[Coral-List] Footprint calculator and coral troubles
Douglas Fenner
douglasfennertassi at gmail.com
Sun Jan 28 19:45:14 EST 2018
People are making lots of good points.
I would totally agree that "limits" have their own limits. In their
defense, having laws beats anarchy any day. Places like Somalia being an
example. Limits in conservation certainly do work at specific times and
places. Automobile emission standards being an example (a recent case of
VW trying to evade the laws not withstanding). The US clean water and
clean air acts have had a significant impact in the US, air and water there
would be much more polluted without them. But it is a top-down approach
that doesn't work everywhere and all the time. Even in developed
countries, few people obey speed limits on highways, although speed limits
usually do affect speeds, most people just go a little faster than the
limit, whatever the limit is.
But compliance may be much higher when it is possible to find
alternatives for people that get them what they want or need, without
causing the environmental impacts. For instance, people often try to find
"alternative livelihoods" for those that fish in heavily overfished areas
of developing countries. That is much easier said than done, not at all
easy, but when possible opens a path people will chose voluntarily. Hiring
fishermen as spotters or dive guides in areas with dive tourism, for
example. As solar power prices come down, at some point it becomes cheaper
than fossil fuel, and power companies and individuals choose to switch
over. That won't happen any time soon for some other types of energy use
because renewables are not cheaper at this time for those uses.
For people in developed economies, asking people to reduce
consumption is something I think will not move many people. However, there
is a "minimalist" movement that has a powerful argument, that people who
live a more minimalist life (less consumption) are freed up from the "rat
race" of having to kill yourself to earn more money so you can buy stuff
you don't need. That has the potential for broad appeal, once there are
people who are enjoying life more by not wasting and so not needing to kill
themselves working on jobs they hate to earn more money to "keep up with
the Joneses." Minimalistst say they enjoy life more, more free time and
might start people thinking, "more free time, enjoy life more, by not
buying loads of stuff we never use" and that might sound attractive.
Cheers, Doug
On Thu, Jan 25, 2018 at 9:46 AM, Carin Jantzen <carin.jantzen at gmx.net>
wrote:
> Thanks for your thoughtful mail, Robert! You have addressed many aspects
> how to deal with conservation in face of ongoing climate change and you
> have suggested some valuable strategies how to tackle those challenges,
> including climate change itself. I couldn’t agree more, and, as I am
> truly no expert here, there may be many more aspects we need to address
> and solutions we need to come up with. In my opinion, most of this may
> only work if it will be enforced by our politicians, whereby the ones of
> the obvious more privileged so-called western world should take the
> first step. I am not sure, if this has been really the case so far – in
> a sense it has, thinking about climate summits, Paris agreement etc.,
> but we could be some steps ahead already (at least in my opinion). And
> we are not forced to wait for that. At least in countries where you are
> allowed to vote freely, you may do so according to your conviction. And
> there are more options to express your will, like demonstrations,
> writing to local politicians, taking action within an NGO, sign
> petitions, talking to people, etc...
>
> There is one point, where I personally disagree, I do not believe
> 'politics of limits' may work well anywhere. I may have been too
> cautious to express this clearly. In my opinion, it does not even work
> for most of the people who would have the chance to accomplish a change
> in their behavior quite easily - people, well informed, concerned about
> conservation, free to act, healthy and wealthy enough... why? Are we
> taking this not serious enough in the end?
>
> Sadly, humans tend to act only when forced to. Reading some articles
> about the disturbing war going on in Syria for too long, I several times
> stumbled across statements made by experts of the political situation in
> this area, that one of the ultimate reasons for some of the conflicts
> was the shortage of water, in turn, already caused by the ongoing
> climate change. Again, I am not at all an expert on this, but if this is
> true (and probably even if its not), it may give us an idea of what
> could happen in the future; same for the many refugees that drown in the
> Mediterranean Sea and elsewhere. How many wars will there be about
> drinking water in the future? How do you envision life on earth in 30
> years? I stop here.
>
> How could we tackle this overwhelming threat if we are not even willing
> to undergo some comparatively small changes in our own behavior while
> calling out for action at the same time? We may need to work on this
> more together. I absolutely appreciate Francesca`s idea that we take the
> challenge to calculate our own ecological footprint. To think about our
> own behaviors and how we may be able to act. Of course not only in our
> private life, but that’s a reasonable starting point to me.
>
> Taking all into account, we may not have reasons to be too optimistic,
> but I refuse to loose hope. As I said, we humans are quite inventive
> (although the list of our failures may be long...) and I do hope we are
> not only that, but that we manage to act in time. Just speaking for
> myself, I do not sit and wait. Maybe, first of all, we need to speak out
> more openly, here and more importantly elsewhere, without the fear of
> eventually being recalcitrant or annoying.
>
> Best,
>
> Carin
>
>
> On 25.01.2018 19:02, Robert Nowicki wrote:
> > Carin (and others),
> >
> > I'll preface this by saying the following is my opinion, and that I am
> > not a conservation sociologist.
> >
> > Based on my reading (and just looking at news stories around the
> > world), I am of the opinion that the "politics of limits" alone may be
> > a pretty ineffective way to exact the change we want to see to reach
> > our conservation goals. I think it works great for folks that care
> > about the issue and have the means to follow it, and regulation,
> > conservation, preservation, etc. have a role in a future sustainable
> > planet, but for the random citizen who's never been to, seen, or cared
> > about a coral reef, (or folks who are too destitute to do anything but
> > try and survive) I suspect it's a much tougher sell to force them to
> > change their behavior. We see this in the coral reef world, where
> > folks study the impacts of destructive subsidence fishing,
> > unsustainable development, etc. on corals, and argue these practices
> > be stopped for the good of the reef (and usually for the long term
> > good of the people that depend on them). Unfortunately, I think that
> > this conservation attitude may ultimately be a luxury- the fishermen
> > need to eat, after all, and delaying consumption now for later
> > consumption (i.e. sustainable harvest) is only possible when you can
> > afford to "go without" currently. For many folks in these
> > economically poor (but coral-rich) areas, I suspect that is not possible.
> >
> > I think a real winning conservation strategy has to include not only
> > limits (i.e. regulation), but has to create the human stability to be
> > able to obey them. No one is going to pay attention to an MPA's rules
> > or boundaries when their family is starving, or when their community
> > is at war. Creating human prosperity that allows for "luxury stances"
> > like conservation, has got to be a part of the equation. Probably two
> > of the most important first steps in this would be food/water security
> > and equal education and empowerment of women/girls. I remember reading
> > some work suggesting that such empowerment and increasing prosperity
> > also reduces birth rates and accelerates the transition from a "high
> > birth, high death" demography to a "low birth, low death" demography,
> > minimizing the time spent in the damaging, "high birth, low death"
> > stage in between. This has the 1-2 punch of slowing the ultimate
> > human population and in giving people the stability to allow them to
> > make conservation decisions that have long-term benefits instead of
> > being forced to make destructive decisions that allow for short term
> > survival.
> >
> > Of course, increasing prosperity increases per-capita footprint almost
> > by definition. However, that doesn't mean increasing prosperity in
> > "developing" nations has to follow the trend it followed to get
> > "developed" nations where they are today. For example, we are seeing
> > countries shift from the "high birth, high death" to the "low birth,
> > low death" demographic much more quickly than the first nations who
> > made that transition in Europe a century ago (see here:
> > https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographic_transition#/media/
> File:Years-it-took-Fertility-to-fall-from-6-to-below-3.png).
> > Strategies like leapfrogging technologies can increase prosperity with
> > sometimes surprising implications for conservation (for example:
> > https://www.npr.org/2016/05/18/478571264/in-the-
> sundarbans-solar-power-gives-humans-an-edge-over-tigers).
> > Ultimately, increasing prosperity is likely to increase per-capita
> > footprint no matter what. But populations are going to continue to
> > rise whether folks are rich or poor- so perhaps by combining increased
> > prosperity with a conservation ethos we can minimize the effects of
> > human population on the planet. None of these points, of course, are
> > new or original.
> >
> > My hope is, that through technology and addressing poverty, we may
> > increase the capability of people to obey limits and create a better
> > global capability for conservation. I think only by including all
> > three fundamentals (ecosystem management/regulation, elimination of
> > poverty, and technological advancement) *at the same time *can we get
> > there. Science plays a role in all three. It seems like combining
> > these sorts of leapfrog projects in poor or destitute regions where
> > coral research is being conducted would be a potentially great broader
> > impact for larger, NSF style funded projects. Are folks doing those
> > sorts of pairings?
> >
> >
> > Curious to hear opinions, thoughts, and solutions from others.
> >
> >
> > Dr. Rob Nowicki
> >
> > Postdoctoral Research Fellow
> > Elizabeth Moore International Center for Coral Reef Research &
> Restoration
> > Mote Marine Laboratory
> > 24244 Overseas Highway
> > Summerland Key, FL 33042
> >
> > Office phone: (305) 509-6562
> >
> >
> > On Thu, Jan 25, 2018 at 4:36 AM, Carin Jantzen <carin.jantzen at gmx.net
> > <mailto:carin.jantzen at gmx.net>> wrote:
> >
> > Yes, “going the whole way“ does not only mean ones behavior in
> private
> > life, but also within society and of society itself... including
> > economics in any sense... still its a good point to start with - in a
> > way, you may test your seriousness in your personal life as a start!
> >
> > I do not know all the changes it would need to get us sustainable
> > and I
> > can only speculate how our society and others around the world may
> > look
> > like then. There may be many solutions and unexpected turnarounds
> > along
> > the way - at least, we humans can be very inventive...
> >
> > In our western culture, less consumption is often interpreted as
> > sacrifice, alas, it could be rather a relief (of unnecessary
> > ballast)...
> >
> > Best,
> > Carin
> > --
> >
> >
> > On 24.01.2018 17:35, frahome at yahoo.com <mailto:frahome at yahoo.com>
> > wrote:
> > > Dear all,
> > >
> > > Beside the point highlighted by Caren the aspect I stress is that I
> > > believe that doing coral reef research is not enough while we do
> know
> > > enough, and that doing something to change the way our society
> works
> > > would be much more effective. And this is not only about
> > lowering our
> > > own individual footprint, but more about engaging in projects
> > that do
> > > bring change to the system, or better that do develop a new one
> that
> > > makes the old one obsolete as Buckminster Fuller would suggest.
> > > Probably this is all out of frustration because I am trying to do
> so
> > > but everybody else seems busy doing something else while fully
> > > embracing the current model.
> > > As far as sustainable tourism, maybe in a world of local
> > > low-consumption sustainable economies, where we cut out most of our
> > > emissions including work related and freights flights, there will
> be
> > > some room for sustainable tourism in the sense of opportunities to
> > > fulfill human beings desire of exploring new lands once in a while,
> > > but I do not think that there is place for anything similar to
> > what we
> > > have now (tourism “industry” including the current "sustainable"
> > > version of it). I see many potential issues arising where a place
> > > tries to rely on tourism for its livelihood.
> > >
> > > Francesca
> > >
> > ------------------------------------------------------------
> ------------
> > > *From:* Carin Jantzen <carin.jantzen at gmx.net
> > <mailto:carin.jantzen at gmx.net>>
> > > *To:* "Cummings, Katy" <Katy.Cummings at MyFWC.com>;
> > > "coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
> > <mailto:coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov>"
> > <coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
> > <mailto:coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov>>;
> > > "frahome at yahoo.com <mailto:frahome at yahoo.com>"
> > <frahome at yahoo.com <mailto:frahome at yahoo.com>>
> > > *Sent:* Wednesday, January 24, 2018 10:27 AM
> > > *Subject:* Re: [Coral-List] Footprint calculator and coral troubles
> > >
> > > Hi all,
> > >
> > > There are different kind of calculators, computing your footprint
> > > differently (I dont know how, I must admit), but I think, this
> > is not
> > > really the point... Whether you use 1.2 or 1.6 earths or how
> > much tons
> > > of CO2 your way of life causes exactly may not be important
> > here... I
> > > think Francesca wanted to draw our attention to the fact that
> > even we
> > > listers - well informed and aware of the threat - still live an
> > > unsustainable life, feeding the ongoing climate change with our
> > > emissions.
> > >
> > > Even though many of us are trying to change that, most of us still
> > > have a way to go (like me...).
> > > If you try this calculator, sharing your results or not, may reveal
> > > our weak spot: we are taking this not serious enough to change our
> > > life (even we!). Are we prepared to go the whole way?
> > >
> > > I totally agree that its much better to not pollute than doing
> > so and
> > > trying to fix it later. But as many of us listers do fly (for
> > > scientific field work, for diving, to attend conferences, family
> > > visits, wse...), I would be interested if in some cases you may
> > think
> > > "the end justifies the means“ (and who would decide on that?),
> > or how
> > > one may deal with it? In my opinion, we should try to limit flights
> > > where possible, as there may be other options, such as attending a
> > > conference via video or alike... But what about the rest? Its
> > probably
> > > not realistic to demand to stop all flying at once... and what
> about
> > > tourism - a sustainable tourism may be chance for many coral
> > reefs...?
> > > I would be curious to read your thoughts on that!
> > >
> > > Best,
> > > Carin
> > >
> > > On 22.01.2018 20:23, Cummings, Katy wrote:
> > > I also did the carbon footprint calculator - I drafted an email but
> > > must not have sent it. Overall I was shocked at how big my
> > > contributions were (1.8 Earths). I consider myself a fairly
> > > environmentally conscious person but the amount I fly over the year
> > > totally negates everything else. Definitely something to think
> about
> > > as we travel to our field sites and fly to scientific
> > conferences....
> > > It was interesting to see which areas of my carbon consumption are
> > > most impactful. For example, going solar would drop my impact to
> 1.7
> > > Earths, but stopping flying would drop me down to 1.2 Earths. I
> > would
> > > be very curious to see how this is all calculated.
> > >
> > > See you on the other side of the shut down!
> > >
> > ------------------------------------------------------------
> ------------
> > > *From:* coral-list-bounces at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
> > <mailto:coral-list-bounces at coral.aoml.noaa.gov>
> > > <mailto:coral-list-bounces at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
> > <mailto:coral-list-bounces at coral.aoml.noaa.gov>>
> > > <coral-list-bounces at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
> > <mailto:coral-list-bounces at coral.aoml.noaa.gov>>
> > > <mailto:coral-list-bounces at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
> > <mailto:coral-list-bounces at coral.aoml.noaa.gov>> on behalf of
> > > frahome at yahoo.com <mailto:frahome at yahoo.com>
> > <mailto:frahome at yahoo.com <mailto:frahome at yahoo.com>>
> > <frahome at yahoo.com <mailto:frahome at yahoo.com>>
> > > <mailto:frahome at yahoo.com <mailto:frahome at yahoo.com>>
> > > *Sent:* Friday, January 19, 2018 6:56:44 PM
> > > *To:* Carin Jantzen; coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
> > <mailto:coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov>
> > > <mailto:coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
> > <mailto:coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov>>
> > > *Subject:* Re: [Coral-List] Footprint calculator and coral troubles
> > > Thank you Carin for taking up the invitation! You are the only one
> > > that has done so until now.I don't know if the other many
> > subscribers
> > > didn't have time to go through the calculator, didn't find the
> > > challenge interesting or if they didn't feel comfortable with
> > sharing
> > > the results.
> > > I am highly skeptical about the compensation concept in the way
> it's
> > > framed.. Of course it is better to plant trees if you are polluting
> > > than not to do so, but that should not make you feel ok about
> > > polluting. Looking at the current situation we should likely be
> > > compensating every day for our footprint and for those of others
> > > rather than engaging in some "extraordinary" polluting activity and
> > > then compensate for it. I think there were discussions on the
> > subject
> > > in the past on the list. Here the reason why the calculator doesn't
> > > take into consideration
> > >
> > compensation:https://www.footprintnetwork.org/
> footprint-calculator-faq/#gen10
> > <https://www.footprintnetwork.org/footprint-calculator-faq/#gen10>
> > > In all cases the purpose of going through the calculator is for
> > me not
> > > only about finding out what we could do at individual level to
> lower
> > > our footprint and start walking the talk, but more on finding
> > out what
> > > kind of projects we should all start working on to engage people in
> > > lowering their footprint at a larger scale (family, school,
> > workplace,
> > > community, neighborhood, city). Instead of just buying local
> > food what
> > > about starting a farmer's market project or a community garden that
> > > allows people to grow their food? Instead of just putting solar
> > panels
> > > on your house what about starting a project that engages your
> > > neighborhood to do so? Etc etc..
> > >
> > > RegardsFrancesca
> > >
> > >
> > > From: Carin Jantzen <carin.jantzen at gmx.net
> > <mailto:carin.jantzen at gmx.net>>
> > > <mailto:carin.jantzen at gmx.net <mailto:carin.jantzen at gmx.net>>
> > > To: "frahome at yahoo.com <mailto:frahome at yahoo.com>"
> > <mailto:frahome at yahoo.com <mailto:frahome at yahoo.com>>
> > > <frahome at yahoo.com <mailto:frahome at yahoo.com>>
> > <mailto:frahome at yahoo.com <mailto:frahome at yahoo.com>>;
> > > "coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
> > <mailto:coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov>"
> > > <mailto:coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
> > <mailto:coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov>>
> > > <coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
> > <mailto:coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov>>
> > <mailto:coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
> > <mailto:coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov>>
> > > Sent: Thursday, January 18, 2018 11:12 AM
> > > Subject: Aw: [Coral-List] Footprint calculator and coral troubles
> > >
> > > Hi Francesca, hi all,
> > >
> > > Very good idea!
> > > As I take efforts to live and consume sustainable, I was quite
> > shocked
> > > to still using 1.4 planets... expiring date in Sept...
> > > So, I have still a lot to do!
> > >
> > > At the moment, I do not fly, neither for work nor privately, which
> > > helps a lot...
> > > But I did in the past, and many of us do, so, I have a question for
> > > you all:
> > > Do you compensate for flying? Like donating to an organization that
> > > plants trees or alike???
> > >
> > > Would be great to get your thoughts on that!
> > >
> > > Best,
> > > Carin
> > > --
> > > Diese Nachricht wurde von meinem Android Mobiltelefon mit GMX Mail
> > > gesendet..Am 11.01.2018, 01:02, "frahome at yahoo.com
> > <mailto:frahome at yahoo.com>"
> > > <mailto:frahome at yahoo.com <mailto:frahome at yahoo.com>>
> > <frahome at yahoo.com <mailto:frahome at yahoo.com>>
> > > <mailto:frahome at yahoo.com <mailto:frahome at yahoo.com>> schrieb:
> > > Dear listers,
> > > Following on Dennis message, I invite all listers to use the new
> > > entertaining ecological footprint calculator made available by
> those
> > > that invented the footprint concept and to post their result to
> > the list.
> > > Here the link (it takes about 10 mins going through all the "add
> > > details" options):https://www.footprintcalculator.org/
> > <https://www.footprintcalculator.org/>
> > >
> > > Let's see what it is the footprint (in planets and in tonnes of
> > > carbon) of the average coral lister and then maybe we will also
> > better
> > > understand why corals are in trouble and where we should look for
> > > solutions.
> > > Here my results:This past 2017 I lived like I would have
> > available 1.6
> > > planets, well above our planet capacity unfortunately (though well
> > > below my country average).
> > > Ecological footprint: 2.8 hectarsCarbon footprint: 5.3
> > > tonnes/yearPlanets: 1.6
> > > Here some suggestions:To know how much of your electricity comes
> > from
> > > renewables search for the percentage declared by your electricity
> > > provider (and adjust it if you have additional sources like solar
> > > panels)To know how much you drive by car per week take your yearly
> > > kilometres and divide them by 52. If you drive boats add that
> > > kilometers to your car statistics. Same for bus or train, add your
> > > yearly km and divide by 52.
> > > As far as square meters of living space don’t forget to add up any
> > > second house or storage place you might have.
> > >
> > > CheersFrancesca
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > From: Dennis Hubbard <dennis.hubbard at oberlin.edu
> > <mailto:dennis.hubbard at oberlin.edu>>
> > > <mailto:dennis.hubbard at oberlin.edu
> > <mailto:dennis.hubbard at oberlin.edu>>
> > > To: Sarah Frias-Torres <sfrias_torres at hotmail.com
> > <mailto:sfrias_torres at hotmail.com>>
> > > <mailto:sfrias_torres at hotmail.com
> > <mailto:sfrias_torres at hotmail.com>>
> > > Cc: Coral Listserver <coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
> > <mailto:coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov>>
> > > <mailto:coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
> > <mailto:coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov>>
> > > Sent: Wednesday, January 10, 2018 6:37 PM
> > > Subject: Re: [Coral-List] Call to Action Re: New paper on coral
> > > bleaching in Science
> > >
> > > Sarah:
> > >
> > > Thanks for your engagement on this. I've thought a lot about
> > carbon issues
> > > over the years and have come to a couple of conclusions on both
> > of the
> > > fronts that you address, so here are my two cents worth on the
> > first half
> > > of your question.
> > >
> > > On carbon, there are two levels where we can address this. One
> > is at the
> > > large, political scale. While I think that we need to keep
> > slogging on
> > > this
> > > front, I'm not holding out a lot of hope (some of this is
> > magnified by
> > > recent political events at home, but I was already getting
> skeptical
> > > beforehand). At the other end of he scale, there is personal
> > engagement,
> > > which I particularly like because it makes politics irrelevant. We
> > > recently
> > > installed 3 kw of solar panels. The interesting thing i that
> > this was the
> > > smallest system they could install and is 50% above our
> > electrical needs.
> > > Going back to my time on St. Croix, we had neither heat not air
> > > conditioning - we faced into the Trade Winds. We have to do
> > something
> > > about
> > > heat in northern Ohio and fortunately we can use an abandoned
> > gas well to
> > > supplement natural gas from the local supplier. Gas is not
> > perfect, but
> > > ironically it turns out that it's carbon footprint is on the
> > order of
> > > 60-70% of most distributed electricity, regardless of how green
> > the source
> > > is - included distributed solar. The only thing that beats it
> > here is the
> > > fact that Oberlin burns landfill gas to generate 50% of the city's
> > > electricity; this is all "free" carbon-wise as it is being
> > flared off
> > > already with no payback in "work". I won't get into the
> > environmental
> > > justice issues tied to this - a saga for another day.
> > >
> > > To help offset some of the carbon from the well, we also
> > installed a heat
> > > pump to use up some of that excess power we can't use from the
> > panels.
> > > And,
> > > we should be taking delivery on a plug-in hybrid within the next
> > 30 days
> > > (we have a 10-year olf gen-!! Prius that is slowly dieing). With
> the
> > > back-and-forth to work (less than 2 miles - passive choices like
> > living
> > > withing within walking distance of work are often overlooked),
> > the mileage
> > > approaches 100 mpg - and whatever isn't coming from the gas tank
> > is coming
> > > off the panels. We also, just packed the walls of a ca. 1850
> > house with
> > > cellulose to cut down on heat loss. I'm a big advocate of
> > retrofitting old
> > > buildings over building new uber-efficient replacements. We have
> two
> > > of the
> > > most efficient buildings on the planet on the Oberlin campus.
> > One is the
> > > Lewis Center, brain-child of David Orr. It is the most efficient
> > building
> > > on campus. Ironically, the least efficient building on campus is
> > the new
> > > science center, even with all of it's fancy bells and whistles.
> > I really
> > > enjoy he irony of the fact that the second-most-efficient
> > building on
> > > campus with respect to heat is the geology building - built ca
> > 1850...
> > > it's
> > > hard to beat 2 ft of sandstone (plus new efficiency measures)
> > when it
> > > comes
> > > to keeping heat in. We use efficient heat-recovery systems for
> > our fume
> > > hoods, unlike the science center that just vents heat out in the
> > > winter and
> > > cool air in the summer. (they are working on that as a retrofit,
> > but it
> > > should have been part of the original plan). And, it was built from
> > > sandstone that was sledded down from the local quarry when the
> > streets
> > > were
> > > frozen - a low carbon answer based on a stone age solution to a
> > space-age
> > > problem - embedded carbon.
> > >
> > > So, I guess my bottom line here is personal accountability.
> > While it does
> > > little to affect political change, I do think a lot more about
> > my personal
> > > footprint. I do feel that we too often leapfrog over our personal
> > > responsibility while we admonish "the system" for not coming up
> > with the
> > > answers we want to see. I wish the "system" did more to reduce
> > our carbon
> > > footprint. In the meantime, however small my personal part of
> > this bigger
> > > problem might be, I feel that starting in my own back yard gives
> > me the
> > > right to point fingers. At the College, we have spent a lot of time
> > > thinking about offsets and have come to the conclusion that we'd
> > prefer to
> > > not use them to reach carbon neutrality as an institution. However,
> > > because
> > > "you can't get there from here" without offsets, we've spent a
> > lot of time
> > > thinking about ways to make them more palatable. Te main problem
> > is that
> > > you really don't understand where the few dollars you pay to an
> > airline
> > > actually go; there are similar problems throughout the offset
> > system. At
> > > Oberlin, we have set up something called the "Green Edge Fund",
> paid
> > > for by
> > > student fees. The fund covers the costs of small-scale start-ups
> > (we could
> > > have even used it for some of our solar start-up at home). The
> > goal is to
> > > have home-grown projects in place that we understand from a carbon
> > > perspective. Hopefully, when we have to start thinking about
> offsets
> > > to get
> > > that last little bit of carbon to achieve neutrality by 2025, there
> > > will be
> > > local entities in place that we understand from a carbon
> > perspective. So,
> > > rather than investing in a rain-forest tree that might no
> > actually get
> > > planted, we can invest in things like locally sourced food (a
> > program that
> > > serves as a middle man between sustainable farmers and
> > restaurants so that
> > > farmers just have to farm and restaurants just have to turn out
> > > sustainable
> > > meals at a profit) or a sustainable dairy, or some other project
> > for which
> > > we know the pros and cons because we helped provide the funds to
> > get it
> > > started.
> > >
> > > I've gone on way too long about just the first part of your
> > question. So,
> > > I'll save the list-serve from my ranting on the second half and
> > put that
> > > off for another day. The short preview is that I have no
> fundamental
> > > problem with the motivation to "fix what we've broken." My major
> > > concern is
> > > less about under-performance than it is with unintended
> > consequences.
> > > But... stay tuned for part II.
> > >
> > > Best,
> > >
> > > Dennis
> > >
> > > On Tue, Jan 9, 2018 at 11:08 AM, Sarah Frias-Torres <
> > > sfrias_torres at hotmail.com <mailto:sfrias_torres at hotmail.com>
> > <mailto:sfrias_torres at hotmail.com
> > <mailto:sfrias_torres at hotmail.com>>> wrote:
> > >
> > > > As Pogo says, "We have met the enemy, and he is us"
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > The recent Science paper (Hughes et al 2018;
> > > > http://science.sciencemag.org/content/359/6371/80
> > <http://science.sciencemag.org/content/359/6371/80>) shows a bleak
> > global
> > > > picture for coral reefs. We must stop burning fossil fuels if
> > we want a
> > > > future for coral reefs as we know them.
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > At this crossroads, we can either give up or keep fighting.
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > I choose to fight.
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > This is a Call to Action to those who still want to fight,
> > against all
> > > > odds, so coral reefs will have a future.
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > We have many strategies on the table. It's uncertain which
> > strategy is
> > > > going to work.
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > From the angle of coral reef restoration, I call on the
> > restoration
> > > > community to work together, to share failures and successes
> > and move
> > > > towards large-scale restoration.
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > To the critics of coral reef restoration, I ask you to work
> > with us.
> > > Don't
> > > > just say: "this won't work". Give us constructive criticism,
> > share your
> > > > concerns with us. Is it a failure of the scientific process
> > (validity of
> > > > hypothesis testing) or is it an engineering concern (bringing the
> > > process
> > > > to scale)?. The solution is very different in each case.
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > For everyone on this list, let's find ways to work together, from
> > > science
> > > > to implementation, to communication, to everything in between.
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > It's all hands on deck now.
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > Sarah Frias-Torres, PhD
> > > >
> > > > Twitter: @GrouperDoc
> > > > Science Blog: https://grouperluna.com/
> > > > Art Blog: https://oceanbestiary.com/
> > > > https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Sarah_Frias-Torres
> > <https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Sarah_Frias-Torres>
> > > > ________________________________
> > > > From: coral-list-bounces at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
> > <mailto:coral-list-bounces at coral.aoml.noaa.gov>
> > > <mailto:coral-list-bounces at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
> > <mailto:coral-list-bounces at coral.aoml.noaa.gov>>
> > <coral-list-bounces at coral.
> > > > aoml..noaa.gov <http://noaa.gov>> on behalf of Mark Eakin -
> NOAA Federal <
> > > > mark.eakin at noaa.gov <mailto:mark.eakin at noaa.gov>
> > <mailto:mark.eakin at noaa.gov <mailto:mark.eakin at noaa.gov>>>
> > > > Sent: Friday, January 5, 2018 12:07 PM
> > > > To: Coral Listserver
> > > > Subject: [Coral-List] New paper on coral bleaching in Science
> > > >
> > > > For the first time, an international team of researchers has
> > > measured the
> > > > escalating rate of coral bleaching at locations throughout the
> > > tropics over
> > > > the past four decades. The study documents a dramatic
> > shortening of
> > > the gap
> > > > between pairs of bleaching events, threatening the future
> > existence of
> > > > these iconic ecosystems and the livelihoods of many millions
> > of people.
> > > >
> > > > "The time between bleaching events at each location has
> diminished
> > > > five-fold in the past 3-4 decades, from once every 25-30 years in
> > > the early
> > > > 1980s to an average of just once every six years since 2010,"
> > says lead
> > > > author
> > > > Prof Terry Hughes, Director of the ARC Centre of Excellence for
> > > Coral Reef
> > > > Studies (Coral CoE).
> > > >
> > > > “Reefs have entered a distinctive human-dominated era – the
> > > Anthropocene,”
> > > > said co-author, Dr C. Mark Eakin of the National Oceanic &
> > Atmospheric
> > > > Administration, USA. "The climate has warmed rapidly in the
> > past 50
> > > years,
> > > > first making El NinÞos dangerous for corals, and now we're
> > seeing the
> > > > emergence of bleaching in every hot summer."
> > > > For more, see the full paper at:
> > > >
> > >
> > https://nam02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=
> http%3A%2F%2Fscience
> > <https://nam02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=
> http%3A%2F%2Fscience>.
> > > > sciencemag.org
> > <http://sciencemag.org>%2Fcontent%2F359%2F6371%2F80&data=02%7C01%7C%
> > > > 7C28c288a0e1314412a06d08d554606f2c%
> 7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaa
> > > > aaaa%7C1%7C0%7C636507695516397420&sdata=%2FOiYD4VTlVb%
> > > > 2BnUWgRfXbfPnwRT6ZA80OXJ48dtqH0Aw%3D&reserved=0
> > > >
> > > > Cheers,
> > > > Mark
> > > > ------------------------------------------------------------
> ------
> > > > C. Mark Eakin, Ph.D.
> > > > Coordinator, NOAA Coral Reef Watch
> > > > National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
> > > > Center for Satellite Applications and Research
> > > > Satellite Oceanography & Climate Division
> > > > e-mail: mark.eakin at noaa.gov <mailto:mark.eakin at noaa.gov>
> > <mailto:mark.eakin at noaa.gov <mailto:mark.eakin at noaa.gov>>
> > > > url: coralreefwatch.noaa.gov <http://coralreefwatch.noaa.gov>
> > > > Twitter: @CoralReefWatch FB: Coral Reef Watch
> > > >
> > > > NOAA Center for Weather and Climate Prediction (NCWCP)
> > > > 5830 University Research Ct., E/RA32
> > > > College Park, MD 20740
> > > > Office: (301) 683-3320 <tel:%28301%29%20683-3320> Fax:
> > (301) 683-3301 <tel:%28301%29%20683-3301>
> > > > Mobile: (301) 502-8608 <tel:%28301%29%20502-8608> SOCD
> > Office: (301) 683-3300 <tel:%28301%29%20683-3300>
> > > >
> > > > “You would have to reject the “greenhouse effect” outright to
> > > conclude that
> > > > human activities pumping millions of tons of CO2 and other
> > greenhouse
> > > > gases into the atmosphere every year are having little or no
> > impact
> > > on the
> > > > earth’s climate. That is simply not a tenable position."
> > > > William K. Reilly, EPA Administrator under President George
> > H.W. Bush,
> > > > June 18 2014
> > > > _______________________________________________
> > > > Coral-List mailing list
> > > > Coral-List at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
> > <mailto:Coral-List at coral.aoml.noaa.gov>
> > <mailto:Coral-List at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
> > <mailto:Coral-List at coral.aoml.noaa.gov>>
> > > > https://nam02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=
> > <https://nam02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=>
> > > > http%3A%2F%2Fcoral.aoml.noaa.gov
> > <http://2Fcoral.aoml.noaa.gov>%2Fmailman%2Flistinfo%
> > > > 2Fcoral-list&data=02%7C01%7C%7C28c288a0e1314412a06d08d554606f2c%
> > > >
> > 7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%
> 7C636507695516397420&sdata=
> > > > bGF7b2dn7mGECQEvUyfcSuDwqCMM9DtEh0fXiA%2BR3hI%3D&reserved=0
> > > > _______________________________________________
> > > > Coral-List mailing list
> > > > Coral-List at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
> > <mailto:Coral-List at coral.aoml.noaa.gov>
> > <mailto:Coral-List at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
> > <mailto:Coral-List at coral.aoml.noaa.gov>>
> > > > http://coral.aoml.noaa.gov/mailman/listinfo/coral-list
> > <http://coral.aoml.noaa.gov/mailman/listinfo/coral-list>
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > --
> > > Dennis Hubbard
> > > Chair, Dept of Geology-Oberlin College Oberlin OH 44074
> > > (440) 775-8346 <tel:%28440%29%20775-8346>
> > >
> > > * "When you get on the wrong train.... every stop is the wrong
> > stop"*
> > > Benjamin Stein: "*Ludes, A Ballad of the Drug and the Dream*"
> > > _______________________________________________
> > > Coral-List mailing list
> > > Coral-List at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
> > <mailto:Coral-List at coral.aoml.noaa.gov>
> > <mailto:Coral-List at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
> > <mailto:Coral-List at coral.aoml.noaa.gov>>
> > > http://coral.aoml.noaa.gov/mailman/listinfo/coral-list
> > <http://coral.aoml.noaa.gov/mailman/listinfo/coral-list>
> > >
> > >
> > > _______________________________________________
> > > Coral-List mailing list
> > > Coral-List at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
> > <mailto:Coral-List at coral.aoml.noaa.gov>
> > <mailto:Coral-List at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
> > <mailto:Coral-List at coral.aoml.noaa.gov>>
> > > http://coral.aoml.noaa.gov/mailman/listinfo/coral-list
> > <http://coral.aoml.noaa.gov/mailman/listinfo/coral-list>
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > _______________________________________________
> > > Coral-List mailing list
> > > Coral-List at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
> > <mailto:Coral-List at coral.aoml.noaa.gov>
> > <mailto:Coral-List at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
> > <mailto:Coral-List at coral.aoml.noaa.gov>>
> > > http://coral.aoml.noaa.gov/mailman/listinfo/coral-list
> > <http://coral.aoml.noaa.gov/mailman/listinfo/coral-list>
> > >
> > >
> > <http://www.avg.com/email-signature?utm_medium=email&
> utm_source=link&utm_campaign=sig-email&utm_content=emailclient
> > <http://www.avg.com/email-signature?utm_medium=email&
> utm_source=link&utm_campaign=sig-email&utm_content=emailclient>>
> > > Virenfrei. www.avg.com <http://www.avg.com>
> > >
> > <http://www.avg.com/email-signature?utm_medium=email&
> utm_source=link&utm_campaign=sig-email&utm_content=emailclient
> > <http://www.avg.com/email-signature?utm_medium=email&
> utm_source=link&utm_campaign=sig-email&utm_content=emailclient>>
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > <https://mail.yahoo.com/?soc_src=mail&soc_trk=ma#DAB4FAD8-
> 2DD7-40BB-A1B8-4E2AA1F9FDF2
> > <https://mail.yahoo.com/?soc_src=mail&soc_trk=ma#DAB4FAD8-
> 2DD7-40BB-A1B8-4E2AA1F9FDF2>>
> > >
> > > --
> > > Dr. Carin Jantzen
> > > Marine Ecologist & Author
> > > Media & Public Relations SECORE International
> > >
> > >
> >
> > --
> > Dr. Carin Jantzen
> > Marine Ecologist & Author
> > Media & Public Relations SECORE International
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > Coral-List mailing list
> > Coral-List at coral.aoml.noaa.gov <mailto:Coral-List at coral.aoml.
> noaa.gov>
> > http://coral.aoml.noaa.gov/mailman/listinfo/coral-list
> > <http://coral.aoml.noaa.gov/mailman/listinfo/coral-list>
> >
> >
>
> --
> Dr. Carin Jantzen
> Marine Ecologist & Author
> Media & Public Relations SECORE International
>
> _______________________________________________
> Coral-List mailing list
> Coral-List at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
> http://coral.aoml.noaa.gov/mailman/listinfo/coral-list
>
--
Douglas Fenner
Contractor for NOAA NMFS Protected Species, and consultant
PO Box 7390
Pago Pago, American Samoa 96799 USA
New online open-access field guide to 300 coral species in Chagos, Indian
Ocean
http://chagosinformationportal.org/corals
Even without El Nino, 2017 temperatures soared.
http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2018/01/even-without-el-ni-o-2017-temperatures-still-soared?utm_campaign=news_weekly_2018-01-19&et_rid=17045989&et_cid=1800664
Coral reefs are bleaching too frequently to recover
https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2018/01/the-global-scourge-on-coral-reefs/549713/?utm_source=atlfb
How to save the "tropical rainforests" of the ocean
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/theworldpost/wp/2018/01/09/coral-reefs/?tid=ss_tw-bottom&utm_term=.80ce291c546b
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