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

Fri May 28 16:59:28 UTC 2021

Thanks Nathan, for sharing your thoughts. In fact, decision-making
guidance can help or hinder potential solutions based on science and
expert knowledge.

Thinking about clear threats and goals is the first step to get
solutions. I agree with the recent John Ogden´s Post, start by
identifying and addressing the threats to coral reefs: Pollution (land
based pollution (runoff, disposal, and aerial sources); Resource
Extraction / Destruction (fishing, mining, dredging); and Climate
Change. Always, keep in mind that effective local management matters
to save coral reefs as published by Nancy Knowlton on her recent paper
on Science: PERSPECTIVE MARINE ECOLOGY.

Contributing further to develop your ideas, I invite you and the coral
listers at the ICRS2021. Specifically to listen to my talk:
Implementing SDG 14 in Colombia to improve Coral Reef Conservation
Effectiveness.

2021-05-27 14:46 GMT-05:00, Nathan Mccall via Coral-List
<coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov>:
> 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/
> <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/
> <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
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-- 
Cordial saludo,

Nohora Galvis

Directora Observatorio Pro Arrecifes
Fundación ICRI Colombia
Coordinadora Red Internacional de Observadores Voluntarios del Arrecife
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