[Coral-List] Summary of Goals from Other Listers/Science Not Politics will Save our Ecosystems

[sealab at earthlink.net]

Hi Nathan,

First of all let me say that it is helpful to hear the views of young people on these issues. After all, it is your generation and beyond that will be most affected by the policies we choose to implement at this time. I too am not an expert by any means, but questioning those here is among the best ways to learn. Still, I have a few thoughts I’d like to share in reaction to some of your main points and hopefully some of the real experts will chime in and set us straight.

1. Addressing climate change / lowering carbon emissions.

Although positive feedback loops are a reality, the sooner we cut down on carbon emissions the better. This is one of the issues which I believe offers the most hope IF we act now and there is reason to believe that the momentum is on our side. Recent news on this front is encouraging. Automobile manufacturers have already made it clear that they are moving to electrify their fleets and soon. Shell has been ordered by a court in the Netherlands to cut carbon emissions by 45% by 2030. Exxon and Chevron have suffered shareholder rebellions over failure to implement strategies for a low-carbon future. I would argue that change is in the air (pardon the pun).

2. Clean up the water.

None of this will be easy, but it isn’t that different from cutting carbon emissions. If automobile manufacturers and major fossil fuel extractors can be leveraged to change, so can chemical companies and the agriculture sectors of our economy.

3. Politicians

We will never be able to convince everyone to value the natural world on par with consumption, but those who deny climate change and downplay pollution can certainly be marginalized. Once a strong majority is established we can move forward without them. Although it would be nice, we don’t need to get 100% on our side. Other countries have done it and if the USA wants to maintain a position of world leadership, we will do it too.

I could go on and on, suffice it to say that it isn’t hopeless, but science must step up for it has a vital role to play. We look to scientists to lead the way by clearly articulating the best path forward. Coral science is but a microcosm of the bigger picture and that is why I am constantly questioning their approach. Asking what we need to do to “save coral reefs” is not that different from asking what we need to do to avoid “The Venus Syndrome” or as Peter Sale just put it, keeping humanity from turning the planet into an unlivable wasteland. (By the way, let me recommend that you read James Hansen’s “Storms of My Grandchildren” and Peter Sale’s new book “Coral Reefs: Majestic Realms Under the Sea”).

Anyway, I would just like to encourage young scientists like you to keep on questioning and keep on pushing for change. Most importantly, work to get a clear message out into the public and political realms of discourse. Real change will only come when people demand it. It’s beginning to work and it is not hopeless.

Best of luck young man.

Regards,

Steve Mussman

On 5/27/21, 3:46 PM, Nathan Mccall via Coral-List <coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov> wrote:

Dear Listers,

I am new to this email listing, but I am very moved by the emails that you

have sent regarding the situation regarding ecosystems, specifically ones

involving coral reefs, are changing around the world.

Here is a paper about the changing ocean temperatures…

https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s00376-021-0447-x.pdf

Even if we stopped emissions today, the climate has irreversibly changed

across the world. Positive feedback loops are already starting for the

worse.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4608041/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2632717/

I am not trying to be all doom and gloom, but as an undergraduate who has

watched forest fires almost consume my University last year due to climate

change, I think as scientists, we should approach this problem

realistically.

Here are some of the goals that were presented by some of the listers:

Let’s tackle the root of every goal and how to achieve them.

1. Lower Carbon Emissions

If you want to change 7 billion people’s lifestyles, please let me know how

you are going to do that, I cannot think of ways besides improving

technology surrounding replacing carbon emitting machines. As countries

around the world develop towards looking like the “western countries” like

the United States, why would they approach development differently than us

if they cannot afford to be sustainable.

Proposition: Improve cheaper engines that are non-carbon emitting (cars,

electricity, transportation) and sustainable

2. Address Climate Change, Learn to value nature and more sustainable

lifestyles,

If we stopped emitting carbon dioxide today, there would still be great

change across the world’s ecosystems. Addressing climate change is already

something that everyone on this listing probably does. To put the weight of

sustainability on the common people of this world without looking at those

that produce the most carbon emissions, the capitalistic organizations

without any sort of regulation is outright ignorant. 100 companies produce

71% of GHG emissions around the world. When people are presented without a

choice to be sustainable because they cannot live due to being in poverty,

why should they be the ones to be responsible for this planet? Many people

never had a choice to begin with.

3. Clean up the water(and the air,land/soil)

Usually, this sounds like a great idea. However, we need to address the

root problem about clean environments. How will we reduce runoff from

precipitation, agriculture, fertilizers, and everything that spills into

the ocean and our land without proper mitigation efforts? Research has been

done to figure out how to eliminate nitrogen, fertilizers, oil runoff, etc.

from our waterways, land, and air, but if you are interested, people

reading this should find how scientists today are taking that next step.

4. Reduce overfishing, Eat lower on the food chain

This can be completely reduced if we find ways to engineer lab grown fish

and meat to replace fishing in the oceans. There are already current ways

but not cheap enough to replace food in the marketplace. If this is

achieved, we can reach this goal.

5. Support politicians that support conservation

Preaching to the choir is not going to change anything. Let us not waste

time on this forum discussing what we already know when we already are

running out of time. If you care this much, please provide papers or if

there is relevant research that you are conducting, I invite you to share.

Science is the one way out of climate change regardless of whether people

act in a way that would value nature and sustainable lifestyles as climate

is already irrevocably changed. Although we already have seen through this

pandemic how many people there are, I do not know if it is worth our time

trying to change the minds of the Donald Trumps, Marjorie Taylors, or

whatever equivalent politician figure in your country. Also most if not all

politicians are driven solely by money from lobbying companies. Please

understand that sometimes politics' best interest is not in people, it's in

the lining of their pockets.

If I missed any, please let me know. I can probably go deeper in every

single goal that was presented by some of the listers. Please. Share

papers, share your research, share what you are doing rather than just

preaching. Science and innovation will be the one way out of this

horrendous mess. However, we are also running out of time.

I am personally interested in Symbiodinium as they are a prime factor in

corals’ survival. Here are some papers that I am currently reading.

Local adaptation constrains the distribution potential of heat-tolerant

*Symbiodinium* from the Persian/Arabian Gulf

https://www.nature.com/articles/ismej201580

Symbiont community stability through severe coral bleaching in a thermally

extreme lagoon*https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5445074/

*

Clade D *Symbiodinium* in Scleractinian Corals: A “Nugget” of Hope, a

Selfish Opportunist, an Ominous Sign, or All of the Above?

*https://www.hindawi.com/journals/jmb/2011/730715/

*

Regarding Dendrogyra cylindrus, I do not know what the best course of

action is. What can I say is that if we cannot mitigate, we must prepare

for the impacts once species like D. cylindrus go extinct permanently. What

are the impacts on the larger ecosystem if the species fails? What could

perhaps replace them if all else fails and we have no choice. What niche

opens up when these species stop existing?

I am new to this field; I am only a second-year undergraduate. Please take

my opinion with a grain of salt but also understand this is how a

20-year-old undergraduate in science sees the current situation. I am

trying my hardest. If my opinions are baseless, please let me know, I do

not want to continue forward being blind and ignorant if I am being

foolish.

Best Regards,

Nathan

Nathan McCall

UCSC Undergraduate, BMEB Declared Major

namccall at ucsc.edu

_______________________________________________

Coral-List mailing list

Coral-List at coral.aoml.noaa.gov

https://coral.aoml.noaa.gov/mailman/listinfo/coral-list