I got off the WeatherBird II mid way through the cruise in Pensacola, Florida. Five days later, an e-mail arrived from chief scientist David Hollander, subject line: "Yuck!"
ecosystem
After the Deepwater Horizon oil spill
"Dolphins off the bow!"
I race to the front of the WeatherBird II, a research vessel owned by the University of South Florida. There they are, doing their sleek silvery thing, weaving between translucent waves, disappearing under the boat, reappearing in perfect formation on the other side.
After taking my fill of phone video (and very pleased not to have dropped the device into the Gulf of Mexico), I bump into Gregory Ellis, one of the junior scientists aboard.
"Did you see them?" I ask excitedly.
"You mean the charismatic megafauna?" he sneers. "I'll pass."
An open letter to B.C. NDP leadership candidates
March 18, 2011
Candidates:
I, and many others, are concerned about the most pressing problem of our time and are looking for leaders who will put this problem foremost in their policy. It is a core problem that many of our other problems are connected to, and if we do not solve it first it will prevent any lasting solution for the other issues that are being addressed.
Sustainability means consume less
I was going over some of the press releases from the provincial government recently when I found one from last April titled "Awards Honour Commitment To Sustainable Mining." This is yet another sad example of how far off base our political leadership is, not to mention the captains of industry, all who should be smart enough to know better. Sustainable mining is an oxymoron.
Sustainability means a cyclical system in which inputs balance outputs and everything regenerates at more or less the same rate in perpetuity. Sustainability is what any system or society needs to achieve in order to survive. Things that are not sustainable come to an end.
Let's bring balance back to our planet
I grew up on a farm and have continued to raise plants for most of my life. Anyone who does this usually learns about insects that prey upon plants. The smart ones also learn about the balance of nature.
I have seen cut worms, aphids, mites and hoppers destroy crops and the plants that produce them. I have seen how practising mono culture, that is growing huge, unbroken areas of a single crop, has facilitated terrible infestations by providing and almost endless feast of a favoured plant for a pest.
I have seen pest control that did more harm than good by killing not only the targeted pest, but directly or indirectly also many benificial organisms. Collateral damage, so to speak.
Climate change and the limits of growth
As I write, much of the world's attention is on Copenhagen where the 15th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP 15) is taking place. Prime Minister Harper is there, as is B.C. Premier Campbell, and President Obama is due to make an appearance. Functionaries in the environmental movement, assorted diplomats, and politicians are all in attendance. So are thousands of protestors.
