The International Union for Conservation of Nature recently released an updated Red List of Threatened Species. The Red List has become the gold standard for measuring species population stability, and it is the world's most comprehensive data source on the extinction risk of species categorising (as either extinct, extinct in the wild, critically endangered, endangered, … [Read more...]
A global celebration as SA announces 5% ocean protection expansion
The approval yesterday of 20 new and expanded Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) by South Africa’s Cabinet, bringing the total protection of the oceans around South Africa up to 5% (from 0.4%), is a massive win for marine conservation in African waters. This bold action for our oceans has been spearheaded by the late Minister Edna Molewa of the Department of Environmental Affairs, … [Read more...]
Plastic packaging contains thousands of chemicals, including hazardous substances
At least 148 substances in plastic packaging are highly hazardous and many compounds are untested for toxicity and/or unknown. Plastic packaging is associated with more than 4,000 different chemicals, including at least 148 highly hazardous substances, as new results from an ongoing scientific research project show. The first project output includes a freely accessible … [Read more...]
Carbon dioxide levels reach highest point in 15 million years
Recently, a Norwegian Coast Guard icebreaker ship took an interesting trip into the Arctic. The ship found no ice to break, despite the fact that it was the dead of winter and barely 800 miles from the North Pole. Indeed, record-low levels of Arctic sea ice are becoming normal. The ice is disappearing before our very eyes. Satellite data now shows we are witnessing a very … [Read more...]
Altered marine food webs threaten food security
A new scientific analysis shows that urgent action is needed to reverse the tide of ecological decline in the ocean that threatens economies, societies and nature, says the Global Ocean Commission. The analysis, by leading marine scientists with the International Programme on the State of the Ocean (IPSO) and International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), looks … [Read more...]
Giant underground “ocean” discovered beneath us
A new study by American researchers concluded that in the mantle layer that lies between the crust and the core, there are vast reserves of water, probably three times the total volume of water of all oceans on the surface of our planet. This “reservoir” of water, which seems to be stable over time, lies at a depth of up to 700 kilometers beneath the planet’s surface, in the … [Read more...]
Which US city will be submerged by climate change?
A new Climate Central report shows which U.S. cities’ fates are locked in by sea-level rise. The long list of 1,400 cities includes not only obvious coastal candidates like Miami and New Orleans, but also inland cities such as Sacramento. They’re doomed to drown by 2100 even if carbon emissions immediately—like right now—drop to zero. Representative Henry Waxman (D-CA), a … [Read more...]
Notorious Russian vessel detained for illegal trawling
Following the detention of the Russian-flagged trawler the “Oleg Naydenov” by the Senegalese national navy on charges of illegal fishing, Greenpeace reiterates its support to the government of Senegal for the enforcement of fisheries legislation and calls on the President and his government to remain firm on its commitment to put an end to illegal activities by such … [Read more...]
Seli 1 wreck reduction operations a resounding success
Seli 1 wreck reduction operations to date have been confirmed as a resounding success; however the public are advised to keep a wide berth as further operations to ensure the safety of recreational users must still take place. A recent follow-up assessment of the Seli 1 wreck off the Table View coastline has confirmed that the operation has been a success, with the primary … [Read more...]
Where have the right whales gone?
One of the world's rarest whale species seems to have deserted its habitual feeding grounds during 2012 - and scientists think climate change may be a factor. A mystery is unfolding in the waters of the North Atlantic. Every summer and autumn, numbers of North Atlantic right whales gather in the waters between the eastern Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia … [Read more...]
Scientists say West Coast fish is safe, for now
Following Japan's devastating 2011 earthquake and tsunami, fear spread about risks of leaked radiation from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant — for the health of those living in or near Fukushima or involved in cleanup efforts, and for the planet and the potential impacts on our complex marine food web. Shunichi Tanaka, head of Japan's Nuclear Regulation Authority, … [Read more...]
Philippine typhoon kills estimated 10,000
One of the most powerful storms ever recorded killed at least 10,000 people in the central Philippines, a senior police official said on Sunday, with huge waves sweeping away coastal villages and devastating one of the main cities in the region. Super typhoon Haiyan destroyed about 70 to 80 percent of structures in its path as it tore through Leyte province on Friday, said … [Read more...]
IPCC statement: warming is unequivocal
Human influence on the climate system is clear. This is evident in most regions of the globe, a new assessment by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) concludes. It is extremely likely that human influence has been the dominant cause of the observed warming since the mid-20th century. The evidence for this has grown, thanks to more and better observations, an … [Read more...]
