Vancouver Sun. One Ocean Expeditions is collecting data on microplastics during a research trip to Antarctica. The researchers now estimate that microplastics will be found in every single sample pulled from the ocean anywhere in the world. This is especially alarming considering plankton - the bottom of the food chain - mistake microplastics for food. Most microplastics are actually microfibres which come from clothing.
EcoWatch. A solar and wind-powered floating vaccuum, SeaVax is the latest ocean clean-up device in a proto-type stage, seeking funding to make a dent in the ocean's plastic problem.
Mangrove Action Project. In addition to protecting coral reefs and acting as a buffer against hurricane winds, mangroves - rainforests at the border between land and ocean - store the most carbon per hectare compared to any other forest. Less than half of mangrove forests remain due to the pressure of development and the shrimp aquaculture industry.
Rolling Stone. Ocean acidification, drought, intense rains, exceptionally warm and cold patches of ocean, marine life migrating north, decreased plankton, dead zones... this in-depth article documents the numerous ways changes in the ocean are evidence of climate change proceeding faster than expected.
By Iain McCalman (Farrar, Strauss and Giroux, 2014). Absorbing story of the UNESCO World Heritage Site that is moving towards the "in danger" category thanks to industrial development and dredging.
Comprised of 18 international leadership figures, including former Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin, the Global Ocean Commission's recommends solutions to key problems contributing to the high seas' degradation: overfishing; large-scale loss of habitat and biodiversity; the lack of effective management and enforcement; deficiencies in high seas government.
by Chris Wood, Ralph Pentland (Greystone Books, 2013). In water-rich Canada we assume we have an unlimited supply of tap water safe for consumption, but that is not necessarily the case. Wood and Pentland expose a detailed history of water mismanagement and lack of government action to safeguard our precious resource. Includes an idea for a charter that will hold government accountable for protecting water.
"Weather is changing. Get ready for it." Weather is felt most tangibly through water: rain, snow, flooding, drought, ice. In Dry Spring by Chris Woods, we learn how climate change is already affecting North American orchardists, fishers and people who live on the coast. Wood offers some suggestions about how to mitigate the worst effects.
This weekly focuses on international news. With some sifting, you'll find in-depth articles on water and economics, politics, business, technology, pollution, climate change, resource extraction and more.
