I wrote last week about the positive steps being taken by the Marine Stewardship Council to ensure sustainable fishing practices. Today I saw this article reporting on a study clearly linking declining fish stocks to algal blooms (so-called 'toxic tides'). For me this situation drives home three things about sustainability.
Impact
Issues of sustainability lead through to real impact on people. We may talk about a single marine ecosystem, but in reality there are no isolated ecosystems. While it is tempting to do so, it is always erroneous to disconnect activity from the impact it will have on us.
In less than 20 years, the Grand Banks - a marine region off the coast of Canada - went from one of the richest fishing grounds in the world to a marine wasteland as overfishing destroyed the natural abundance (more).
Fishing is certainly one of the starkest examples of humanity's extraordinary proficiency at extracting what it wants from its habitat. Where no vested interest exists to hold us back, we simply know no limits.
Marine Stewardship Council
I have recently heard about the MSC who are working towards reversing the trend and following the now quite familiar route of certifying products through regular audit and stringent standards. It is somewhat inspiring to see that the very same characteristic that allows us to overfish - an ability to take control of and affect our situation - will allow us to solve the problem we created.
Another week, another cringing episode of the Apprentice and another slightly pointless task for the devotees. This week, they were asked to create a greetings card and a reason to send it. It is hard to express quite how tragic this episode became as the pit became ever deeper and wider.
The Hypocrite and the Ignoramus
I don't know who was worse. The team leader - Kevin - seemed only to love himself more than his sports car. He told one of the buyers that if they didn't buy the cards, they would somehow be ostracised as environmental enemies. Meanwhile the ginger one who came up with the idea told Clinton cards confidently that she actually buys fewer cards herself because of her concern for the environment but that was a reason to buy this card?! They even managed to re-invent Earth Day as "Love your Planet Day".
I got myself into a real fervour about the flipant nature of the "Gardners' Question Time" contribution to getting people excited about what plants they can grown when our climate warms up. When our climate warms up!
Naturally I wanted to shout about it on the Griinu Blog. Just as I started, I caught myself though. I'm turning into (already?) an eco-correct whinger.
Register For Extra FeaturesRegistering gives you access to extra features, offers and promotions, newsletters and interactive elements of the site!
Free LightbulbWe are giving away energy saving lightbulbs when you register! We even pay for the postage!
Subscribe to The Green GingerThe Green Ginger blog gives you a regular taste of unreserved opinion and different ideas on all things green and environmental!
Become a Fan on FacebookIf you're a member of Facebook, you can get to know us better and find out the latest about us on Facebook!
Add or View Comments
