Scientists? What do THEY know? On Tue, Jun 21, 2011 at 2:06 PM, Jim Devine <[email protected]> wrote:
> from SLATE > > Ocean Life facing Mass Extinction. > > By Daniel Politi > > | Posted Tuesday, Jun. 21, 2011, at 12:21 PM EDT > > The oceans are in far worse state than previously thought, according > to a prestigious group of scientists. Of course, doom-and-gloom > environmental stories are so common they’re almost yawn-inducing. But > this one is different, insists Time’s Bryan Walsh. The state of the > oceans never gets the coverage it really deserves and a report issued > by the International Program on the State of the Ocean reveals things > more dire for the marine world than previously thought. > > Sure, there’s overfishing and global warming [and fertilizer run-off > and?] has created dead zones in the oceans. But the truth is far more > frightening as we are “at high risk for entering a phase of extinction > of marine species unprecedented in human history,” notes the report > written by a global panel of experts. In what is the > report’s most stark and shocking suggestion, scientists say that the > unprecedented loss of species could be directly comparable to the five > great mass extinctions of prehistory. Indeed, the panel of 27 > scientists say that a “combination of stressors is creating the > conditions associated with every previous major extinction of species > in Earth’s history.” > > Also shocking is how the scientists detail that the speed and rate at > which the oceans are degenerating is much faster than anyone had > previously predicted, notes the Independent. In fact, the scientists > say that the first steps of a mass extinction may have already begun > and some entire marine ecosystems may vanish within a generation. > > Overfishing is certainly one of the problems, but it’s the easiest for > governments to reverse. Meanwhile, the “deadly trio” of global > warming, ocean acidification and lack of water oxygen, which led to > most, if not all, the five “global mass extinctions” in history are > also present in the ocean today, notes CNN. In its report, the panel > concluded that “a new extinction event was inevitable if the current > trajectory of damage continues.” > > > http://slatest.slate.com/posts/2011/06/21/ocean_mass_extinction_report_warns_of_unprecedented_losses.html?from=rss/&wpisrc=newsletter_slatest > -- > Jim Devine / "Segui il tuo corso, e lascia dir le genti." (Go your own > way and let people talk.) -- Karl, paraphrasing Dante. > _______________________________________________ > pen-l mailing list > [email protected] > https://lists.csuchico.edu/mailman/listinfo/pen-l > -- Sandwichman
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