4 ms·

It seems a shame to me that nowadays "protecting the environment" is virtually synonymous with "curbing CO2 emissions", which means that serious issues like oce

It seems a shame to me that nowadays "protecting the environment" is virtually synonymous with "curbing CO2 emissions", which means that serious issues like ocean pollution get very little attention.

dbz 17y ago
We have serious problems to fix: like the pile of garbage the size of Texas that is sitting in the middle of our ocean. I couldn't find a good article, and I am petty sure the wiki-has some incorrect data displayed, but I'll leave it to the curious to research =p http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Pacific_Garbage_Patch http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Pacific_Garbage_Patch
- itistoday 17y ago
  There is an excellent video of reporters from VBS.TV going out with a researcher to visit this place. Very well worth watching despite its length: http://www.vbs.tv/newsroom/toxic-garbage-island-1-of-3--4 http://www.vbs.tv/newsroom/toxic-garbage-island-1-of-3--4
  - ugh 17y ago
    Uhhh. Calling it Garbage Island can only hurt that case. There is no large continuos plastic island the size of Texas (or smaller) in the Pacific. That doesn’t make the problem any smaller. Microscopic pieces of plastic entering the food chain is not what you would want. For more meat and less blah (1988): http://swfsc.noaa.gov/publications/TM/SWFSC/NOAA-TM-NMFS-SWFSC-154_P247.PDF http://swfsc.noaa.gov/publications/TM/SWFSC/NOAA-TM-NMFS-SWF... This one is a bit fresher (2001), if not quite as extensive: ftp://ftp.sccwrp.org/pub/download/DOCUMENTS/AnnualReports/1999AnnualReport/10_ar11.pdf PS, don’t wash your face http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19481226 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19481226 :)
- amock 17y ago
  If you read that article it says that the patch being the size of Texas is conjecture by the media.
  - deleted 17y ago
    [deleted]
  - aerique 17y ago
    Don't worry, just wait a couple of years and it'll be the size of Texas.
- parenthesis 17y ago
  http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/the-worlds-rubbish-dump-a-garbage-tip-that-stretches-from-hawaii-to-japan-778016.html http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/the-worlds-rubbish-...
matwood 17y ago
Totally agree! Mercury and other heavy metals make it potentially dangerous to eat much fish anymore.
- DaniFong 17y ago
  Not that coal is the source of all of our ills, but I have read that to elevated levels of mercury pervading the environment are primarily from coal plant stack emissions. Given this, I wonder why it isn't a diplomatic issue between, say, Japan and the US or Japan and China?
  - lhuang 17y ago
    It is. Reducing China's dependency on Coal is a huge priority for both China and the international community. It was a big point of discussion during last year's talks at Copenhagen.
- gamache 17y ago
  Eat young fish. Typically, in a given body of water, mercury level in a fish is directly proportional to its age. Avoid, if you like, large fish (e.g. tuna, marlin, swordfish, shark) and small fish which take a long time to mature (orange roughy, grouper, etc), but don't be afraid of all seafood. Coincidentally, eating small fish is much better for the marine ecosystem as well. They are much more difficult to overfish (not that humans haven't figured out how). More info on mercury levels in seafood: http://www.fda.gov/Food/FoodSafety/Product-SpecificInformation/Seafood/FoodbornePathogensContaminants/Methylmercury/ucm115644.htm http://www.fda.gov/Food/FoodSafety/Product-SpecificInformati...

It seems a shame to me that nowadays "protecting the environment" is virtually synonymous with "curbing CO2 emissions", which means that serious issues like ocean pollution get very little attention.

dbz 17y ago

We have serious problems to fix: like the pile of garbage the size of Texas that is sitting in the middle of our ocean. I couldn't find a good article, and I am petty sure the wiki-has some incorrect data displayed, but I'll leave it to the curious to research =p http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Pacific_Garbage_Patch http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Pacific_Garbage_Patch

itistoday 17y ago
There is an excellent video of reporters from VBS.TV going out with a researcher to visit this place. Very well worth watching despite its length: http://www.vbs.tv/newsroom/toxic-garbage-island-1-of-3--4 http://www.vbs.tv/newsroom/toxic-garbage-island-1-of-3--4
- ugh 17y ago
  Uhhh. Calling it Garbage Island can only hurt that case. There is no large continuos plastic island the size of Texas (or smaller) in the Pacific. That doesn’t make the problem any smaller. Microscopic pieces of plastic entering the food chain is not what you would want. For more meat and less blah (1988): http://swfsc.noaa.gov/publications/TM/SWFSC/NOAA-TM-NMFS-SWFSC-154_P247.PDF http://swfsc.noaa.gov/publications/TM/SWFSC/NOAA-TM-NMFS-SWF... This one is a bit fresher (2001), if not quite as extensive: ftp://ftp.sccwrp.org/pub/download/DOCUMENTS/AnnualReports/1999AnnualReport/10_ar11.pdf PS, don’t wash your face http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19481226 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19481226 :)
amock 17y ago
If you read that article it says that the patch being the size of Texas is conjecture by the media.
- deleted 17y ago
  [deleted]
- aerique 17y ago
  Don't worry, just wait a couple of years and it'll be the size of Texas.
parenthesis 17y ago
http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/the-worlds-rubbish-dump-a-garbage-tip-that-stretches-from-hawaii-to-japan-778016.html http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/the-worlds-rubbish-...

matwood 17y ago

Totally agree! Mercury and other heavy metals make it potentially dangerous to eat much fish anymore.

DaniFong 17y ago
Not that coal is the source of all of our ills, but I have read that to elevated levels of mercury pervading the environment are primarily from coal plant stack emissions. Given this, I wonder why it isn't a diplomatic issue between, say, Japan and the US or Japan and China?
- lhuang 17y ago
  It is. Reducing China's dependency on Coal is a huge priority for both China and the international community. It was a big point of discussion during last year's talks at Copenhagen.
gamache 17y ago
Eat young fish. Typically, in a given body of water, mercury level in a fish is directly proportional to its age. Avoid, if you like, large fish (e.g. tuna, marlin, swordfish, shark) and small fish which take a long time to mature (orange roughy, grouper, etc), but don't be afraid of all seafood. Coincidentally, eating small fish is much better for the marine ecosystem as well. They are much more difficult to overfish (not that humans haven't figured out how). More info on mercury levels in seafood: http://www.fda.gov/Food/FoodSafety/Product-SpecificInformation/Seafood/FoodbornePathogensContaminants/Methylmercury/ucm115644.htm http://www.fda.gov/Food/FoodSafety/Product-SpecificInformati...