Imagine First Nature, the planet at its origin, a swirling mix of forces that resolve into land and sea, a planet uninhabited, a wildness of fluid change and evolutionary being that exists for millennia, irrelevant units of time, itself a construct not yet defined, known, measured. We speak of earth as a blue marble, a colored clarity with tints or flecks of color that extrude from the core as bits of volcano mounts, as glacial mass emerging, drifting, shifting, to form something mass-like called land, even if there was then no one to see or name it. This is First…

When we talk about ocean resilience, we are talking essentially about capacity to heal and sustain ocean systems over time when interrupted by natural events such as extreme weather, flooding, and earthquakes that have throughout history damaged coastal areas and habitats, but have been able to recover through natural processes of restoration and sustainability. The challenge, as we have discussed so often is the intrusion of human activities such as nearshore development, agricultural run-off, industrial pollution, filling and dredging and port construction — all of which disturb the natural order of things and make significant, detrimental changes to the environment…

Annapolis, MD — Coral reefs are in crisis. Corals are an ancient life form and, because of the reefs that they build, the survival of countless other organisms is predicated on healthy coral ecosystems. But coral reefs are dying at an alarming rate. The world has lost more than half of its reefs over the past 40 years. The remainder could be lost by the end of the century if reef conservation efforts don’t score some swift victories. To conserve anything, first you need to know where it is, and how much you have left. …

Every year we celebrate World Oceans Day in June, a date designated by the United Nations to recognize our relationship with the ocean through so many different ways of global connection. Around the world, myriad organizations with ocean interests host events to highlight the value of ocean resources. There are maritime festivals and beach clean-ups, school projects and environmental presentations, digital events and celebrations the world over. What was once a bright idea is now an international event that for one brief moment focuses some part of ephemeral world interest on the ocean and its benefit for all mankind.

Every…

An open letter from the people of the Emerald Islands

“Tiny dots on the map for you, but home for me”

~P.A.Raseela’s

Quoted from P.A. Raseela’s article in CounterCurrents published June 27, 2021.

Dear sisters,

We write this in deep anguish and fear. We fear for our community, the land we belong to and a special way of life. We live in one of the islands in the Union Territory of Lakshadweep which is very much in the news for the wrong and most cruel details.

We should be in the news for the beauty and fragility of the coral…

Last week we described the comprehensive response by China to climate challenges across the full spectrum of environmental, financial, political, and social needs. What has been accomplished there is an integrated response enabled by an autocratic government, controlled legislative, administrative, social organization, and communications, and financed by massive National investment to overcome any obstacle to relentless implementation, natural or human. The question remains: can such urgent and transformative action be only achieved by an autocratic leader controlling the planning, population, and purse? Can such an action be achieved by a different form of government, by a democracy as vocal, divided…

We are in an odd place in time, betwixt and befuddled by politics and pandemic, wherein we realize that we must change, but are stifled by the inertia of past actions that won’t give over lightly to the future. The United Nations and coalitions of governments agree in principle, but not in practice; set goals that they cannot, or will not meet; and move forward into the tide of change with best intent and eccentric advance, wishful thinking and hopeful determination that might still not be equal to the urgency and force of the challenge to change.

I have talked…

By Holly Pate and Charlotte Norsworthy, The Outlaw Ocean Project

In April, a rickety, wooden boat carrying roughly 130 migrants capsized in the Mediterranean Sea, leaving no survivors. This tragic incident has become a grim, seasonal occurrence, with more than 350 similar deaths already this year.

The worst is yet to come, as migration researchers predict that 2021 promises to be the deadliest year yet. Partly this bleak forecast is the result of EU countries arresting search and rescue ships that were previously saving migrants at sea during these perilous crossings.

But the deeper reason for this ongoing humanitarian crisis…