[Coral-List] Are reef ecologists capable of building the complex science needed?

J Hill jhilltrustee at gmail.com
Wed Nov 1 16:41:29 EDT 2017


Peter,
Thank you for taking the time to respond thoughtfully to my email. We are
more powerful Together than we are individually. I remain confident and
optimistic that as a Community that cares about both the science and the
economics of climate change we can make meaningful progress.
Best, J

On Wed, Nov 1, 2017 at 2:32 PM, Peter Sale <sale at uwindsor.ca> wrote:

> Mr/Ms Hill and list,
>
> It’s great to know people from the business community are on coral-list.
> I’m not the person to talk with about collaborations, only because I am no
> longer actively doing research, however I suspect several of my younger
> colleagues on this list could be interested.  Indeed, one of the gratifying
> happenings as coral reef decline has become more widely known is that some
> in the business community are stepping forward and helping.
>
>
>
> You ask whether knowing the financial cost of reef decline would help
> persuade people about the urgency of this crisis.  My answer is that it
> will help some people, but it is not the only kind of information likely to
> resonate.  I tend to divide the world into those people who live far away
> from reefs, but may be in a position to contribute financially or in other
> ways to efforts to do something for coral reefs, and those people who live
> close to reefs, depend on them for sustenance, employment and coastal
> protection, but are able only to contribute to a small degree, and only
> locally to conserving them.  There are a few people who fall outside these
> categories – wealthy or politically connected people in tropical countries,
> for example.  My two categories of people respond to different messages,
> and one about costs and benefits can appeal particularly to the first
> group.  This messaging has already been done by various groups, but perhaps
> needs repeating.  There are substantial costs in lost ecosystem services
> when reefs decline.  Also, as has been said on this list many times, we
> scientists can learn to do a better job of communicating our science to the
> public.
>
>
>
> My original post, and the more extensive comments on my blog (
> http://wp.me/p5UInC-ED), were directed primarily to environmental
> scientists, asking whether we are going to be capable of building the
> sophisticated understanding of how complex ecosystems like coral reefs
> behave that I think will be necessary if we are going to be able to steer
> the planet towards desired Holocene-like conditions for life.  I worry that
> our impacts on the planet have become so pervasive that we have got to
> start a far more coordinated, global effort to nudge the planet in
> desirable directions (slowing and eventually stopping the warming we are
> currently causing is a major, but not the only need at present).  But I see
> coral reef ecology (the part of the science I understand best) moving at a
> glacial pace to build deeper understanding.
>
>
>
> I do not dispute the comments of people like  Phil Dustan who responded to
> my post, saying that we already have enough scientific knowledge to stop
> reef decline and we need to build the necessary will to act and get busy.
> We know more than enough to make a damned good start, and it is
> disappointing that efforts (which have grown a lot) still remain
> inadequate.  But I don’t agree that we know enough and do not need more
> science.  I think the science community should continue to advocate for
> action now (both local efforts to conserve, sustain or enhance reefs, and
> global efforts to slow climate change and generally reduce the human
> footprint on the planet), but must also continue to do good, cutting-edge
> science that will build our knowledge and therefore our ability (in
> partnership with managers, policy-makers, and other stakeholders) to
> foresee difficulties, make rational judgements on priorities, and put truly
> effective policy in place.  My reason for posting was that I do not see the
> rapid advances in understanding that the environmental crisis demands;
> instead I see too much business-as-usual from a science community that
> could become way more effective.  If anything, I was issuing a plea for
> excellence in how we practice our science.
>
>
>
> That I am making such comments from the privilege of ‘emeritus-land’ will
> probably annoy some of my colleagues, but, hey, ecology was never meant to
> be as easy as rocket science.
>
>
>
> Peter Sale
>
>
>
> *From:* J Hill [mailto:jhilltrustee at gmail.com]
> *Sent:* Wednesday, November 1, 2017 12:40 PM
> *To:* coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov; Peter Sale <sale at uwindsor.ca>
> *Subject:* Are reef ecologists capable of building the complex science
> needed?
>
>
>
> To Peter, Angela, Dennis and the Coral List,
>
>
>
> I respect all of you and am grateful for the work you do for our oceans. I
> am not a scientist. I am a
>
> businessman professionally and an advocate for our oceans socially. I
> served as CFO for a Forbes 400
>
> family for over 25 years and am now Trustee for this family. My
> professional work is as an Independent
>
> Family Trustee. I have been fortunate to serve on the Director's Cabinet
> at Scripps Institution of Oceanography
>
> and the Board at the Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke
> University. I was fortunate to meet many
>
> inspiring scientists who are working so hard for the benefit of our
> environment as I know all of you are as well.
>
> I thank you. I did not accomplish nearly what I would have hoped to in
> those board opportunities which is why I
>
> think the frustration I feel as a businessman is not entirely different to
> the frustration you may feel as a scientist
>
> in the area of what to do about climate change and it's effect on our
> oceans and specifically our coral reefs. As
>
> Dennis asks below as scientists are "we just documenting the obvious". As
> a businessman I ask "does my
>
> time and financial contribution to work related to our environmental
> challenges do any more than temporarily
>
> make me feel better without moving the needle at all in terms of solutions
> for our environmental challenges".
>
> The common thread is a lot of compelling science and a lot of good
> intention but no meaningful change in direction.
>
>
>
> In reading the email from Peter and the responses (see two excerpts
> below), I thought it was a good time to raise a
>
> question for your comment especially from Peter, Angela and Dennis since
> they have been the most active in this
>
> discussion.
>
>
>
> The question is how do you get the population at large to care enough
> about climate change's effect on our oceans
>
> and coral reefs to demand change? I don't think you can do it through pure
> science. Nor do I think you can do it in
>
> a boardroom or by writing a check. You can only do it by focusing on it's
> effect on people's financial well being. If we
>
> could effectively get the message out that the declining health of coral
> reefs directly effects the general population due
>
> to reduced fish habitat, weakened storm protection, greater damage to our
> homes and communities from more powerful
>
> storms, decline in the quality of the air we breathe, loss of tourism etc..
> then maybe we could get the general population to
>
> demand change because we are showing them that by doing nothing long term
> they will be negatively impacted financially.
>
> It is easier to get the general population to support an environmental
> cause if they buy in to how they will be impacted directly
>
> by non action.
>
>
>
> In conclusion (I am sorry if this is too many words) my offer is to
> discuss with you developing a collaboration between the
>
> business community and the scientific community to attempt to generate
> greater concern in the general population about the
>
> long term impact of non action so we can be more successful in getting
> government and non government organizations to set
>
> policy that aids the important work of addressing the challenges of
> climate change and global warming. For example, I
>
> feel strongly that insurance companies could be effectively educated on
> why this should be important to them because
>
> they have the most to lose financially from more severe storms caused by
> warmer ocean water etc. There are also issues
>
> of national defense that are hitting the radar now in Washington as the
> military wakes up to the potential ramifications of
>
> rising sea levels and melting ice.
>
>
>
> I will stop there and invite you to let me know if you think having the
> financial impacts of climate change be more a
>
> part of this discussion is potentially productive. Again, I submit these
> thoughts with great respect for the marine scientific
>
> community. I truly thank you all for your hard work and dedication.
>
>
>
> "From Peter Sale:
>
> There is a challenge here for ecologists – how much better could our
> scientific understanding become – and
>
> also a call to action. And I actually believe we ecologists can do far
> better than we are doing!"
>
>
>
> "From Dennis Hubbard:  I think I am seeing more and more folks
> questioning whether our management/monitoring
>
> schemes are just documenting the obvious."
>
>
>
> --
>
>
>
> jhilltrustee at gmail.com
>
> Independent Family Trustee
>
> Former Non-Profit Board Positions:
>
> Victim's Assistance Law Enforcement Board
>
> Duke Children's Hospital
>
> Scripps Institution of Oceanography
>
> Duke Nicholas School for the Environment
>
> Former Special Field Agent for LA District Attorney
>



-- 

303-810-2020
jhilltrustee at gmail.com
Independent Family Trustee
Former Non-Profit Board Positions:
Victim's Assistance Law Enforcement Board
Duke Children's Hospital
Scripps Institution of Oceanography
Duke Nicholas School for the Environment
Former Special Field Agent for LA District Attorney


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