New Zealand May Kick Start Race To Mine The Ocean Floor
New Zealand decides tomorrow whether to approve to mine the black sands off the oceanfloor in the southern Taranaki Bight, that would likely become the world’s first commercial metals mine at the bottom of the sea.
Obama Announces Plan to Create World’s Largest Ocean Reserve
U.S. President Barack Obama announced a plan for creating the world’s largest marine sanctuary on Tuesday, covering hundreds of thousands of miles of Pacific Ocean.
19-Year-Old Is Ready to Build an Ocean Cleanup Machine
Boyan Slat, a 19-year-old Dutch aeronautical engineering student, is raising $2 million to build an ocean cleanup contraption he designed to passively funnel garbage to specific collection points. Working with a team of over 100 people, he recently released a 528-page feasibility study (PDF) detailing how the complex technology works.
Canada Approves Northern Gateway Oil Pipeline To Pacific Coast
Canada’s government on Tuesday approved a controversial proposed pipeline to the Pacific Coast that would allow oil to be shipped to Asia
In Developing World, Pollution Kills More Than Disease
Pollution, not disease, is the biggest killer in the developing world, taking the lives of more than 8.4 million people each year, a new analysis shows. However, pollution receives a fraction of the interest from the global community.
Kiribati Bans Fishing in One of World’s Largest Marine Parks
A tiny island nation, about halfway between Hawaii and Fiji, that controls a vast area of the Pacific Ocean has announced it will ban all commercial fishing in a massive marine park that is the size of California.
Amazing Plastic Waste Labyrinth Made From 6,000 Recycled Bottles
The anonymous art collective Luzinterruptus has realized a ‘Labyrinth of Plastic Waste‘ for Poland’s Katowice Street Art Festival. By using 6000 discarded water bottles artists created a 7 by 5 meter maze. The labyrinth speaks volumes about the large amount of plastic bottles that are wasted every day around the globe.
Double Trouble For The Mediterranean Sea: Acidification And Warming
After a 3.5 year study, scientists have found that the Mediterranean Sea is warming and acidifying at unprecedented rates; the main reason is emissions of CO2 to the atmosphere from burning fossil fuels. This is of particular importance to the Mediterranean coastal societies with 300 million inhabitants (living and visiting), unique ecosystems, love of seafood and its role as a focus for tourist worldwide.
With Millions of Tons of Plastic in Oceans, More Scientists Studying Impact
Consider this: The amount of global trash is expected to rise every year for the rest of the century. With no intervention, the growing garbage heap won’t even peak by 2021.