Browsing: Environmental News

Welcome to the “Scuba Diving Environmental News” section of The Scuba News, your dedicated platform for the latest updates, initiatives, and issues concerning marine conservation and environmental stewardship in the diving community. This section covers news about ocean conservation efforts, marine protected areas, environmental research findings, and sustainable diving practices. Stay informed about threats facing marine ecosystems, such as pollution, habitat destruction, and climate change, and learn about ways to take action and make a positive impact. Whether you’re passionate about protecting marine life, preserving coral reefs, or advocating for sustainable diving practices, our environmental news keeps you informed and inspired to protect our oceans for future generations.

Since I started working as a geneticist in the early 1960s, the field has changed considerably. James Watson, Francis Crick and Maurice Wilkins won the 1962 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine for their discovery of the double helix structure of DNA. Researchers then “cracked” the genetic code, which held promise for fields like health and medicine. It was an exciting time to be working in the lab.

Ten volunteer divers decided to turn up to try to help with the underwater litter pick, even though the conditions all week had been quite awful. Mark Milburn had been keeping a close eye on the weather and beach conditions. The decision was made to dive only from Gyllyngvase Beach, the conditions at the other beaches were either not suitable or not safe. Fathom’s Free set up their gazebo as a meeting point, for both divers and non divers. Once the meet time had passed, the ten keen divers kitted up, ready to enter what now looked like an inviting piece of water. Each pair were armed with at least one bag each, knowing what they had to do.

Indonesia’s Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs, Luhat Binsar Pandjaitan, has announced up to one billion dollars will be pledged to reduce Indonesia’s plastic waste by seventy per cent over the next eight years. The announcement was made at the 2017 World Oceans Summit in Nusa Dua, Bali. Luhat confirmed that Indonesia will be focussing on plastic alternatives and education initiatives to achieve their goal. Their plan is part of the global UN Clean Seas campaign to reduce major marine waste sources by 2022.

For several years, Mark Milburn and his team of volunteer divers have been collecting rubbish from underwater, around Falmouth. This year they are teaming up with Fathoms Free, Falmouth Bay Residents Association and Falmouth Town Council, to complete underwater, beach and street litter picks, around Falmouth and it’s beaches.

We recently highlighted the faulty logic of a pseudoscientific argument against addressing climate change: the proposition that because CO2 is necessary for plants, increasing emissions is good for the planet and the life it supports. Those who read, write or talk regularly about climate change and ecology are familiar with other anti-environmental arguments not coated with a scientific sheen.

So far, 2017 has been a remarkable year for the Southern Cross Club in Little Cayman. First, the online travel site TripAdvisor.com named the resort to its top 25 in the Caribbean in two categories based on customer reviews: Best Hotel for Service and Best for Romance. Adding to the awards, administrations manager Neil van Niekerk was named an “Emerging Hero in Tourism” by the Cayman Islands government, and resort owner Peter Hillenbrand was recognized for his “Long Service to Cayman Tourism.”

World Water Day is a constant that always is celebrated on March 22. The changeable factor is the theme. This year’s theme asks “Why waste water?” It’s about reducing our use of water and reusing wastewater. The thrust is to cut in half the amount of untreated wastewater and increase water recycling where it can be used safely.

In 2011, I travelled with my family down Yukon’s Hart River. It’s one of seven pure rivers in the Peel River watershed, a 68,000-square-kilometre wilderness that’s been at the centre of a legal dispute for many years and a land-use planning debate for more than a decade. For two weeks, we fished from the river’s vibrant green waters and gazed at the limestone and dolostone peaks of the Ogilvie Mountains.

Apparently, fossil fuel companies protect watersheds and rivers by removing oil. That’s according to comments on the David Suzuki Foundation Facebook page and elsewhere, including this: “The amount of contamination occuring [sic] from extraction is far less than if we just left the oil there to continue polluting the waterways.”

A private member’s bill that would ban the importation of shark fins to Canada is being presented again by Coquitlam British Columbia MP Fin Donnelly. Private member’s bills are rarely adopted but advocates for the legislation are encouraged by the fact that an attempt in 2013 failed passing second reading by just five votes. Donnelly is an advocate for oceans.

We all know just how important the ocean is and how vital is that we help to support and maintain it as a resource and eco system but some individuals spend time and energy taking that to the next level to promote it locally and to instigate action. We meet Jim Cutting, a Portsmouth resident who has a passion for the environment and for its protection.