Liberals Give Canada's Oceans More Protections

On February 15, 2017, the Government of Canada announced a partnership with the Province of B.C. and coastal First Nations to protect coastal ecosystems and the communities that depend upon them. This follows a November 7, 2016, announcement in which Justin Trudeau pledged $1.5 billion national Oceans Protection Plan. The plan creates a marine safety system, it restores and protects marine ecosystems and it strengthens the partnerships with Indigenous communities. The government also pledged to invest in evidence-based oil spill response methods.

Video - Remembering Haiyan and Working for Climate Justice

One year ago today, November 8, 2013, Super Typhoon Haiyan, one of the strongest storms ever to hit land, devastated the Philippines. Powerful winds and seven meter high storm surges killed as many as 7,300 people and forced a million families from their homes. A year later thousand of people are still homeless.

Video - Overfishing: Current Levels of Fishing are Unsustainable and Jeopardize the Future of this Important Food Source

Around 90 million tons of fish are removed from the world's oceans every year. But the seemingly inexhaustible food source is proving finite. More and more fish species are disappearing. And it's no wonder, because up to ninety percent of each catch is thrown over board again as worthless by-catch. This documentary accompanies scientists, fishermen and fish processing factories. It reveals the sometimes threatening and sometimes unexpected links in overfishing and addresses real solutions to rescue the oceans.

Video - Naderev Saño's Emotional Speech at COP 19/CMP 9 in the Wake of Typhoon Haiyan

Philippines delegate Naderev (Yeb) Saño made a passionate speech on behalf of those who have died and those who are suffering in the wake of Typhoon Hiayan. He pleaded with the world to take immediate, drastic action to reduce climate change-causing greenhouse gases. During this emotional speech at the UN's climate meeting in Warsaw, he announced his decision to fast for the climate until a meaningful outcome is in sight. "We can fix this, we can stop this maddness" Sano concluded.

Video - Naderev Saño's Passionate and Prophetic Plea at the 2012 Doha Climate Talks

Last year Naderev Saño, the lead negotiator for the Philippines made an impassioned plea for action at the 2012 UN Climate Conference in Doha. Saño, could not hold back his tears as he made an appeal for real action on climate change. Although he was speaking after Typhoon Bopha struck the Philippines in 2012, in light of Typhoon Haiyan this year, his words are prophetic.

The Horrors of Typhoon Haiyan Offers a Painful Glimpse into our Future

While it is reasonable to come to the conclusion that Typhoon Haiyan was exacerbated by climate change, it is indisputable that this record breaking storm, likely the most powerful to ever make landfall, is a foretaste of our future if we continue on our current trajectory.

As we watch the painful reports of people burying their dead, searching for loved ones or desperate for food and water we would do well to remember, this is not the isolated fate of an isolated people. This is what lies in store for all of us if we fail to make the transition to a low carbon economy.

Typhoon Haiyan: Why We Must Help the People of the Philippines

We all have responsibilities to assist those who are suffering from extreme weather particularly those of us who live in wealthy nations. Climate scientists have linked Typhoon Haiyam to climate change. We already know that climate change causes extreme weather and we also know that we are all guilty of contributing to global warming. Wealthier nations have additional responsibilities as we know that our wealth was achieved through industrialization. Global warming is caused by greenhouse gases (GHGs) which are a byproduct of industrialization. Therefore, wealthier countries have an obligation to help, both because we are the biggest contributors of global warming causing GHGs and because we have the means.

Typhoon Haiyan and Climate Change

Last week, Typhoon Haiyan slammed into the Philippines leaving a path of death and destruction in its wake. Wind speeds of more than 190 miles an hour (almost 315 km/h) make Haiyan the most powerful typhoon ever to make landfall. According to data from the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in the area East of the Philippines where Haiyan formed, sea temperatures were about 0.5 to 1 degree above normal.

The Philippine's Climate Negotiator Delivers Typhoon Haiyan Inspired Message at COP 19

Typhoon Haiyan left a path of widespread devastation and according to the most recent reports it may have killed as many as 10,000 people in the Philippines. As climate delegates gather for COP 19 in Warsaw, Poland, vast numbers of people in the Philippines are mourning their dead and struggling to find food and water. Between 70 and 80 percent of all the structures in the storms path have been decimated. Entire towns have been leveled and at least 600,000 people are known to have been displaced by the storm.

Video - Typhoon Haiyan One of the Biggest Superstorms Ever on the Planet

As reported on CNN, Chief Meteorologist Chad Myers says Typhoon Haiyan could be one of the biggest storms ever to make landfall. This is certainly the case in terms of wind speed, although we have yet to acquire data related to barometric pressure.

Super Typhoon Haiyan May be the Strongest Storm in History

With sustained winds of 315 kph (195 mph) and gusts as strong as 380 kph (235 mph), Haiyan may be the strongest tropical cyclone to hit land anywhere in recorded history. Haiyan's strength is right around the theoretical upper limit that cyclones can reach. The storm ravaged the Philippines with deadly winds, storm surges, torrential rainfalls, and widespread flooding as high as 10 feet in some areas.

Haiyan is known in the Philippines as Super Typhoon Yolanda, slammed into the country's eastern island of Samar at 4:30 a.m., before moving on to five other Philippine islands then, heading toward Vietnam. In addition to massive property damage the death toll now stands at 100 and is expected to rise

Event - Ninth Annual Champions of the Ocean Awards Dinner

Ninth Annual Champions of the Ocean Awards Dinner will take place on October 28, 2013 (6 p.m.) at Wilson Hall, Monmouth University. The theme of this year’s awards is Storm Smart=Storm Ready. The Urban Coastal Institute will present the National Ocean Champion award to Admiral Thad Allen (USCG-ret.) who directed the federal response to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and was National Incident Commander for the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill.

The Mass Extinction of our Oceans May Have Already Begun

Our oceans are at risk from a combination of acidification, warming waters and decreasing oxygen. According to scientists this could lead to a mass extinction of key species.

On Thursday October 3, Scientists from the International Programme on the State of the Ocean (IPSO) published their biennial State of the Oceans report. The oceans are more acidic now than they’ve been at any time in the last 300 million years. In addition to the alarming findings in this study indicating that current levels of acifification are “unprecedented” the survey also states that the overall health of the ocean is declining much faster than expected.

Flooding from Climate Change will Submerge 1700 US Cities by 2100

According to a study published at the end of July, more than 1,700 US municipalities and a quarter of Americans will be submerged under water due to climate change by 2100. Without a major reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, more than 1300 cities and towns may be under water within a decade. Even with significant emissions reductions it is already too late for many cities including Fort Lauderdale and Miami Gardens.

These are the findings of a study published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

Some of America's greatest cities including New York and Miami could be submerged under water before the end of the century.

Relationship Between Warming Over Land and in the Sea

As we continue to pour billions of tons of greenhouse gas (GHG) pollution into our atmosphere each year the evidence continues to show that this is warming our climate both on land and at sea. The abundance of evidence for global warming comes from temperature records, atmospheric pollution readings, in ice cores and statistical analysis. A couple of recent studies reiterate this warming trend and help to explain the relationship between warming on land and at sea.

Since the 1980s each successive decade has been hotter than the one before.  Not a single month’s temperatures have fallen below the 20th-century average since February 1985. Half the world’s population is now too young to have lived through the last colder-than-average month. In worldwide temperature records going back to 1880, the 19 hottest years have all occurred since 1985. Eight of the nine hottest years on record were in the last decade.

Dramatic Sea Level Rise Expected From Faster Melting of Arctic Snow and Ice

Driven by warming in the Arctic and the resulting melt of snow and ice, sea levels could rise up to 5 feet by the end of this century. This is more than two and a half times higher than the 2007 projection of a half to two feet by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

This is the finding revealed in 2011 press release from the Institute for Governance & Sustainable Development. The release referenced a study by the International Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Program (AMAP).

GEO 5 Report on Water, Marine Pollution and Fish Stocks

The fifth edition of the Global Environmental Outlook (GEO-5) was published on June 6, 2012. This United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report indicates there are major issues related to water, marine pollution and fish stocks

Water

Of the 30 environmental goals examined in relation to water, only one goal – that of increasing access to clean drinking water – shows significant progress. But less progress has been made in rural areas, especially in Africa and the Pacific. Despite some improvements, water quality remains the largest cause of human health problems worldwide. At the same time, climate change and further population growth are likely to result in even greater water shortages in many regions.

Overfishing and Sustainable Seafood

June 8th is World Oceans Day, the UN-designated day for the global community to celebrate and take action for our shared ocean. Whether you’re on a coastal city or far  inland, the water around you ends up in the ocean downstream. The ocean is the great connector—no matter what country you’re from, we’re all citizens of the ocean. The world is eating more seafood than ever, and we’re pushing the ocean and its fish to the limit. According to the United Nations, approximately two-thirds of ocean species are overfished, and some types of commercial fishing catch up to seven times more unwanted fish than targeted species.