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A bit of good news in the gloom. Had the privilege of seeing a few of these guys a while back, fantastic sight.

Recovery of humpback whales gives hope of saving ocean habitats by 2050

 
Ben Webster, Oceans Correspondent
Thursday April 02 2020, 12.00am, The Times
Humpback whales have been helped by the commercial ban on whaling
Humpback whales have been helped by the commercial ban on whaling
R HUCKE-GAETE

The stunning recovery of humpback whales and other wildlife has fundamentally changed the notion that we cannot save our oceans.

After years of gloomy forecasts that the damage from overfishing, pollution and climate change cannot be reversed, a ray of hope came yesterday. Thanks to the recovery of humpback whales, elephant seals and other marine species, scientists have been able to produce a recovery plan showing how the health of the ocean can be restored by 2050.

The proposal, produced by scientists from 16 universities around the world, would cost between $20 billion and $40 billion a year and is based on analysis of measures that have helped rebuild populations and habitats.

Attempts to breed coral species resilient to warmer waters are taking place
Attempts to breed coral species resilient to warmer waters are taking place

Humpback whales migrating from Antarctica to eastern Australia have been increasing by about 10 per cent each year, from a few hundred in 1968 to more than 40,000, benefiting from the ban on commercial whaling in 1986. Gray whales have also increased, from 4,000 in 1949 to 20,000, and blue whales from as few as 1,000 in the 1950s to between 10-20,000 today.

Northern elephant seals were hunted almost to extinction by 1880 when only 20 breeding animals remained. However, due to strong protection there are now more than 200,000. The number of southern sea otters in Canada has grown from about 50 in 1911 to several thousand.

While still endangered, most sea turtle populations, for which trends are available, are growing. A green turtle conservation scheme on Chichijima island in Japan has increased breeding females from 50 in the 1970s to about 600 by 2010.

The study, published in the journal Nature, found that 47 per cent of 124 populations of marine mammals have significantly increased in recent decades, with 40 per cent unchanged and 13 per cent decreasing.

Northern gannets, seabirds that were targeted for their eggs, meat and feathers in the 19th century, have increased fourfold to more than a million in the past 80 years.

The rate of destruction of mangroves, coastal trees which reduce erosion and are feeding grounds for fish, has slowed to 0.11 per cent per year.

Marine Protected Areas (MPA), which restrict human activity for conservation purposes, are spreading rapidly. In 2000, only 3.2 million sq km, or 0.9 per cent, of the ocean was protected. They now cover 26.9 million sq km, or 7.4 per cent.

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The UK is leading an international initiative called “30 by 30”, seeking to accelerate MPA expansion to 30 per cent of the ocean by 2030. Fifteen countries have signed up and the target could be adopted by the United Nations at a biodiversity summit in China in October, if it goes ahead as planned.

However, the authors of the study have warned that the level of protection in MPAs is “often weak”, with 94 per cent still allowing fishing, albeit often with tighter controls.

Some of the most damaging marine pollutants have fallen sharply such as lead, due to the use of unleaded petrol in the 1980s, and tributyltin, the anti-fouling chemical which causes female sea snails to develop male **** organs, which was banned in 2008.

Stronger safety regulations for oil tankers have also reduced large spills from an average of 25 a year in the 1970s to an average of under two a year from 2010-2019.

Callum Roberts, a professor of marine conservation at the University of York and one of the authors of the study, said that meeting the target of the 2015 Paris agreement to keep global warming to less than 2C above pre-industrial levels was essential to restoring ocean health. Nearly all coral reefs will be destroyed if average temperatures rise beyond that.

He added that some coral species were more resilient to warmer waters and efforts were under way to breed them in laboratories to seed on reefs.

“The success of many marine conservation projects in recent years illustrates how we can make a real difference to life in our oceans if we apply the lessons learnt from them at scale and with urgency,” Professor Roberts said.

“Over-fishing and climate change are tightening their grip, but there is hope in the science of restoration. We have the skills and expertise to be able to restore vital marine habitats such as oyster reefs, mangrove swamps and salt marshes — which keep our seas clean, our coasts protected and provide food to support entire ecosystems.”

Measures to protect half the ocean, such as stronger enforcement of fishing and pollution rules and restoration schemes would cost between $20 billion and $40 billion a year, he added. The investment would be repaid many times over, the study claims, with protecting mangroves and coastal wetlands saving the insurance industry $52 billion a year in flood damages and growth in sustainable fisheries raising annual seafood industry profits by $53 billion. The recovery plan depends partly on the passing of a UN treaty, which had been due to be agreed in New York this week but was postponed due to coronavirus.

The way ahead

Mangroves Initiate 70 restoration projects a year, building on the success of the Mekong Delta mangrove forest. Help coastal communities relocate

Coral reefs Increase efforts to meet climate change targets. Reduce overfishing and pollution

Whales and other megafauna Protect migration routes and breeding sites, reduce ship strikes and create breeding programmes

Fisheries Create and enforce Marine Protected Areas. Ban destructive fishing practices, protect spawning areas and nursery grounds, and remove subsidies and quotas that give incentives to fish unsustainably

Deep sea Recycle products that require rare earth metals to avoid the need to mine them from the sea bed. Stronger regulation to prevent damage to deep sea habitats

Kelp Use species tolerant of warming waters. Prevent dredging and trawling and activities which damage kelp beds. Restore lobsters and fish which prey on kelp-destroying sea urchins

 
 

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Sad news

“Rest in peace, Rainforest Rescue founder Reinhard Behrend

Dear friends of the rainforests,

We have sad news to share with you today: Reinhard Behrend, the founder of Rainforest Rescue (Rettet den Regenwald e.V.), passed away on June 5, 2020, after a long battle with cancer.”

  • Thanks 1

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On 13/11/2019 at 00:11, Jools said:

My first environmental policy would be nuclear, as in more Sizewells -- Hugely costly, but clean, more efficient and less costly in the long run than ugly, wildlife killing turbines and fields of solar panels that will never provide enough electricity and take up too much space both at sea and on land.

That is my starter for ten -- I'll post further sensible ideas when I feel inclined.

In the meantime, I'm off to bed minus hot cocoa and a hot-water bottle in order to save Christmas Island.

 

🙃

 

And it looks as though my first environmental policy is going to be enacted:

An in-depth study for the Global Warming Policy Foundation has revealed the skyrocketing costs of balancing the national grid, largely due to the intermittency of green power generation sources, most notably wind and solar. Since 2002, when these power sources began to be introduced at scale, the cost of balancing the grid has risen from £367 million to £1.5 billion per year by 2019. And now with the lockdown shrinking demand, balancing costs are optimistically projected to be £2 billion, potentially rising to £3 billion if the lockdown persists…

The conclusion of Dr John Constable, energy expert and author of the study, is stark:

“If demand remains low during the post-Covid recession the multi-billion pound costs of managing and subsidising renewables must be recovered from a much smaller volume of sales. That is a recipe for rapid and abrupt price rises, the like of which the British public have never seen. Enough is enough. In what everyone agrees is a very difficult moment the national interest demands a cost minimisation strategy for electricity, based on gas and nuclear.”

Fortunately, the UK could be on the brink of a nuclear revolution in small modular reactors (SMRs). Rolls Royce is leading a consortium of businesses urging the Government to accelerate plans for a swathe of high tech micro nuclear reactors across the north of England:

Plans are being discussed for sixteen micro-reactors to be built by 2050, providing enough consistent energy to power a city the size of Leeds and directly employing 40,000 people. Who knew that nuclear power stations even run when it’s not windy and at night!

 

👍

Edited by Jools
missing video

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We of course should await Marcus Rashford's opinion on the above before any decisions are made 🙃😀

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11 minutes ago, keelansgrandad said:

As long as these reactors are built where the Oiks live?

Aye, the oiks of Southwold are protesting about Sizewell to this day...   🙃

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2 hours ago, Jools said:

 

 

Plans are being discussed for sixteen micro-reactors to be built by 2050, providing enough consistent energy to power a city the size of Leeds and directly employing 40,000 people. Who knew that nuclear power stations even run when it’s not windy and at night!

 

👍

40,000 (FORTY THOUSAND!) people directly employed to power a city the size of Leeds 😲

That's some seriously expensive electricity 

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17 hours ago, keelansgrandad said:

Arctic Circle sees 'highest-ever' recorded temperatures

It'll be all this nice weather we've been having. 🤔🤣

Apples

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The pictures I see of all the carp left on Bournemouth beach blow a hole in the lingering hopes I had that Blue Planet and other campaigns had had a positive Impact.

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The pictures I see of all the carp left on Bournemouth beach blow a hole in the lingering hopes I had that Blue Planet and other campaigns had had a positive Impact.

I think you will find that Carp are freshwater fish VW🙃

I felt as angry as you when I saw the pictures. Do all these idiots think that because they leave their plastic bottles outside their house once a fortnight for someone to take away that the same thing happens on the beach? Its time the Government, Supermarkets, Manufacturers got together to sort out packaging. Why can't we go back to glass?

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