Planet's Got Deep Blue Trouble

Representing over 75 percent of the Earth’s surface, the ocean has long been thought to be resistant to health woes because of its ability to absorb human waste and pollution.

The ocean’s sheer volume seemed to support the notion of “dilution is the solution” to point-source contaminants. The premise: Tides and currents removed almost anything that entered the sea.

But added pressure on the marine environment – increases in human population, industry, and agriculture – has led to concerns that the ocean’s health is being harmed by human activities.

Indicators Tell Story

The ability of scientists to monitor the ocean’s health is hampered by its complexity, according to Robert J. Taylor of the University of Florida.

Although the basic chemistry of sea water has been stable for millions of years, components such as nutrients and dissolved oxygen directly affect plant and animal life.

Living populations vary naturally because of interactions between oceanic and atmospheric processes.

Evaluating the health of the planet’s oceans therefore requires that human impacts must be distinguished from a natural, changing background.

Techniques for evaluating oceanic health include estimates of commercial fishery populations and localized studies of plant and animal species.

Impacts from contaminants and adverse water quality ideally are monitored through long-term baseline studies.

In the United States, this approach has been followed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Mussel Watch program.

The study focuses on organic and inorganic contaminants in mussels and oysters in U.S. coastal waters. The success of this approach has led to similar studies on an international scale.

Historical trends of contaminant input have been evaluated through “dated core” studies in which contaminants are measured in marine sediment layers and compared with estimates when they were deposited.

Larger special scales are evaluated by remote sensing to measure a variety of variables such as temperature, plankton populations, and sediment load of surface waters.

Some Major Threats

Pollution, habitat change, and overfishing are considered the major threats to oceanic health.

Pollutants include chemicals, sewage, floating debris (for example, plastic and trash), and nutrient elements (for example, nitrogen and phosphorus) released to coastal areas either directly, via rivers, or via the atmosphere.

Oceanic health is impacted almost everywhere by alteration or destruction of critical ecosystems.

These changes include the erosion and loss of all salt marshes; drainage of wetlands; siltation of estuarine areas after deforestation and erosion; alteration of fresh-water inputs; and restriction of fish migration routes by dams.

Dredging, boating, and pressure from tourism are deteriorating coral reefs around the world.

Overfishing target species, such as whales and sharks, and the accidental removal of non-target species are damaging overall ocean health.

Many fish populations have declined dramatically as a result of overfishing.

What Holds Water

Although human population and development in coastal areas continues to expand, releases of chemical contaminants and nutrients will still be regulated in developed countries.

Lessons learned in developed countries continue to help oceanic health around the world. This will enable the improvement of economies and infrastructure while preserving natural environments.

WMB believes that difficult policy innovations are required to restore and conserve ocean habitats to earlier conditions.

Growing populations dependent on fisheries as protein sources, especially in developing countries, makes this lifestyle especially important.

WMB further supports the theory that economic survival provides the impetus for maintaining and improving marine environmental conditions.

By example, fishermen need to optimize their costs per unit catch.

This could require government intervention in the form of subsidies; this is particularly important to maintain ocean-based tourism and coastal habitats for future generations.

TechMan

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ChinaWatch: Striking A Balance?

Welcome to ChinaWatch, WMB’s digest of news from the country with the world’s second largest economy and our chief rival to global dominance. Our aim is to keep you informed.


World’s Biggest Polluter

China wants local governments to be more responsible for environmental protection as the world’s fastest-growing major economy seeks to reduce pollution, says Zhang Lijun, vice minister for environmental protection.

The Ministry of Environmental Protection has issued carbon dioxide emissions quotas to provincial governments for the five years through 2015 and will focus on preventing pollution from heavy metals, non bio-degradable waste and hazardous chemicals, according to Zhang.

“Grasping the balance between economic growth and environmental protection is the responsibility of all levels of government, especially local governments,” Zhang says.

China, the world’s biggest polluter, set a lower growth target for the period from 2011 through 2015 as compared with the previous five-year period to help reduce pollution, with Premier Wen Jiabao saying last month that the nation could no longer sacrifice the environment in return for economic expansion.

The nation failed to meet its energy conservation goal for the five years through 2010.

China’s economy surpassed Japan’s to become the world’s second largest last year as the nation posted annual growth of 10.3 percent and expansion at a 9.8 percent pace in the fourth quarter.

The Chinese economy passed Germany’s in 2007 and those of the U.K. and France in 2005. It also surpassed the United States during that period to become the world’s biggest energy consumer and its biggest emitter of greenhouse gases.

The Chinese government has set a target for slashing energy use per unit of gross domestic product by as much as 17 percent in the five years ending 2015.

China missed a target to cut consumption by 20 percent between 2006 and 2010, even after shutting at least 7,000 factories and banning discounts on electricity to high-consumption businesses.

Going Nowhere Fast

By 2020, China will be blanketed by high-speed rail. The Asian giant is investing $1 trillion to create 16,000 miles of high-speed rail track – roughly a third of the total length of the U.S. interstate highway system.

Trains will zip along at 200+ mph, opening inter-city opportunities for businessmen and engineers. Such opportunities have been available only to the wealthy elite who own private jets.

Much of the United States, meanwhile, is stuck in the slow lane, something that may have a dire impact on the nation's competitiveness.

In response to a slow recovery and growing conservative movement, many states have abandoned plans to deploy high-speed rail, despite President Obama promising as much as $53 billion in matching federal grants for state rail projects over the next six years.

Some states, including recession-clobbered Michigan, have effectively rejected projects by simply falling silent. Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder has simply stopped talking about the state's former project and has refused calls or discussions on the topic.

Other states, including Florida, are taking a more active stance. Florida Gov. Rick Scott, also a Republican, killed the Sunshine State’s high-speed rail project. The proposed line would have connected Tampa to Orlando, two of Florida's top metropolitan areas.

Scott cites a 2009 study, claiming the line's first operation year in 2015 would see a deficit with just 2.4 million riders, as a factor in his decision. He also cites advice from the libertarian Reason Foundation and the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank.

ChinaWatch