Our oceans are the lifeblood of our planet.
By Thom Hartmann A...
Our warming planet is causing major changes to our oceans. According to new study published in the journal Nature Climate Change, warming waters are drastically altering the biodiversity in our oceans.
In fact, these changes are more extreme than anything our planet has seen in 3 million years. And, it's only going to get worse as our planet gets even hotter. While some may claim that it's no big deal if species migrate to new areas, scientists warn that such drastic changes could disrupt the entire ocean ecosystem.
In order to test their theory, scientists at the National Center for Science Research in France developed what they called a “pseudo-species model,” to see how different species would react to warmer oceans.
The researchers could then compare those reactions to different times in our planet's history. According to that analysis, researchers said that in the most dramatic warming scenario – the so-called “do-nothing” scenario – about 70 percent of the marine life in our oceans would change.
Even less dire warning scenarios, about half of all ocean life will have to relocate, adapt, or die off. When species suddenly vanish from their historic habitat, the functions that they served in that environment can disappear as well.
Ecosystems that rely on symbiotic relationships can be thrown out of balance, and other species could be forced to move or die as well. And, some marine life – like coral – can't just get up and move.
If you think this isn't important, you need to think again. Our oceans are the lifeblood of our planet. They are the primary force behind our weather and our climate, and they are the main source of food for millions of people all over the world.
Changes to our marine life mean changes to human life. It doesn't matter whether you live in the mid-west or the Middle East, life as you know it would not exist without our oceans.
Comments
#2
Repost for correct Day as I was informed ...
Excellent Article, brief and easy to grasp, on Mergers and Aquisitions, Stock Buybacks etc.
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2015-06-05/stock-market-disappearing-one-g...
The Stock Market Is Disappearing In One Giant Leveraged Buyout
by Daniel Drew of Dark Bid
Excerpts:
"Companies are spending nearly all of their profits on stock buybacks. Just recently, Wendy's announced they would buy back half of their stock."
"All of this activity harms employees. William Lazonick discussed the negative effects in a Harvard Business Review article called "Profits Without Prosperity." According to Lazonick, the American economy has transformed from a system of value creation to one of value extraction."
"From the end of World War II until the late 1970s, a retain-and-reinvest approach to resource allocation prevailed at major U.S. corporations. They retained earnings and reinvested them in increasing their capabilities, first and foremost in the employees who helped make firms more competitive. They provided workers with higher incomes and greater job security, thus contributing to equitable, stable economic growth - what I call "sustainable prosperity" This pattern began to break down in the late 1970s, giving way to a downsize-and-distribute regime of reducing costs and then distributing the freed-up cash to financial interests, particularly shareholders. By favoring value extraction over value creation, this approach has contributed to employment instability and income inequality"
"This is the end game of unfettered capitalism. The signs are all here. When you cast aside reasonable restraints, the unscrupulous among us will rise to the top and exploit everyone else. What we have left is a new American feudalism where CEOs move around like a pack of ruthless Somalian warlords. Riding behind the banner of efficiency, they replace employees with robots, outsource their work to foreigners and tell their employees to train their own replacements, and collude with hedge fund managers to strip companies of their most valuable assets to temporarily boost the stock price."
"As if all this weren't enough, now they are buying the entire stock market with money provided by the Federal Reserve's quantitative easing policies. This is essentially the largest leveraged buyout in history, and it's being paid for by every American."
#3
How do you stop an overpopulated world from using nitrates for farming for the masses?
The PH levels will turn the Oceans so acidic that no life will exist.
It looks bad fast if we are the sparrow in the cage for this experiment called Earth1.
There has been how many mass extinctions so far?
Amazing how we have destroyed so much in a hundred years.
Can we save ourselves? Are we that smart? We think we are but are slow to react.
#4
douglas m -- I thought the rise in acidity was due to the warming oceans. That is, the warm oceans absorb more CO2 and become more acidic. What you describe sounds worse.
#5
Hi Thom, Well in spite of the counter examples and endless array of intelligent options offered the species, most recent time demonstrate in irrefutable terms, but one word will be necessary to carve on the headstone of humanity........greedy. Good luck with the hunt Craig Ziegler
#6
Funny how people fear that an asteroid could wipe out the planet, while global warming remains an abstract concept that seems to elicit outright denial, or a kick the can down the road apathy by many.
The trillions in taxpayer dollars we spend on our war/spy based economy needs to be redirected against the real national security threat.....global warming. From what I'm reading, the global food chain, and fresh water supply are both relatively close to catastrophic disruptions, the next decade or so. I'm guessing some of the more powerful Carbon Barons will be residing on Boot Hill by then, but what a freaking legacy they'll leave behind...global panic and chaos!!!!
Allowing extreme concentration of wealth has to be the biggest mistake civilized society ever made. The resultant arbitrary power in the hands of out of control Caligula's has lead directly to inaction on not only global warming, but many of the economic and social injustices we all deal with daily.
#7
chuckle8, the excess fertilizer that flows down rivers and out to sea causes huge algal blooms, which use up the oxygen in the water. (It doesn't really have anything to do with acidity.) Until the water reoxidizes, no animal can live in the area. It's like we're carpet-bombing the ocean every spring.
#8
I'd say we're in a jam. America's leading contribution to climate change and environmental pollution is our excessive use of privately-owned motor vehicles. This is what defines our middle class.
#9
No, since the 1980s, the US has flown backwards, reversing decades of progress, and many other nations have followed suit.
I don't know if over-population is the problem. I remember first hearing that we were on the brink of collapse from over-population as far back as the 1960s. We seem to be doing a quite adequate job of population reduction at the same time, by war, impoverishment, etc.
#10
2950-10k, middle classers don't demand that government stop increasing the wealth of the super-wealthy. Instead, they demand that government put an end to the few crumbs that trickle down to the poor, disabled and the elderly. We have extreme "class inequality" because this generation supports it. Well, they actually want to reduce the gap between the middle class and rich, but maintain the canyon between the poor and middle class.
#11
Perhaps the poor, disabled, and the elderly would have more of the help they need if liberals would at least acknowledge that there is a significant portion of the "poor" that are abled bodied and are milking the welfare sysytem for all its worth. Let's help the helpless, and not aid the clueless. However, I'm sure this will fall on deaf ears.
#12
I've worked in social security, and know that only a very small proportion milk the system. And the amount they get compared to large corporations is tiny.
#13
Because they find employment the vast majority of families on welfare leave the system with in a year or two, over 70%! ......just in case Kilosqrd is wondering!
#14
Yes, the oceans are key to our collective survival, but they're being destroyed just as the forests around the world are being destroyed and we're eating posion in the form fertilizers. Perhaps the needs of immediate survival is more important to our future survival. Then again, maybe profit now is the motivating factor; leaving the fallout for the future.
#15
DHBranski: I agree with you, and I'll give you my opinion as to why many middle classsers seem unable to ascertain economic reality. They're programmed by the corpse media which in turn is owned by the real deadbeats, those with ugly and massive unearned wealth....wealth to the tune of billions, and much of it sits untaxed and unproductive in offshore bank accounts. With their propaganda weapon, the corp media, they're able to distract the majority with the , "blame the poor" bullshit, while this elite class of scoundrels/banksters brings the rest of us to our knees with wage stagnation and high unemployment. They love a frightened and desperate populace, easy to manipulate and mess with.......as in the blame the poor ignorance.
#16
Kilosqrd -- By a significant portion do you mean 0.001%?
#17
DHBranski --- Once again, the metric they use to measure economic inequality has nothing to do with the middle class. They just compare the top 20% to the bottom 20%.
I am using Richard Wilkerson's TED talk as my reference.
Thom's Blog Is On the Move
By webmaster
Hello All
Thom's blog in this space and moving to a new home.
Please follow us across to hartmannreport.com - this will be the only place going forward to read Thom's blog posts and articles.
Images of Thom
Thom & Louise at a "private audience" with His Holiness Pope John Paul II at his summer palace, Castle Gandolfo, Italy
From Screwed:
"If we are going to live in a Democracy, we need to have a healthy middle class. Thom Hartmann shows us how the ‘cons’ have wronged this country, and tells us what needs to be done to reclaim what it is to be American."
From The Thom Hartmann Reader:
"Thom Hartmann is a literary descendent of Ben Franklin and Tom Paine. His unflinching observations and deep passion inspire us to explore contemporary culture, politics, and economics; challenge us to face the facts of the societies we are creating; and empower us to demand a better world for our children and grandchildren."
From The Thom Hartmann Reader:
"Thom Hartmann is a creative thinker and committed small-d democrat. He has dealt with a wide range of topics throughout his life, and this book provides an excellent cross section. The Thom Hartmann Reader will make people both angry and motivated to act."
A 16 year old started working out how to remove all of the plastic trash out of the oceans of the world! He is now 20 and here is what he has come up with:
http://www.theoceancleanup.com