[Coral-List] political arguments on coral-list

[Steve Mussman]

   Sorry  Gene,  but NOAA, government bureaucracy and Stephen Schneider's
   short-lived and candidly retracted warnings pertaining to a potential global
   ice age are not the real problem. Increasing levels of atmospheric CO2 and
   ocean  acidification  are. As Walter Goldberg clearly pointed out, the
   reports and   sources   you   insist on   citing  are  more  sophistry
   than science. That    is   a   fact   that   anyone participating   in
   this particular contact sport needs to be made aware of before they try to
   pass them off as credible and valid. By the way, I really like my mother in
   law, but if Craig Idso drove my new Prius over a cliff, well then  .  .  .
   I might have mixed emotions.    Steve
   -----Original Message-----
   >From: Eugene Shinn
   >Sent: May 20, 2014 4:33 PM
   >To: "coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov"
   >Subject: [Coral-List] political arguments on coral-list
   >
   >Thank you Chris and Daphne. Yes it is a contact sport but one we have
   >all created. I well remember when the coral-list began. It was for
   >scientists trading technical information...then it began to change and
   >it started to bother some that so much space was used advertising reef
   >management jobs and the like. When climate and acidification became an
   >issue things became even more political and complicated. I might mention
   >here that global warming came after the 1970s when Steve Schneider was
   >predicting we were headed into another ice age. The problem I constantly
   >worry about is that NOAA, which claims to be a
   >technical/science-oriented agency, sponsors the coral-list. At the same
   >time the Coral reef Sanctuaries are part of NOAA and they are mainly
   >about management/enforcement. Both are under the dept. of Commerce so
   >that adds another level of restraints and unintended consequences. What
   >if science uncovers a problem, for example that aerial spraying of
   >mosquito pesticides is harming the reef, would that activity is made
   >illegal? Not likely because it would drastically affect the
   >Economy/Commerce of the Florida Keys. Another example would be
   >sunscreen, which some published research suggest causes coral bleaching.
   >(The stuff is banned in Mexican coral reef parks) If NOAA/dept. of
   >Commerce banned sunscreen in the Keys might they be accused of promoting
   >more skin cancers? The tourism/economy would certainly be affected. We
   >can't have that. There are many such examples because the economy of the
   >keys is greatly dependent on natural resources such as the
   >fishing/lobster industry. Again the same political problem! The
   >Sanctuary controls those activities by enforcing rules set up by another
   >NOAA agency, National Marine Fisheries. And right next door is
   >Everglades National Park, which is the dept. of Interior with a very
   >different philosophy. Mosquito spraying is not allowed on their property
   >and they have their own fishery rules/regulations and enforcement
   >officers. And lets not forget Fish and Wildlife Service, yet another
   >part of the dept. of Interior. And of course there are the State Parks
   >such as Pennekamp. See what a convoluted political situation we have! We
   >just do it to ourselves. Does anyone really expect all these diverse
   >parts of government to operate seamlessly especially at their
   >headquarters back in Washington DC where each is constantly trying to
   >increase its funding and influence? It's clear we can't take politics
   >out of coral reef science and research. A friend of mine used to say the
   >definition of mixed emotions is when your mother in law drives your new
   >Cadillac over a cliff. We certainly seem to have created a lot of mixed
   >emotions to deal with. Gene
   >
   >--
   >
   >
   >No Rocks, No Water, No Ecosystem (EAS)
   >------------------------------------ -----------------------------------
   >E. A. Shinn, Courtesy Professor
   >University of South Florida
   >College of Marine Science Room 221A
   >140 Seventh Avenue South
   >St. Petersburg, FL 33701
   >
   >Tel 727 553-1158
   >---------------------------------- -----------------------------------
   >
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