Let's hope Bush talks to real scientists this time
This one isn't like global warming, where much is speculation (thogh solid, detailed speculation totally in line with our understanding of climatology). The destruction of the life-bearing capability of American coastal waters is real…documented…and here now.
Seven thousand and more square miles of ocean simply dies, for two, three months every year. The affected area grows larger every year. And it's a direct result of human activity.
Now, I grant we didn't know this would happen when we began using the chemicals that poison the sea. I place no blame for past actions taken in ignorance. But the ignorance is over now…we know.
The fact that the ocean recovers for a while shows the damage isn't irreversible yet. But both the reports referenced below warn that we're approaching the point of no return. That would literally be a catastrophe.
Quote of note:
President Bush, who has been largely silent on the subject, is obliged by law to respond to the Ocean Commission report. He should treat these issues with a seriousness he has not often shown on environmental matters. The threat to the oceans -- and to countless species threatened by overfishing, pollution, nutrient and chemical runoff, and invasive species -- represents one of the most pressing ecological crises of our time. It cannot wait much longer for leadership.
Saving the Oceans
Sunday, August 22, 2004; Page B06
OVER THE PAST year and a half, two blue-ribbon panels -- the Pew Oceans Commission and the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy -- have put together major reports on the state of America's coastal waters. The reports, broadly speaking, agree on a depressing reality: This country's oceans are in trouble and absent dramatic policy changes will be irreversibly damaged. Both groups make extensive recommendations for averting such a catastrophe, which would both devastate major economic interests and constitute a fundamental betrayal of society's stewardship of its natural treasures. Over the past century this country has developed a commitment to preserving forest and desert wilderness, protecting air quality and safeguarding land-based species. The message of the two commissions is that policymakers must show a similar commitment to America's territorial waters, which comprise an area larger than the land mass of the United States.
