Thursday, September 5, 2019
Dr. Johnston's Presentation - Coral Reefs
On Friday, August 30th, Dr. Carl Johnston made a presentation to the course entitled “Can Coral Reefs Survive
and Should We Care?” This was an excellent review of the factors affecting the health and welfare of not only coral reefs, but the world-wide environment in general. Any thoughts?
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ReplyDeleteSummary: Dr. Johnston's seminar gave background information on the types of coral reefs, their importance as ecosystem services, and major examples globally. The second half focused on problems faced by coral reefs due to plastics and climate change, finishing with some ideas for how we can protect coral reefs.
Question: What government policies and/or community initiatives would you like to see us partake in as Americans to do our part in preserving Earth's coral reefs?
Initiating / Engaging in community recycling programs-and through this we can be able to educate others on coral reefs and its importance as an ecosystem. As institutions of higher learning be able to encourage more research on probable medicinal value of coral reefs.
ReplyDeleteInitiating / Engaging in community recycling programs-and through this we can be able to educate others on coral reefs and its importance as an ecosystem. As institutions of higher learning be able to encourage more research on probable medicinal value of coral reefs.
ReplyDeleteYes, getting local communities involved in recycling programs that include info on coral reefs would be very helpful! I don't think the importance of coral reefs is stressed enough in discussions about waste reduction.
DeleteI would like to see all grocery/plastic bags be banned and only use recyclable bags. Some stores have started only using recyclable bags but we need all of them to be banned. Also having people go to high schools and speak about how we can help the coral reef and how the coral reef will help the environment, since they are the future of the planet. By speaking to them we can warn them about the future and maybe they will change their ways. Also maybe another way is to help pick up all the trash laying around everywhere by taking people with minor sentences and having them do more community service hours, mostly for trash clean up.
ReplyDeleteI do agree with you on this, however the government can play a huge and important role by banning plastic bags completely and introducing the recyclable ones.
DeleteI agree that a nationwide ban on single-use plastic bags would be great. Eight states have already passed such legislation.
DeleteSource: http://www.ncsl.org/research/environment-and-natural-resources/plastic-bag-legislation.aspx
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ReplyDeleteContinuous public education, through the media, on Corals with respect to their importance to humans and other living organisms in the ecosystem and also pointing out the dangers these corals face, will be a good way to awaken the minds of the general public to protect our oceans and our corals from activities that are harmful to their survival.
ReplyDeleteI think it starts with the younger generation to teach them to respect and care for the ocean and its reefs. The older generation doesn't think they will see change in their lifetime, but if they see the excitement of their kids wanting to save the reefs they might change
ReplyDeleteI think part of the problem with coral reef preservation is that unless you're a biology student focused on climate change or environmental preservation, you wouldn't know the drastic effects that losing the coral reefs could cause. The majority of the general population knows that climate change exists, but we are in the minority that know how devastating these changes can be. Until the public is educated, none of the changes made to improve the environment will be taken seriously.
ReplyDeleteOther than man-made materials such as plastics contributing to the decline in coral reefs, another threat to the reefs is climate change. Though in recent years there have been a push to reduce the human carbon footprint with electric cars, wind and solar energy, “going digital” in leu of paper, and the use of more eco-friendly/biodegradable products. However, some of our industry contribute heavily to global warming through greenhouse gas emission and deforestation. I think having more strict policies that govern these emissions would be necessary. For industries that require logging, such as in paper and lumber production, maybe make a “cut one, plant two” policy, with documentation mandatory. I think that putting in policies that address this global issue will not only help the coral reefs, but also the planet as a whole.
ReplyDeleteTrue, if we as a species do not seriously address climate change and carbon emissions then any work put into recycling or educating the public about coral reefs will be nearly useless. As Dr. Johnston spoke about, rising sea levels and warming oceans can be fatal for many coral reefs.
DeleteIt would certainly seem that government-mandated programs need to be put in place to observe true change. There will always be those who go against legal policy (for example, illegal poachers), but even so there would undoubtedly be a significant change in the amount of man-made destruction of not only coral reefs but Earth's wildlife in general if there were strict laws and regulations passed for conservation efforts. There is also an inherent need to inspire the younger generations to want these changes rather than simply accept them. Children and young adults need to be shown the benefits of saving and preserving these ecosystems, as well as be made aware of the devastating consequences of allowing us to continue down the path we're on in allowing them to disappear.
ReplyDelete