Showing posts with label sea. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sea. Show all posts

Event - The Sustainability of Delta Cities (Debate)

A debate on the ‘Sustainability of Delta Cities’ will take place on June 4,2014 in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. The debate will look at how we can better exploit what we know about land subsidence in urban areas. The speakers will examine the links between planning, design and construction in delta cities using Jakarta, New Orleans and the Green Heart of the Netherlands as examples.

Delta cities are facing long-term problems such as land subsidence, climate change and rapid rises in the population. Jakarta, New Orleans or Gouda: they can all look forward to major challenges.Land subsidence is a slow and lengthy process that today’s cities are not built to cope with.It is a problem that has not been adequately understood by urban planners, landscapers and architects. For these groups, Deltares will organise a debate on Wednesday 4th June, in the Kunsthal in Rotterdam.

Experts are called in only when the effects of land subsidence become apparent. By that time, the damage to buildings, infrastructure or foundations is already clear. Or flooding may have got worse, and floods be more likely. The cost of all the resulting damage can be enormous.

A debate organised by Deltares will look at how we can better exploit what we know about land subsidence in urban areas. The speakers will examine the links between planning, design and construction in delta cities using Jakarta, New Orleans and the Green Heart of the Netherlands as examples. After a broad description of the issues, the debate will focus on practical solutions. Possible approaches will be suggested for the implementation of measures from a governance perspective.

The debate is part of the IABR in Rotterdam. In the Kunsthal Rotterdam, from May 29 through August 24, IABR–2014–URBAN BY NATURE– presents IABR's projects as well as almost a hundred projects from all around the world – from the very small to the very large. Conferences, plans, movies, infographics, images and models take the visitor on a trip through the past, present and future of our urban landscapes: can we solve our environmental problems by tackling them in the city?

For more information click here. To register send an email to the following address: iabr@deltares.nl city,

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Kitchener/Waterloo's Climate Change Action Plan

Late in November, 2013, Kitchener city council unanimously endorsed Waterloo Region's first-ever climate change action plan. The plan will reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by six percent from our 2010 levels by 2020. Waterloo and Cambridge Councils did the same earlier this month.

Kitchener has already made important investments designed to reduce environmental impacts. This includes transportation and energy conservation. They also have programs to assist residents and business to be part of the transition to a low-carbon economy. This includes car and bike sharing.

In addition to reducing Kitchener's 3.6 million tonne carbon footprint, these moves are designed to strengthen our local economy. The top 13 projects in the plan will provide $350-million to the local economy and create 5,400 jobs. The net effect of the plan will be reduced costs, increased our energy security and less smog.

The Waterloo region has experienced first hand the exorbitant costs associated with extreme weather events. Two severe storms in the Waterloo Region in July cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. 

Click here to access the full plan and a summary version.

© 2013, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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Event - The 2nd World Intelligent Cities Summit and Exhibition (WICS 2013)

The 2nd World Intelligent Cities Summit and Exhibition, which will be held on the 27th – 28th November 2013 in Istanbul, Türkey. Future development of cities and regions will require the intelligent integration of communications technology, coupled with changing behaviour in how we use this technology, to make our cities and regions smarter and more energy efficient.

This event is designed to help municipalities and regions of all sizes drive innovation, boost efficiency, leverage data, upgrade service delivery and achieve economic prosperity. 

With technological innovations transforming governance, and how citizens, businesses and public institutions interact with each other, it is crucial for you to understand the tools, processes and models required to cultivate “smart” communities and cities. Speakers and attendees in disciplines ranging from science and technology to planning and economic development will present cutting edge strategies to strengthen institutional efficiency, and assess broader commitments to competitiveness and sustainability.

This is the most important forum on a constantly evolving topic. Take advantage of exclusive opportunities to interact with the leaders around the world. WICS will provide key information, structured networking time, and actionable solutions to your most pressing questions. Leave with the best practices and insights for enhancing accessibility and public service delivery through technological innovations. This senior-level conference was developed with the thoughtful input of world leaders. Enjoy an exclusive setting, connect with senior government executives and exchange your successes and challenges while building referrals for your future professional endeavours.

This event will once again gather together city leaders, Government officials, academics, urban service providers and city development experts to share experiences, smart thinking and best practice for implementing the smart cities of tomorrow. WICS is an international platform for the transfer of knowledge, allowing leaders of municipalities to learn from the pioneers of smart city concepts and technologies. The event is unparalleled in the region for its peer-to-peer learning experience and excellent networking opportunities, aiding leaders and key stakeholders of municipalities to develop a secure and robust infrastructure that is fit for purpose for all citizens and achieves a more sustainable future.

Why attend?

•The key summit and exhibition for the smart cities sector
•The 2-day international summit will provide the best industry insights from eminent experts
•The combination of a high level summit and exhibition creates an ideal platform for you to meet the right people face to face

Who Should Attend

2nd Annual World Intelligent Cities Summit and Exhibition provides essential information for senior representatives from industry, academia and policy bodies working in a variety of roles including:

✓ Municipalities (Large and Small) & City administration officials and senior staff

•Mayors,
•Councillors,
•Chief Information Officers,
•VP/Directors of IT, Operations,
•Economic Development, Planning & Development,
•Communications & Engagement,
•Policy Analysts,
•CAO

✓ Technology Providers

•Presidents,
•CEOs,
•VP Business Development/Marketing,
•VP Infrastructure/Public Sector
•Project Directors,

✓ Urban Planners, Architects, Engineering & Consulting Firms

•Principal,
•VP,
•Project Directors/Managers,
•Associate,
•Business Development
•Engineering professionals

✓ Banks, Venture Capitalists, Investment Firms

•Presidents,
•CEOs,
•VP/Director of Business Development

✓ Universities, Colleges, Research Institutions and Labs, Non-Profits

•Executive Directors,
•Professors,
•Directors of Research & Development

✓ Provincial and Ministerial

•Chief Information Officers,
•Chief Technology Officers,
•Policy and Research Analysts,
•Directors of Planning & Development,
•Project Directors and Managers

✓ Technology entrepreneurs
✓ Business strategy executives
✓ IT service and solution providers
✓ Specialized advisors and consultants
✓ Societal change experts
✓ Developers
✓ Utility professionals: Metering, billing, CRM/CIS
✓ Metering Managers, Technical directors of utilities
✓ Real Estate Developers
✓ Network infrastructure vendors
✓ Automation solutions
✓ Telecom operators

To register click here.

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Video - Forced Migration from Sea Level Rise: The Marshallese are Losing their Homeland



This video address the real world example of a people being forced from their island home due to global warming induced sea level rises. Rising seas are threatening to force millions of people on coastlines and low-lying nations across the globe to permanently migrate. This migration of sea-level rise refugees could have significant impacts on both the refugees and the communities to which they migrate. Using the Marshallese population in Springdale, AR, as an example, this talk by Donna Davis explores the idea of preparing individuals and communities for the slow-onset disaster of sea-level rise so as to alleviate potential social and economic stresses that could result from the permanent loss of homelands and the influx of displaced migrants to new communities.

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Three of the Most Destructive Tanker Oil Spills in History

While the dangers associated with shipping of oil through rail and pipe has received a lot of press of late, oil tankers are responsible for some of the largest oil spills in history. Here is a review of three of the most destructive tanker spills. Quantities are measured in tonnes of crude oil with one tonne being roughly equal to 308 US gallons, or 7.33 barrels, or 1165 liters.

1. Odyssey, was an oil tanker that spilled its load of crude oil 700 nmi (1,300 km; 810 mi) off Nova Scotia, Canada on November 10th, 1988. In total it spilled an estimated 132,157 tonnes of oil into the ocean. An explosion caused it to sink and the resulting spill remains one of the largest oil spills in world history.

2. The Exxon Valdez spilled 104,000 tonnes of oil in Prince William Sound, Alaska, on March 24, 1989. It is considered to be one of the most devastating human-caused environmental disasters. The Valdez spill was the largest ever in US waters until the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, in terms of volume released. The oil eventually covered 1,300 miles (2,100 km) of coastline, and 11,000 square miles (28,000 km2) of ocean.

3. The MV Sea Empress was a single-hull oil tanker that ran aground near the southwest coast of Wales on February 15, 1996. A total of 72,000 tonnes of oil where spilled during the course of this incident. The ensuing oil spill affected a considerable area of nearby coastline. Killing birds and soiling beaches.

To see a map of the world's biggest oil spills click here

© 2013, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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Video - Ocean Frontiers the Movie Trailer

Video - Stunning Ocean Showcase for World Oceans Day 2013



To celebrate World Oceans Day on Saturday 8 June, Earthtouch decided to showcase our oceans in all their splendour (and complete with Hollywood soundtrack!). A special thanks must also go to our friends at ZSL, WildAid and the South African Association of Marine Biological Research (SAAMBR) for their support on this and all the work they do to conserve the oceans of the world and the species that inhabit them.

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Video - World Oceans Day 2013



June 8th is World Oceans Day! Oceans are the life support system of our planet. Oceans regulate our climate. They provide the majority of our oxygen. The oceans are a global resource that we all rely upon.

This video was produced by the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of International Information Programs in May 2013. The featured speaker is Philippe Cousteau, president and co-founder of Earthecho International.

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Ocean Frontiers the Movie

At a time when conservation is equated with job destruction and our nation is paralyzed by a code of no-compromise, a new film called Ocean Frontiers is returning common sense to these troubled times.

Ocean Frontiers takes a balanced, bipartisan approach to both the problems we face in managing our oceans and the solutions at hand. The film features on-the-ground reporting from places across the country that are at the forefront of implementing promising new approaches to ocean and coastal management.

Industrial shippers and whale biologists, pig farmers and wetland ecologists, sport and commercial fishermen, reef snorkelers and many more–are embarking on a new course of cooperation, in defense of the seas that sustain us.

Ocean Frontiers shows unlikely allies coming together and crafting solutions for the good of ecosystems and industry, while not sugarcoating the conflicts or the sometimes-difficult road to the end result. The film shows the groups as true partners in the process.

NATIONAL OCEAN POLICY

On July 19th 2010, President Obama established our nation’s first National Ocean Policy in order to protect, maintain and restore our ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes natural resources for present and future generations. The National Ocean Policy was formed through a multi-year process that included stakeholders from commercial and recreational fishing, shipping and ports, energy developers, conservationists, scientists, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Homeland Security and other ocean users with diverse interests.

OCEAN FRONTIERS

The stories in Ocean Frontiers help audiences understand key principles of ecosystem-based management and coastal and marine spatial planning, which are the cornerstones of the National Ocean Policy. These complex concepts come to life and are easy to grasp through the stories and people featured in Ocean Frontiers.

OCEAN FRONTIERS OUTREACH

A broad range of organizations, agencies, businesses, and ocean user groups are partnering to host screenings across the country to build support and take action for a new era in ocean stewardship. Find a screening where you live or host a screening.

Production of Ocean Frontiers was made possible by: The Keith Campbell Foundation for the Environment, National Marine Sanctuary Foundation, and The Lazar Foundation.

For more information click here.

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On June 8 Make a Promise for the Ocean

World Oceans Day is June 8th and this is our planet’s biggest celebration of the ocean. The world is increasingly waking up to the fundamental importance and absolute beauty of the oceans. There are many ways that you can show your support for World Oceans Day.

Join us via Thunderclap, or just make a post about World Oceans Day on social media and tag one friend. If they repost and tag a friend, ~ the wave ~ will spread across the globe. Click here to do the wave!

World Oceans Day is holding an Ocean Promise drive. Promise to do ONE thing for the ocean, and send us a photo or post on social media with the tag #WorldOceansDay.

Click here to check out an oceans oriented social stream.

While there are a number of great events and online activities taking place on June 8, the importance of this day is about finding ways we can reduce our impacts on the oceans throughout the year.

Click here to explore the ideas, resources, and information about how you can get involved in support our oceans throughout the year.

© 2013, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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Sea Turtles and the Commercial Fishing Industry


May 23 is World Turtle Day but due largely to commercial fishing many species of sea turtles are in trouble (six out of seven species are endangered). Climate change and pollution are destabilizing marine environments across the world, but fishing is by far the worst threat to sea turtles.. Turtles are being destroyed at alarming rates due to destructive fishing methods. In the US alone more than 250,000 sea turtles are accidentally captured, injured or killed by US fishermen. In 2004, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) identified more than 70 fisheries, operating in state and federal waters, as potentially harmful to sea turtles. Their fate is even worse in the national waters of other countries or in international waters.

All sea turtles are affected by commercial fisheries. Loggerheads and leatherbacks have the greatest risk because of their feeding habitats. The Census of Marine Life estimated that 90 percent of big fish have disappeared from the world's oceans due to overfishing and many species of turtles are being eradicated along with them. The most destructive form of fishing is known as bottom trawling which captures and drowns turtles (and many other species).

We need to change our fishing methods. Commercial fisheries need to employ Turtle Excluder Devices or TEDs, which are two-dimensional net inserts with large escape openings. Trawls are wide-mouthed nets that taper to a small end to hold the catch. Further, a shift by longline fleets, which positions miles of gear with one mainline and thousands of secondary lines and hooks, from "J" hooks to circle hooks to reduce the number and severity of sea turtle interactions with longline gear. Time and area closures is also an effective way to reduce the incidental catch of migrating sea turtles.

Other things that people can do:

* Show support for companies and countries employing TEDs;
* Make sure that the fish you buy from your local grocery store are caught by these turtle-friendly fisheries;
* Inform and encourage family and friends to purchase seafood from responsible fisheries.

Sea turtles are amazing creatures, they wander the vast oceans. Females return to the beach they were born on to lay their eggs, but males have no need to ever return to land. Leatherback turtles can travel 10,000 miles each year foraging for food, dive more than 1200 metres deep into the ocean, and range all the way from Chile to Alaska. They are adapted for cold water, warm-blooded, with an insulating layer of fat. Leatherbacks can get very big, one that washed up on a beach in Wales, was 2.2metres long.

Unfortunately some sea turtles eat plastic bags because they look like jellyfish. The easiest way for citizens to help turtles (apart from not using plastic bags and buying responsibly caught fish) is to protect their nesting beaches and the seas in which they swim. Perhaps the best was to protect turtles is to establish large scale marine reserves.

© 2013, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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UCS Facts Sheet on Global Warming and Sea Level Rise

In tandem with the roundtable and infographic, the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) released a fact sheet on global warming and sea level rise.
The Union of Concerned Scientists puts rigorous, independent science to work to solve our planet's most pressing problems. Joining with citizens across the country, they combine technical analysis and effective advocacy to create innovative, practical solutions for a healthy, safe, and sustainable future.

Below are some facts that are based on careful evaluations of published scientific observations and projections of sea level rise, as well as material in the UCS short report, Causes of Sea Level Rise: What the Science Tells Us.

Why are the East Coast and Gulf of Mexico hotspots of sea level rise?

  • Global, regional, and local factors all affect the rate of local sea level rise. 
  •  In the Gulf region, land is subsiding, which allows the ocean to penetrate farther inland. 
  •  Along the East Coast, changes in the path and strength of ocean currents are contributing to faster-than-average sea level rise.

How quickly is land ice melting?

  • Shrinking land ice — glaciers, ice caps, and ice sheets — contributed about half of the total global sea level rise between 1972 and 2008, but its contribution has been increasing since the early 1990s as the pace of ice loss has accelerated. 
  • Recent studies suggest that land ice loss added nearly half an inch to global sea level from 2003 to 2007, contributing 75 to 80 percent of the total increase during that period.

Why is there such a large range in sea level rise projections?

  • The long-term rate of global sea level rise will depend on the amount of future heat-trapping emissions and on how quickly land ice responds to rising temperatures. 
  • Scientists have developed a range of scenarios for future sea level rise based on estimates of growth in heat-trapping emissions and the potential responses of oceans and ice. 
  • The estimates used for these two variables result in the wide range of potential sea level rise scenarios.

How high and how quickly will sea level rise in the future?

  • Our past emissions of heat-trapping gases will largely dictate sea level rise through 2050, but our present and future emissions will have great bearing on sea level rise from 2050 to 2100 and beyond.
  • Even if global warming emissions were to drop to zero by 2016, sea level will continue to rise in the coming decades as oceans and land ice adjust to the changes we have already made to the atmosphere.
  • The greatest effect on long-term sea level rise will be the rate and magnitude of the loss of ice sheets, primarily in Greenland and West Antarctica, as they respond to rising temperatures caused by heat-trapping emissions in the atmosphere.

To learn more about the methodology and assumptions behind this fact sheet click here (PDF).

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Global Warming and Sea Level Rises on the US East Coast

Global warming is the primary factor contributing to rising sea levels and with new data showing that greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise, we can expect concomitant rises in sea levels in America and around the world. To try to address the threat on the US East Coast, UCS convened a multi-state roundtable in April. This roundtable included the US Army Corps of Engineers as well as officials from Florida, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, and Virginia, They discussed efforts to protect their communities and steps to build resilience like elevation of structures and shoreline protection. They also shared best practices for protecting coastlines and developing coordinated response strategies.

Sea levels are rising because global warming is causing ocean waters to warm and expand as well as melting ice (glaciers, ice caps, and ice sheets). Since the industrial revolution global sea levels have risen 8 inches and they are expected to rise an additional 6 to 16 inches above current levels by 2050, and 12 to 48 inches by 2100.

Sea level increases are even more severe on the East Coast and in Gulf states. Currently in places like Virginia Beach, VA, sea levels have risen as much as 30 inches, Atlantic City, NJ has seen 20 inches; New York City has seen 14 inches; Miami Beach, FL has seen 12 inches; and Wilmington, NC has seen 10 inches.

The costs of sea level rises are staggering. Cities and counties in southern Florida alone are already facing billions of dollars of expenditures associated with sea level rises.

Joe Vietri, representing the USACE, said about Hurricane Sandy, “What we really got a glimpse at was our collective future.”

One storm can incur tremendous costs. Sandy cost the state of New York $32.8 billion and the costs New Jersey were $29.4 billion.

While many citizens did not listen to the reams of scientific data supporting climate change, they were forced to listen to Sandy. As Stephen Marks of Hoboken said, “The debate about climate change is essentially over. Hurricane Sandy settled that for, I would say, a majority of the residents of our city.”

© 2013, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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The State of Our Oceans: We are Headed Towards a Marine Mass Extinction

Oceans are the defining feature of our planet and they are indispensable to life. People are also intimately connected to oceans whether we live inland or on the coast. The world/s oceans are an essential part of life on Earth, they generate most of the oxygen we breathe, they provide valuable sources of food and they regulate our climate.

One of the greatest threats to oceans comes from acidification. According to 2012 research from the University of Bristol, ocean acidification is occurring at unprecedented rates. This is mainly due to the absorption of carbon dioxide emitted by humans.

Acidification is killing coral which provides the habitat for one quarter of all marine species. There are 7 billion people to feed on the planet today and another 2 billion are expected by 2050.

The oceans are under threat. We have fished out 90 percent of the ocean's big fish. Government subsidies in the fishing industry amount to about $27 billion a year and have created excess capacity and depleted fish stocks globally.

Humans are also responsible for a wide assortment of pollutants from oil spill to plastic waste and we have created coastal dead zones from agriculture.

The knowledge that humans are destroying the marine environment is not new. A 2011 report  released by an international panel of interdisciplinary marine scientists on behalf of the International Programme on the State of the Oceans (IPSO) clearly makes the point that we are headed towards a marine mass extinction on a scale unprecedented in human history.

The IPSO study is corroborated by many other studies which demonstrate that the ocean is under severe threat, including disappearing coral reefs, rapidly increasing acidification, and growing incidences of marine life extinctions.

A 2011 report indicates that
  • Human actions have resulted in warming and acidification of the ocean and are now causing increased hypoxia (low oxygen) Studies of the Earth’s past indicate these three symptoms (warming, acidification, hypoxia) indicate “disturbances of the carbon cycle” associated with all five previous mass extinctions on Earth. The rate of carbon absorption by the ocean is already far greater than what it was at the time of the last globally significant marine mass extinction when up to half of some marine deep-sea species where wiped out.
  • The speeds of many negative changes to the ocean are near to or are tracking the worst-case scenarios from the IPCC and other predictions. Some are as predicted, but many are faster than anticipated, and many are still accelerating.
  • The magnitude of the cumulative impacts on the ocean is greater than previously understood.
  • Timelines for action are shrinking. The longer we take to get serious about reducing carbon emissions, the more it will cost and the harder it will be to effectively make meaningful reductions. In the meantime, environmental damage will accrue causing greater socioeconomic impacts. The problem isn’t going away.
  • Resilience of the ocean to climate change impacts is severely compromised by the other stressors from human activities, including fisheries, pollution, and habitat destruction.
  • Ecosystem collapse is occurring as a result of both current and emerging stressors Among those stressors are chemical pollutants, overfishing, agricultural runoff, and sediment loads.
  • The extinction threat to marine species is rapidly increasing.
As stated by the David Suzuki Foundation,

"What this study also shows is that we cannot look at ecosystems, species, and environmental problems in isolation. This research points out that the combined impacts of all the stressors are far more severe than what scientists might conclude by looking at individual problems...Further delay in resolving these serious problems will only increase costs and lead to even greater losses of the natural benefits oceans give to us. "

The IPSO report urges that we change the ways that we relate to the ocean, it further advocates the adoption of a “holistic approach to sustainable management of all activities that impinge marine ecosystems....This has to be part of a wider re-evaluation of the core values of human society and its relationship to the natural world and the resources on which we all rely.”

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