Half of the great barrier reef lost

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http://news.yahoo.com/half-great-barrier-reef-lost-past-3-decades-191029428.html

Clearly the living is in a grave crisis. This is a great lost of diversity.

That is sad and I fear it will only continue to dwindle. Humanity needs to check itself. Populations is too high.

I watched David Atenborough on The Living Planet (see on youtube). The last episode was all about man and how we have dominated the planet and what that means for the rest of the animal kingdom. It was made in 1984 and seeing it now seems more crucial, but it is clear we have not done a thing about the environment since.

anyone with a diving certificate will tell you the oceans have declined, in the decade i have been diving some places have gone from absolute wonders to decimated wastelands with only pollution resistant species remaining,

there was a specific fjord in greece where one could see a stark difference at the entrance to the fjord where the waters were relatively undisturbed, aluminium plant insidethe fjord was my main suspect.

I always dreamed of diving the great barrier reef, but I guess by the time I might be able to afford it, it will all probably be gone...

We're much harder on the oceans than any terrestrial environment, but because only people with dive certificates, such as Oodain and I, see the devastation, the focus of environmentalism continues to be on the trees. Out of sight, out of mind.

What's really sad is that I'll bet reefs generate more income from tourism and the outdoor recreation industry than say, rainforests. I'd like to see what the people who say the environment needs to keep taking hits for the economy say when hotels and dive shops start going out of business.

Not that they'll care. Only jobs that destroy the planet are worth protecting after all.

Will diversity feed a starving person?

ruveyn

yes that is quite literally what it will do,(or rather did)

many marine animals are deeply dependant on very specific relationships, the fact that there is half a degree higher average ocean temperature in the scandinavian waters means that cod cant catch their usual prey as effectively, the water went from treacle to..... well.... water and suddenly the insects were too fast(meant from the insects point of view).


now imagine what the loss of half an eco system can mean for some of the reef dependant food fish around the world and how many rely on excactly that as their primary protein source.

It breaks my heart when I read stories like this, but unfortunately I don't think anything's going to change until it's too late. Conservationists preach a positive message, but that message doesn't generate money. And nowadays if it doesn't make money, it doesn't get done.

Humanity is a mass extinction event though not as bad as the Permian(yet).

It is actually a strict requirement.

in tropical areas where the people depend on fishing for sustenance, healthy reefs are pretty damn important. In Australia, I imagine the tourism from healthy reefs is pretty damn important.

Starving people will feed starving people. SOYLENT GREEN!

Soylent Green is people!! !! ! ---- Charlten Heston -----

ruveyn