More stories of the seas stressed by our impact on the environment.Firstly this one about global warming raising the sea temperatures around the Antarctic potentially letting in predators like the crab above into the fragile eco-systems. Or, as the Sun headline screams, "Ice thaw killer crab claw war"!
Then this one, again about the impact of warming waters, on the increasing plagues of jelly fish that are thriving in the Med.
And finally two more reminders that biofuels are absolutely not the answer to our energy needs - they not only make global warming worse they are driving up food prices for the poorest too.
Very interesting to read the articles about the impact of biofuel production on third world food supplies, and on Co2 levels.
ReplyDeleteIt's a complex issue, and certainly the poor of those third world countries should not be taking the brunt of this so as to provide green power for the West. There needs to be a better solution.
That said, the concerns about Co2 resulting from biofuel production should be weighed against the proven benefits in terms of significantly cleaner air quality, and subsequent reduction of respiratory illnesses. That's important too.
It seems to me that when the media places so much of the spotlight on global warming there is a risk of diverting attention away from other equally valid environmental issues. Like the disastrous state of the world's oceans as a result of garbage dumping!
Yes, the media isn't that good (ok its terrible) at getting a balance between the different environmental issues. But then the governments and environmental campaigners aren't much better!
ReplyDeleteThe impact on the natural world of loss of habitat - mostly due to farming - is one that I feel isn't getting nearly enough attention.
I saw this TV program recently about Madagascar which has lost 90% of its forests! But the presenter was also sympathetic to the locals who just wanted to get enough to live.
Having said that the worst case scenarios for global warming are hide under the blankets scary :(