The foremost scientific experts on the ocean just released a disturbing study on how pollution, warming and acidification of our oceans is leading to mass extinctions of life. Unless we curb our crustacean appetites and polluting ways, all coral reefs, for example, are expected to be gone by 2050.
“The ocean is the largest ecosystem on Earth, supports us and maintains our world in a habitable condition. To maintain the goods and services it has provided to mankind for millenia demands change in how we view, manage, govern and use marine ecosystems. The scale of the stresses on the ocean means that deferring action will increase costs in the future leading to even greater losses of benefits.”
Shudder.
This saddens me in so many ways. As someone who grew up fishing with her dad in Florida, and eating a lot of seafood — which used to be good for you! — I am sad that my children might not experience the untouched beauty of fishing and eating what they caught.
I am equally disturbed by the number of people who would rather believe polluters than the scientists who are warning us. Folks like these commenters at the Huffington Post:
“Write an article predicting doom because people are too materialistic and numbskulls fall over themselves to agree with it. nasty streak of misanthropy in many environmentalist I think.”
–UK Visitor“In many cases the peer review is a sham because the scientists never let anyone outside of their Groupthink do an official review.”…
–BrentW1
Right. You mean they don’t allow people without actual scientific credentials to conduct research? That’s probably a good thing!
Look, I am no scientist, but I am also not deaf and blind. My sister says that people around her now go “fishing for sport,” meaning that they throw back what they catch. They can’t eat the fish because the water contains too many chemicals like mercury, and even radiation. Yuck.
I also know that my pediatrician warned me against eating fish while I was pregnant because seafood today contains too much mercury. I don’t make it at home, and instead buy eggs and flaxseed breads that have the same omega 3 fatty acids benefits as fish.
Yes, there are days I choose to keep the blinders on when it comes to reports like the one above. I love seafood, and I don’t like to feel helpless, especially since this is going to take our collective efforts to tackle. But, I can no longer keep the blinders on, not when my children and the generations after them are affected. That is too big of a risk to take.
Please join me at Moms Clean Air Force. Together we can join scientists to put the pressure on companies dirtying our air and water.