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Untitled Document
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- Since the end of the last ice age 18,000
years ago sea level has risen over 360
feet at the present rate of sea level
rise in the next 100 years by conservative
estimates the global sea level rise will
result in the flooding of lowlands throughout
Viet Nam, China, India, Thailand, Philippines,
Indonesia, Egypt and elsewhere. Millions
of climate change refugees would be created
by this sea level rise.
- According to Dr. Bill Turrell, leader
of the Ocean Climate Group at the Scottish
Marine Laboratory in Aberdeen, recent
changes in the Salinity of water indicates
the largest changes of outflow in the
last 100 years which is consistent with
models showing the stopping of the pump
and the conveyor belt leading to the rapid
onset of a global ice age.
- When the recent hurricanes and tsunamis
have hit coastal areas, those that had
living coral refs and mangrove swamps
were protected from devastation. Those
areas hit by at the same time with that
lacked healthy coral reefs or mangrove
swamps were totally wiped out.
- The decrease in salinity and organic
waste production from the microorganism
death decrease the pH of the water and
makes it more acid which in turns kills
the growth cells of coral reefs and has
accounted for a 20% reduction in global
coral growth in the last year.
- Decreases in salinity of the ocean
water due to ice melts caused by global
warming kills trillions of microorganisms
each year causing further organic pollution
that further grows the dead zone. The
loss of microorganisms from global warming
causes the lack of food for krill which
in turn causes starvation of 100s of baleen
whales every year.
- This past year due to global warming
it is estimated that over 20% of all coral
reefs have suffered over 90% mortality.
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- Unsustainable fishing practices for
shark fins causes the untimely death of
over 5 million sharks per year. Approximately
10,000 sea turtles are also killed each
year as a result of this fishing activity.
- Most sharks die of bleeding to death
when harvested for their fins which is
painful and wasteful. Demand for sharks
fins for sharkfin soup has risen several
hundred percent over the last 5 years.
- Consumers are beginning to demand sustainable
seafood in just the same way that the
dolphin-safe tuna became legally mandated.
It is estimated that over 85% of the new
market demand for sustainable seafood
is due to consumer pressure which has
in turn created industry ramping-up to
meet the demands.
- The world's oceans can supply sustainably
approximately 100 million tones of seafood
per year. Up until last year the balance
of demand (approximately 25 million tons)
for seafood was covered the Aquaculture
market. Aquaculture production has increased
over 50% in the last 5 years. Total demand
for the next 5 years is expected to exceed
160 million tons for which aquaculture
is expected to meet the demand as demonstrated
by a greater than 33% increased in productivity
over the past year.
- Every time a drag net goes over an
ocean area it is just like deforesting
in order to catch the monkeys out of the
trees, it not that they don't catch the
fish, it's just that the forests of coral
that are destroyed take 100s to 1000s
of years to build and often the fisherman
come back several times a year to get
even more. Even though only several hundreds
of such fishing vessels are still operating
in this way, several 1000s of square miles
are destroyed each year.
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- 97% of all coral disease is as a consequence
of human activities.
- Over 90% of all coastal zones worldwide
will be developed by 2030.
- In Asia and Eastern Africa over 90%
of the sewage is discharged directly into
the ocean. Ensuring the decimation of
much of the coastal coral reef areas and
nearby ecosystems.
- 80% of Marine pollution originates
from the land. With Coastal populations
doubling by 2050 it doubtful that many
coastal ecosystems will be able to survive
the resulting pollution without adequate
protected areas being development to create
living reserves.
- Every 10 years the number of dead zones
worldwide has doubled to over 200 by 2010.
Meaning an area larger that the whole
continental United States will be devoid
of any life.
- More than 250 million people worldwide
contract gastroenteritis and upper respiratory
disease due to polluted seas.
- Toxic waste has led to significant
increase in PVC, cyanide and mercury levels
in sea water. Increases in freshwater
have even been greater. The entire upper
US fisheries is in the process of being
shut down due to an aggressive virus that
is spread through fish stressed by environmental
pollution in the inland waterways.
- Solid wastes have accumulated in the
deep oceans to where sonar can track huge
underwater storms by looking for city-sized
piles of plastic floating the ocean floor.
- Radioactive waste disposal has led
to increase in the background counts of
seawater.
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- The number of severe weather phenomena
and climate fluctuations over decades
will probably increase dramatically during
the ice age transition (about 100 years).
- Global warming has increased the melting
of the Greenland ice shelf to where a
shut down of the pump that moves the ocean
currents is expected within the next 10-20
years that could cause a global ice age.
- A 2-4 degree rise in ocean temperature
is predicted to have everlasting consequences
on what lives in or on the ocean.
- Hurricanes and other water related
weather phenomenon have increased due
to global warming in the past year by
over 100%.
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