Climate of Our Future

Canada’s Pristine Freshwater Fisheries At Risk

Science Daily — If you want to catch a trophy northern pike, walleye or brook trout in the northern Canadian wilderness, better plan your trip soon.

Scott’s Dam near Marmora, Ontario, Canada. Looming development, including forestry, mining and dam construction, threatens some pristine regions of untouched forests, wetlands, lakes and streams in Canada. (Credit: Photo by Michele Hogan)

That’s because according to a report released September 19 by the Wildlife Conservation Society, looming development, including forestry, mining and dam construction, threatens this pristine region of untouched forests, wetlands, lakes and streams. But the authors of the report also say that that there is still time for government officials to enact safeguards ensuring that northern fisheries remain a valuable resource for the future. Read more

Why Conservation Efforts Often Fail

Science Daily — Modern conservation techniques have brought us the resurgence of American bald eagles, sustainable forest harvests and the rescue of prized lobster fisheries. So how can modern conservation strategies also have wrought such failures, from the catastrophic loss of Guatemalan forests to the economy-crippling Klamath River salmon kill in 2006?

In a special issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Indiana University political scientist Elinor Ostrom and colleagues argue that while many basic conservation strategies are sound, their use is often flawed. The strategies are applied too generally, they say, as an inflexible, regulatory “blueprint” that foolishly ignores local customs, economics and politics. Read more

Carbon Dioxide Emissions Could Violate EPA Ocean-quality Standards Within Decades

Science Daily — In a commentary in the September 25, 2007, issue of the Geophysical Research Letters (GRL), a large team of scientists state that human-induced carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions will alter ocean chemistry to the point where it will violate U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Quality Criteria [1976] by mid-century if emissions are not dramatically curtailed now.

Sunset over the Pacific Ocean. Scientists believe atmospheric carbon dioxide emissions will cause ocean waters to violate EPA water quality criteria by mid-century, unless a concerted effort is made now to protect the oceans. (Credit: Photo by Michele Hogan)

This is the first recognition that atmospheric CO₂ emissions will cause ocean waters to violate EPA water quality criteria.

The paper also says that carbon-dioxide induced “changes in ocean chemistry within the ranges predicted for the next decades and centuries present significant risks to marine biota” and that “adverse impacts on food webs and key biogeochemical process” would result. Read more