University Colloquium: Enviornment in the News

Henry David Thoreau said “Thank God men cannot fly and lay waste the sky, as well as the Earth.” but men do lay waste the sky as well as the Earth and the Oceans. Evidence of this is apparent in our changing climate. Corals are an integral part of the marine ecosystem and the rising carbon emissions are driving them to extinction.

According to the article, “Coral Reefs Exposed to Imminent Destruction from Climate Change,” found in Science Daily, we will reach a critical level of CO2 by 2050 of 450ppm(Zoological). “At that point corals may be on a path to extinction within a matter of decades” (Zoological). If we can do anything to halt this destructive path now is the time to act. If corals are destroyed it will have a monumental effect on the environment. An entire ecosystem will be annihilated and no one can tell for sure in what ways the Oceans will be affected, the only thing certain is that it will not be good.

My boyfriend and I went to the keys this past year and did some diving and snorkeling. It is visually apparent that the climate changes have had a dramatic effect on the reef. We saw a lot of “bleached” corals; the reef just didn’t look like it had in years past.

The article states that Dr. Alex Rogers said “The kitchen is on fire and it’s spreading round the house. If we can act quickly and decisively we may be able to put it out before the damage becomes irreversible” (Zoological). The human race as a whole needs to take responsibility and change the way we live so that we can save our planet and ourselves. The earth is covered by 78% water yet no one seemed to think the fact that we are having an effect on the marine ecosystem as very significant. If you ask me that is even more significant! People live on land and the fact that our actions are destroying a part of the earth that we don’t even inhabit should be an eye opener especially since that part of the earth is the vast majority. We can’t continue with the “I can’t see it from my house” mentality. That’s the thinking that got us in this mess in the first place.