[Coral-List] Has the death of the Great Barrier Reef been greatly exaggerated??
Steve Mussman
sealab at earthlink.net
Tue Oct 18 15:27:51 EDT 2016
At the very least I think that the wide range of reactions to the Outside
article would provoke some introspection regarding what and how we choose to
communicate about the immediate and long term future of coral reefs..
Admittedly, serious researchers are unlikely to resort to satire, but that
doesn't necessarily mean that parody has no place in the conversation. Many
scientists have expressed the view that pieces like this are damaging in
that they invoke a sense of futility and hopelessness. But what about the
dangers of framing restoration and resiliency as the best way out? There
seems to be some potential pitfalls there as well. Why not use the occasion
to emphasize the fact that often times there can be unintended consequences
in how information is received and understood? If nothing else the article
should encourage everyone involved in coral reef conservation to pause and
reconsider what it is that we want to say and what forms of expression are
best suited to get the message out there with clarity and purpose. Steve
-----Original Message-----
From: Dennis Hubbard
Sent: Oct 18, 2016 9:58 AM
To: Steve Mussman
Cc: Douglas Fenner , coral list
Subject: Re: [Coral-List] Has the death of the Great Barrier Reef been
greatly exaggerated??
As I remember, there was a disclaimer that this was a "future" obituary. We
have waaaaaaaaaaay too much time on our hands if we spend any time going
back and forth on this one.
Dennis
On Mon, Oct 17, 2016 at 11:07 AM, Steve Mussman <[1]sealab at earthlink.net>
wrote:
Dear Doug,
Yes, it seems that the article/obituary has set off a firestorm. I took
it
as satire, but it seems that many readers and scientific purists felt
betrayed. Does it hurt legitimate science? Does it fuel indifference
and
hopelessness? I'm not sure, but it did get people talking about the
state
of coral reefs and I believe that's better than neglect.. After all,
the
higher purpose of satire is to be sure to infuse it with "the intent of
shaming individuals, corporations, government, or society itself into
improvement". You can't deny that in that sense, this is exactly what
the
coral doctor ordered.
Regards, Steve
---Original Message-----
>From: Douglas Fenner
>Sent: Oct 17, 2016 4:19 AM
>To: coral list
>Subject: [Coral-List] Has the death of the Great Barrier Reef been
greatly exaggerated??
>
>Here's the piece that seems to have started this debate off:
>
>Obituary: Great Barrier Reef (25 million BC- 2016)
>
>[2]http://www.outsideonline.com/2112086/obituary-great-
barrier-reef-25-milli
on-bc-2016
>
>A quick search on "is the Great Barrier Reef dead" produced a myriad
of
>hits, including:
>
>Great Barrier Reef obituary goes viral, to the horror of scientists.
>
>[3]http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/scientists-take-on-
great-barrier-reef
-obituary_us_57fff8f1e4b0162c043b068f
>?
>
>An irresponsible obituary for the Great Barrier Reef has gone viral-
here's
>what's actually going on.
>
>[4]http://www.businessinsider.com/coral-bleaching-viral-
obituary-what-actual
ly-going-on-2016-10
>
>The Great Barrier Reef isn't dead, in spite of its viral obituary
>
>[5]https://www.yahoo..com/news/great-barrier-reef-isnt-dead-
134129631.html
>
>and many more.
>
>Cheers, Doug
>
>
>
>--
>Douglas Fenner
>Contractor for NOAA NMFS, and consultant
>"have regulator, will travel"
>PO Box 7390
>Pago Pago, American Samoa 96799 USA
>
>phone [6]1 684 622-7084
>
>Join the International Society for Reef Studies. Membership includes
a
>subscription to the journal Coral Reefs, and there are discounts for
pdf
>subscriptions and developing countries. Coral Reefs is the only
journal
>that is ALL coral reef articles, and it has amazingly LOW prices
compared
>to other journals. Check it out! [7]www.fit.edu/isrs/
>
>"Belief in climate change is optional, participation is not."- Jim
Beever.
> "Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but not to their own
facts."-
>Daniel Patrick Moynihan.
>
>Policy: hasten the end of dated fossil-fuel subsidies
>[8]http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v538/n7624/full/
538171c.html?WT..ec_i
d=NATURE-20161013&spMailingID=52515861&spUserID=
MjA1NTA3MjA0OQS2&spJobID=1
022286029&spReportId=MTAyMjI4NjAyOQS2
>
>Visuallizing the warmest August in 136 years.
>[9]http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/blogs/earthmatters/2016/
09/12/heres-how-
the-warmest-august-in-136-years-looks-in-chart-form/
>
>website: [10]http://independent.academia.edu/DouglasFenner
>
>blog: [11]http://ocean.si.edu/blog/reefs-american-samoa-story-hope
>_______________________________________________
>Coral-List mailing list
>[12]Coral-List at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
>[13]http://coral.aoml..[14]noaa.gov/mailman/listinfo/coral-list
_______________________________________________
Coral-List mailing list
[15]Coral-List at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
[16]http://coral.aoml.noaa.gov/mailman/listinfo/coral-list
--
Dennis Hubbard
Chair, Dept of Geology-Oberlin College Oberlin OH 44074
(440) 775-8346
"When you get on the wrong train.... every stop is the wrong stop"
Benjamin Stein: "Ludes, A Ballad of the Drug and the Dream"
References
1. mailto:sealab at earthlink.net
2. http://www.outsideonline.com/2112086/obituary-great-barrier-reef-25-milli
3. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/scientists-take-on-great-barrier-reef
4. http://www.businessinsider.com/coral-bleaching-viral-obituary-what-actual
5. https://www.yahoo/
6. tel:1%20684%20622-7084
7. http://www.fit.edu/isrs/
8. http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v538/n7624/full/538171c.html?WT.ec_i
9. http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/blogs/earthmatters/2016/09/12/heres-how-
10. http://independent.academia.edu/DouglasFenner
11. http://ocean.si.edu/blog/reefs-american-samoa-story-hope
12. mailto:Coral-List at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
13. http://coral.aoml/
14. http://noaa.gov/mailman/listinfo/coral-list
15. mailto:Coral-List at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
16. http://coral.aoml.noaa.gov/mailman/listinfo/coral-list
More information about the Coral-List
mailing list