Try getting any of the great unwashed to pay attention to environmental issues
in LBN (much less the cesspool of GD) and you will be sickened by the level of
triviality that is viewed as "more important" ... not just botox'd "celebrities" but
unheard-of sports "personalities" or actors or musicians - many of whom, ironically,
would have been personally disgusted to think that more people were interested
in reading & writing about their deaths than about matters of truly global impact.

indeed.

[GliderGuider]

3. Unfortunately, it's even bad here.

As you noted in an earlier comment, people here tend to be more concerned with having "their" pet solution win the argument, rather than stepping back and looking at the big picture. As far as I can tell, there are perhaps a dozen contributors here who have a complex-systems perspective and are able to really get what's going on. The rest are engaged with what are essentially trivialities.

This is probably because DU's raison d'etre is political issues rather than ecological ones. People who are politically active tend to be "solutionistas".

[The2ndWheel]

8. Environmental issues are still an abstract problem

It doesn't even matter if this or that is happening today in relation to the climate. Every solution that gets proposed always has a date so far in the future that it's meaningless to people's day to day lives. Even the year 2020, let alone 2030, 2050, or the end of the century.

On the flip side, today, people need jobs. People need a way to get to those jobs. People need to eat. People need their retirement money. The list is pretty long. Far more pressing concerns than what might be the case 15, 35, or 85 years from now.

Civilization is a resource concentration mechanism. It has given us the kind of time where we can, in some way, worry about what might happen 35 years from now. However, we're still biological beings, and so the short term will take precedence over the long term every time.

[OKIsItJustMe]

4. An Uncertain Future for Our Living Blue Planet

https://www.worldwildlife.org/stories/an-uncertain-future-for-our-living-blue-planet

[font face=Serif][font size=5]An Uncertain Future for Our Living Blue Planet[/font]

[font size=4]Fresh, new evidence shows why we need to act on marine conservation[/font]

Date:
September 15, 2015

[font size=3]A new report on the health of the ocean finds that the marine vertebrate population has declined by 49 percent between 1970 and 2012.

WWF’s Living Blue Planet Report tracks 5,829 populations of 1,234 mammal, bird, reptile, and fish species through a marine living planet index. The evidence, analyzed by researchers at the Zoological Society of London, paints a troubling picture. In addition to the plummeting number of marine vertebrate species, populations of locally and commercially fished fish species have fallen by half, with some of the most important species experiencing even greater declines.

These findings coincide with the growing decline of marine habitats, where the deforestation rate of mangroves exceeds even the loss of forests by 3-5 times; coral reefs could be lost across the globe by 2050; and almost one-third of all seagrasses have been lost.

Global climate is one of the major drivers causing the ocean to change more rapidly than at any other point in millions of years. The oceans store huge quantities of energy and heat, but as the climate responds to increasing carbon emissions, the exchange intensifies. This may result in extreme weather events, changing ocean currents, rising sea temperatures, and increasing acidity levels—all of which aggravate the negative impacts of overfishing and other major threats such as habitat degradation and pollution.

...[/font][/font]

[OKIsItJustMe]

5. Living Blue Planet Report 2015

https://www.worldwildlife.org/publications/living-blue-planet-report-2015

[font face=Serif][font size=5]Living Blue Planet Report 2015[/font]

Date: September 15, 2015

[font size=3]WWF's Living Blue Planet Report takes a deep look at the health of our oceans and the impact of human activity on marine life. Data on marine ecosystems and human impacts upon them is limited, reflecting the lack of attention the ocean has received to date. Nevertheless, the trends shown here present a compelling case for action to restore our ocean to health.

...

The marine Living Planet Index (LPI) presented here is roughly in line with the global LPI, which shows a 52 per cent decline in vertebrate populations since 1970. That alone should set off alarm bells. But it’s what’s hidden in the overall marine LPI that foretells an impending social and economic crisis.

When we look at the fish species most directly tied to human well-being – the fish that constitute up to 60 per cent of protein intake in coastal countries, supporting millions of small-scale fishers as well as a global multibillion-dollar industry – we see populations in a nosedive. The habitats they depend on, such as coral reefs, mangroves and seagrasses, are equally threatened.

The picture is now clearer than ever: humanity is collectively mismanaging the ocean to the brink of collapse. Considering the ocean’s vital role in our economies and its essential contribution to food security – particularly for poor, coastal communities – that’s simply unacceptable. Could the economic implications of the collapse of the ocean’s ecosystems trigger the next global recession or undermine the progress we have made on eradicating poverty?

...[/font][/font]

http://assets.worldwildlife.org/publications/817/files/original/Living_Blue_Planet_Report_2015_Final_LR.pdf

[cprise]

6. K&R

[RiverLover]

7. K&R, and click the link!

We should show BBC we appreciate the news on the environment. We don't like it, but we recognize its vast importance & support reporting on it.

It not in the news enough, I think, because its too big, its too bad/sad, and its beyond what we can do as individuals to make a difference. Not our group here of course, but the general population feels that way. Like my dad, who says to me, "I don't know why you get riled up about these things, there's nothing you can do to change it."

The pope's visit will at least make it a national conversation, I'm looking forward to it....