[Coral-List] A Plea To Stay On Topic

[RainbowWarriorsInternational]

I second the call of both subscribers and list managers to keep all postings directly related to marine ecology, coral reefs and marine ecosystem based management.

The issue with the BP oil disaster however warrants a wide and broadest possible perspective.

Not only are purely coral reefs at stake, but the functioning of the Caribbean as a Large Marine Ecosystem is at stake, with the livelihoods of tens of thousands in peril and the capacity of coastal and marine ecosystems to provide ecosystem services seriously affected.

Two issues are of primary importance, the Global Biodiversity Outlook 3 and recent calls from FAO to heed the signs on the wall in terms of biodiversity loss and its impact on the capacity to feed the world.

This year's International Day for Biological Diversity has as its theme "Biodiversity, Development and Poverty Reduction".

Destroying coastal and marine ecosystems is the fastest way to sabotage all the objectives outlined in the rationale behind this year's theme.

I recommend we keep the discussion in line with the rationale behind this theme.

No ecosystems, no food, no humanity!

Milton Ponson, President
Rainbow Warriors Core Foundation
(Rainbow Warriors International) Tel. +297 747 8280
PO Box 1154, Oranjestad 
Aruba, Dutch Caribbean 
Email: southern_caribbean at yahoo.com    http://www.rainbowwarriors.net

To unite humanity in a global society dedicated to a sustainable way of life

--- On Thu, 5/20/10, Steve Mussman <sealab at earthlink.net> wrote:

From: Steve Mussman <sealab at earthlink.net>
Subject: [Coral-List] A Plea To Stay On Topic
To: "coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov" <coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov>
Date: Thursday, May 20, 2010, 12:54 PM

Hi Julian,   
  Your perspective is well supported. The fact that there seems to be
a spontaneous increase in the number of postings related to energy policy,
climate change and the BP oil blowout should be viewed as a progressive 
development, not something worthy of constraint. I would ask how these 
issues could not be conceived as directly relating to coral reef science?
Are scientists so narrowly focused on their specific research fields that
they fail to see the bigger picture?  
  If the dynamics of the current disaster doesn’t energize listers to
reexamine our overall energy mix along with the related issue of climate change,
nothing will. More and more people are urging scientists to take advantage of
their high standing among public figures to advocate for much needed change...
We certainly can not leave it to political figures who are highly influenced
by institutionalized special interests to lead the way. 
  We may not be able to instantaneously shift the course to our energy future,
but we have to move to change the current trajectory before it is too late.
Just yesterday, the National Academy of Sciences issued it’s strongest warning
to date, stating that the “U.S. should act now to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
and develop a national strategy to adapt to the inevitable impacts of climate change.” (http://www8.nationalacademies.org/onpinews/newsitem.aspx?RecordID=05192010)
 
If we don’t act soon, coral reef scientists may leave behind only a legacy of missed opportunities. 

And to Glenn “MC” Diver, this is not a “Save the Reefs" statement. 
No one is preventing you from remaining free to form your own opinions.

Regards,
Steve

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