In The News

Change for Aquaculture Industry: Vancouver Courier

Nelson Bennett September 17, 2019
With the catch of wild fish in decline, consumers turn to farmed seafood. “Aquaculture is already a $244-billion industry … and is the fastest-growing sector in the global food industry,” notes a new Nature Conservancy and Encourage Capital report, as reported by Nelson Bennett for the Vancouver Courier. The planet has limited food-production capabilities, and a growing population cannot rely on...

Cooperation on Fukushima Water? Business Korea

Choi Moon-hee September 11, 2019
Consequences of the 2011 triple disaster of earthquake, tsunami and nuclear meltdown in Japan linger today. Fuel rods require ongoing cooling with freshwater. More than 1 million tons of contaminated water is stored in tanks including underground ones secured by walls of ice, 30 meters deep and 1.6 kilometers long. Treatment technologies remove 62 of 63 radioactive elements, reports Roger Cheng...

Climate Change Underestimated: Scientific American

Naomi Oreskes, Michael Oppenheimer and Dale Jamieson August 20, 2019
Researchers have revised methods for measuring ocean surface temperatures, with the help of reliable measurement buoys. Thus, revisions in the historical data are in order. Because oceans cover three fifths of the planet, researchers’ estimates were low, and climate warming and melting of polar ice is happening at a faster pace than once predicted. “These recent updates, suggesting that climate...

1 Million Species at Risk: National Geographic

Stephen Leahy May 6, 2019
Humans, their growing numbers and development, are overwhelming the world’s other 8.5 million species. “Without a global societal transformation that focuses on protecting nature, one million species may be pushed to extinction by human activities in the coming years – with serious consequences for human beings and the rest of life on Earth – according to a landmark United Nations report on the...

Pentagon on Chinese Submarines in Arctic: Reuters

Phil Stewart and Idrees Ali May 3, 2019
As the Arctic warms, more countries venture into the region and the US Pentagon monitors Chinese activities. In June, China released a white paper that describes plans for shipping lanes, a “Polar Silk Road” linked to the nation’s far-reaching Belt and Road Initiative. “China, despite being a non-Arctic state, is increasingly active in the polar region and became an observer member of the Arctic...

Battle for Global Internet Grid: Wall Street Journal

Jeremy Page, Kate O’Keeffe and Rob Taylor March 14, 2019
Huawei, headquartered in China, manufacturers an array of telecommunications equipment and pursues contracts worldwide, including building and equipping the vast undersea cable networks that carry global internet data. “About 380 active submarine cables – bundles of fiber-optic lines that travel oceans on the seabed – carry about 95% of intercontinental voice and data traffic, making them...

DW: EU Reaches Agreement on Single-Use Plastic Ban

December 19, 2018
Plastic is made of oil and consists of large polymers that do not break down quickly, adding to waste management challenges. Most plastic waste ends up in the world’s oceans with microbeads and other forms of plastics finding their way into the food chain and seafood consumed by humans. China ended accepting imports of plastic waste for recycling this year, with global implications, forcing major...