[Coral-List] Bleaching

Tue Apr 12 11:51:59 UTC 2022

 "... reef restoration programs acting in concert provide a potent
political opportunity to influence their national governments to support
the UN-based global efforts to control greenhouse gases and other factors
inimical to the survival of coral reefs."
OR
"reef restoration programs" masquerading as a solution provide a rationale
for kicking the addressing-causes-can down the road.
"cheers"
Bill

On Tue, Apr 12, 2022 at 6:59 AM John Ogden via Coral-List <
coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov> wrote:

> Dear Friends on Coral-List,
>
> The good news that Austin Bowden-Kirby highlights in his recent post
> concerns the global growth surge in reef restoration schemes and programs
> and shows clearly that people care about coral reefs and are unwilling to
> wait for government to act and watch them die without trying to do
> something to help.  This kind of hands-on volunteerism is too rare and
> important not to take full advantage of on the political stage.   In my
> opinion Coral Gardeners and other reef restoration programs acting in
> concert provide a potent political opportunity to influence their national
> governments to support the UN-based global efforts to control greenhouse
> gases and other factors inimical to the survival of coral reefs.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Coral-List <coral-list-bounces at coral.aoml.noaa.gov> On Behalf Of
> Austin Bowden-Kerby via Coral-List
> Sent: Friday, April 8, 2022 8:21 PM
> To: Risk, Michael <riskmj at mcmaster.ca>
> Cc: coral list <coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov>
> Subject: Re: [Coral-List] Bleaching
>
> Dear friends on Coral List,
>
> As Michael mentioned, the approval this week of massive new offshore
> drilling by Trudeau and the Canadian government amounts to planetary
> treason.  The development is located on the ecologically sensitive and
> vastly important Grand Banks, near the Northeast Newfoundland Slope Marine
> Refuge.
> https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fthenarwhal.ca%2Fbay-du-nord-newfoundland-approved%2F&data=04%7C01%7Cjogden%40usf.edu%7C31ca097bf9a144daba6208da1a12549b%7C741bf7dee2e546df8d6782607df9deaa%7C0%7C0%7C637850963297105951%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000&sdata=M4PhZbFEw3V7beubstWGbtV5w3wTdMh163ftss2PRbc%3D&reserved=0
>
> These sorts of decisions are the "lies and broken promises" spoken of just
> a few days ago by UN Chief, Antonio Guterres
>
> https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DP8rlLaT8v4Q&data=04%7C01%7Cjogden%40usf.edu%7C31ca097bf9a144daba6208da1a12549b%7C741bf7dee2e546df8d6782607df9deaa%7C0%7C0%7C637850963297105951%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000&sdata=7sJhxRpWQK32vZVGgOndqBa4h8XgCMTDr4r4pjZpdNY%3D&reserved=0
>
> Horrific, but rather than getting depressed we need to get active!
>
> Whatever we have been doing, it is not enough!  Should we just do more of
> the same, or is it time for a change of strategy?
>
> NOW FOR SOME GOOD NEWS!
> A group of youth from Moorea, French Polynesia, concerned by what they see
> on their own reefs, and growing tired of waiting for their governments and
> scientists to act, have created a youth-based activist movement "The Coral
> Gardeners", with the goal of saving corals from extinction.
>
> https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcoralgardeners.org%2F&data=04%7C01%7Cjogden%40usf.edu%7C31ca097bf9a144daba6208da1a12549b%7C741bf7dee2e546df8d6782607df9deaa%7C0%7C0%7C637850963297105951%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000&sdata=ExJCm2Bx84R6ddtFTurMo6Orzo%2Bq6eDQpQnQANT4gWg%3D&reserved=0
>
> By looking at films and information on the internet, these young islanders
> developed their own coral restoration methods, based on saving broken coral
> fragments and growing them.  Not knowing how to apply for grants, they
> created a web based donation and marketing campaign, which has raised
> significant funds for them to expand.  In 2018, they wrote to me and asked
> if they might come to Fiji for scientific training, but before that could
> happen, the World Surf League paid my way to Moorea in 2019.  Other
> restoration scientists like Dave Vaughn have also come in since to train
> them. They are eager to learn and are receptive to new ideas.
>
> The Coral Gardener's vision of youth activism is now going global: they
> are actively writing groups involved with community coral reef conservation
> and coral restoration, proposing that they all come together to form a mass
> youth activism movement to save coral reefs. They have asked for scientific
> backup, and their team will arrive in Fiji soon to discuss strategies about
> how to best cause a massive shift of youth activism at the local level to
> save coral reefs.
>
> Friends, we have clearly run out of time. We are experiencing the
> destructive forces of climate change invading coral reef systems, and in
> only 3-4 decades we will clearly see the local and perhaps planetary
> genocide of most species of corals.  The justification for breaking with
> "traditional" means to save coral reefs is based on the failure of the
> system to provide results- the scientific community is not doing enough!
> If the traditional ways of operating will not save the coral reefs, then
> it is time for us to get up off our butts and become activists, to come
> back out of retirement, to resign from secure jobs, to donate our fortunes
> sacrificially- anything and everything!
>
> Just look at what is at stake!  If we lose coral reefs, we lose the whole
> world.  We hold in our hands the one system that is the most important in
> stopping this insane human driven mass extinction event!
>
> For those of you on the list who still have hope for this world, we need
> your support for this movement!
> You can join and donate to Coral Gardeners via their website.
>
> Thanks and kind regards,
>
> Austin
>
> PS: more background as to the need for doing much more
>
> The frontline in the collapse of coral reefs is Kiribati, the most heat
> impacted reefs on the planet, with 30 months of condition-two bleaching
> temperatures over a 60 month period, and the mass death of >90% of corals.
> Still there has been virtually no scientific or management response- no
> battles, no defending armies, no troops, only a few isolated skirmishes,
> and with minimal data from just 6 of 32 atolls, even six years after the
> disaster.  This is the present reality on the leading edge of the
> collapse!   There is no war!
>
> The only strategies to combat the predicted extinctions of coral species
> that I know of are the Coral Bio Bank, and the 50 Reefs Initiative, both of
> which are good initiatives, and commendable, but if that is all we do then
> we are abandoning the front lines, where the lessons might be learned,
> pulling back in retreat, and admitting defeat.  Doesn't this amount to
> hiding in our bunkers and losing the war without firing a shot?    We have
> been proposing for some time that what is missing is a well coordinated,
> coral-focused war to combat the decline of corals due to warm water
> bleaching, with generals and sergeants, well trained troops, war plans,
> battle strategies, weapons, and ammunition.
>
> The really big, well funded efforts target land-based threats and
> overfishing. This tells us that the majority of scientists and donor orgs
> have not faced the facts: that pristine reefs with clean water and
> abundant  fish populations, although that might help with recovery, have
> been clearly and repeatedly shown to NOT be any more resistant to mass
> coral death due to bleaching temperatures.  Can we please stop fooling
> ourselves that this is enough? Otherwise, will we be satisfied with
> coralline algae dominated reefs, or perhaps in some areas a phase-shift to
> low biodiversity Porites reefs, with Acropora corals locally extinct and
> with hundreds of associated species missing?
>
> Coral-focused scientific approaches that are comprehensive, coordinated,
> well-funded, and scalable are now needed.  This is what we are working to
> create.  Coral focused strategies must be adaptation based, not simply
> restoration based, and the goal should be to secure the life of coral
> species on reefs for another 30+ years, in spite of warming seas, giving
> time for governments and society to hopefully defeat this enemy called
> climate change.
>
> Austin Bowden-Kerby, PhD
> Corals for Conservation, Fiji
>
> https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.corals4conservation.org%2F&data=04%7C01%7Cjogden%40usf.edu%7C31ca097bf9a144daba6208da1a12549b%7C741bf7dee2e546df8d6782607df9deaa%7C0%7C0%7C637850963297105951%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000&sdata=NnVrh88S0%2Furq7leLIVqGeBV4IfggoT0WnPErm%2FTtU4%3D&reserved=0
>
> https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.globalgiving.org%2Fprojects%2Femergency-response-to-massive-coral-bleaching%2F&data=04%7C01%7Cjogden%40usf.edu%7C31ca097bf9a144daba6208da1a12549b%7C741bf7dee2e546df8d6782607df9deaa%7C0%7C0%7C637850963297105951%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000&sdata=E7bAqwGnvQa9ahct6pqwwp5AdcIQMoREEddSLNjWRtU%3D&reserved=0
> <
> https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.globalgiving.org%2Fprojects%2Femergency-response-to-massive-coral-bleaching%2F&data=04%7C01%7Cjogden%40usf.edu%7C31ca097bf9a144daba6208da1a12549b%7C741bf7dee2e546df8d6782607df9deaa%7C0%7C0%7C637850963297105951%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000&sdata=E7bAqwGnvQa9ahct6pqwwp5AdcIQMoREEddSLNjWRtU%3D&reserved=0
> >
>
>
>
>
> On Sat, Apr 9, 2022 at 1:24 AM Risk, Michael via Coral-List <
> coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov> wrote:
>
> >    A sad day. The Canadian gov't, despite its brave words about
> >    decarbonisation, to-day approved the massive Baie du Nord offshore
> >    development for our East Coast.
> >
> >    Canada is one of the best-educated nations in the world. If we can't
> >    get it together, what hope is there?
> >
> > __________________________________________________________________
> >
> >    From: Coral-List <coral-list-bounces at coral.aoml.noaa.gov> on behalf
> of
> >    Steve Mussman via Coral-List <coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov>
> >    Sent: Wednesday, April 6, 2022 3:53 PM
> >    To: Eugene Shinn via Coral-List <coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov>
> >    Subject: Re: [Coral-List] Bleaching
> >
> >    Dear Gene,
> >    Although it is increasingly difficult to remain optimistic, the
> >    takeaway message should be clear. The sooner we can muster the
> >    political will to reduce atmospheric CO2 the better. The debate should
> >    have ended decades ago, but that is no excuse for complacency and/or
> >    inaction.
> >    [1]
> https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Ftheconversation.com%2Fhow-fast-can-we-stop-earth-from-warming-&data=04%7C01%7Cjogden%40usf.edu%7C31ca097bf9a144daba6208da1a12549b%7C741bf7dee2e546df8d6782607df9deaa%7C0%7C0%7C637850963297105951%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000&sdata=nxluRizLRXn8ImGE%2F%2Fwc%2BGSqkBAROK%2Bmc9MSdnIlFDQ%3D&reserved=0
> >    178295
> >    Regards,
> >    Steve
> >    On 4/5/22, 12:49 PM, Eugene Shinn via Coral-List
> >    <coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov> wrote:
> >    Thanks Austin, I have become so used to broken promises by governmens
> >    and businesses that it just bounces off. I recall many climate change
> >    authors claiming that if all sources of Co2 were stopped today it
> would
> >    take about half a century for Co2 levels to drop to pre-industrial
> >    levels. Reducing present levels in 8-years is not realistic. Gene
> >    _______________________________________________
> >    Coral-List mailing list
> >    Coral-List at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
> >    [2]
> https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcoral.aoml.noaa.gov%2Fmailman%2Flistinfo%2Fcoral-list&data=04%7C01%7Cjogden%40usf.edu%7C31ca097bf9a144daba6208da1a12549b%7C741bf7dee2e546df8d6782607df9deaa%7C0%7C0%7C637850963297105951%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000&sdata=y7gybly%2Fnya4YqzXQt7nL1EJDCYY2KNrvyl5zaeAayk%3D&reserved=0
> >    _______________________________________________
> >    Coral-List mailing list
> >    Coral-List at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
> >
> > [3]https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fc
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> > d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7
> > C3000&sdata=y7gybly%2Fnya4YqzXQt7nL1EJDCYY2KNrvyl5zaeAayk%3D&r
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> >
> > References
> >
> >    1.
> >
> https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Ftheconversation.com%2Fhow-fast-can-we-stop-earth-from-warming-178295&data=04%7C01%7Cjogden%40usf.edu%7C31ca097bf9a144daba6208da1a12549b%7C741bf7dee2e546df8d6782607df9deaa%7C0%7C0%7C637850963297105951%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000&sdata=lwwxxsWJD2uRE3xw9dMxYN5R26df5EZeCNYS3zSKz94%3D&reserved=0
> >    2.
> https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcoral.aoml.noaa.gov%2Fmailman%2Flistinfo%2Fcoral-list&data=04%7C01%7Cjogden%40usf.edu%7C31ca097bf9a144daba6208da1a12549b%7C741bf7dee2e546df8d6782607df9deaa%7C0%7C0%7C637850963297105951%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000&sdata=y7gybly%2Fnya4YqzXQt7nL1EJDCYY2KNrvyl5zaeAayk%3D&reserved=0
> >    3.
> > https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcora
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