State of the Oceans — Log 106
YOUR WEEKLY BRIEFING FROM PARLEY
PLASTIC POLLUTION
The US is responsible for way more of the plastic polluting the world’s oceans than previously thought, a new study has shown. Americans, on average, generated the most plastic waste per capita globally – responsible for over 280 pounds of plastic waste every year compared to about 120 pounds for a European. After the EU, India generated the next largest amount of plastic waste per capita, with about 44 pounds per year. Close to 89 percent of exports wound up in countries where more than a fifth of waste is handled improperly, largely because of a lack of waste management infrastructure. To make things even harder for those countries, between 15% to 25% of plastics they received might have been too contaminated or low-value to be recycled.
CLIMATE
This week, out of the 189 countries to formally adopt and sign the Paris climate accord, the US became the first country to withdraw this week. It’s thought President Elect Joe Biden will reverse the decision, and experts are already discussing what power the president truly has to change the future of our climate. Experts say the president can make 56 policy moves on climate and energy that don’t need help from Congress, including returning to science-based policy making, and simply rejoining the Paris Agreement. Dr. Ayana Johnson and journalist Alex Blumberg discuss the issue on this week's episode of their podcast, How to Save a Planet.
MARINE LIFE
Hermit crabs on the islands in Mu Koh Lanta National Park in southern Thailand are experiencing a ‘housing crisis’ as their numbers rise. Biologists are linking the population boom to the tourism shutdown due to the pandemic. The crabs, which protect themselves by wearing and living inside discarded shells of other animals, are so visibly struggling, national park authorities are now requesting public donations of extra cone-shaped shells. Authorities have noticed some crustaceans outgrowing previous shells and moving to pieces of trash such as cans, glass bottles or caps – a good reason not to pick shells up at the beach.
INNOVATION
Scientists are learning more about deep sea life by studying floating DNA in the water. An approach called ‘environmental DNA metabarcoding’ is being used by Canadian scientists who are looking at residual DNA left in water from deepwater animals to get a sense of what animals live in a given environment and population density of the species. This study is a good start to fill in the gaps of what scientists truly do not know about the underwater world and begin to gain a full proof understanding of the impacts of commercial fishing and climate change.
WHALES
The Sri Lankan Navy and volunteers have rescued over 100 pilot whales that recently stranded in the country’s worst mass beaching event. So far the majority of the animals have been rescued and helped back to sea, though three whales and one dolphin did not make it due to injuries sustained in the beaching. Local villagers defied a coronavirus curfew to join the rescue and help the small whales. Whale beachings are not uncommon. Scientists say the reason is often unknown but they have a range of theories, including whales following fish to shore and becoming disorientated.
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