State of the Oceans — Log 6
YOUR WEEKLY BRIEFING FROM PARLEY
Photo by Annie Spratt
THE ARCTIC
In a huge victory for Arctic marine ecosystems, nine nations as well as the EU and Inuit groups have come together to sign a legally binding international accord that will protect nearly three million square kilometers of the Central Arctic Ocean from unregulated fishing. The agreement will prevent commercial fishing in the fragile region for at least 16 years while scientific research is conducted to learn more about its marine life and resources.
"Never in any other ocean, in any other sea adjacent to any other coast in this world has this taken place before, not even in Antarctica," says Trevor Taylor of Oceans North, a Canadian NGO. "Everywhere that we have fished in human history, we have fished first and asked questions later."
MARINE LIFE
The killing of six sharks in Australia’s tropical north after two non-fatal attacks on people last week has outraged residents, environmental groups and – surprisingly – local businesses. Around 100 business owners, tourism operators and protesters called for smarter measures.
CONSERVATION
The stunning limestone bay made famous in The Beach will remain closed indefinitely, Thai officials have announced. Maya Bay and its beach were temporarily closed to give decimated corals time to recover from the area’s projected 2.5 million visitors, but the ban will now remain in place.
PLASTIC POLLUTION
Religious institutions of all faiths in India have joined in the fight against plastic pollution. The Golden Temple in Amritsar banned plastic carry bags in April, and over 1000 temples in the southern state of Kerala have pledged to eliminate plastic this year.
CLIMATE CHANGE
An innovative wave device could soon offer marine data centers the ability to power up while cooling down. Using the energy of waves for electricity and cold ocean water to cool electronics, such floating data centers could help reduce the sector’s growing contribution to global emissions.
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