The Great Barrier Reef is home to a vast and diverse sea life:
There have been at least 600 such accidents in this area over the last 30 years. We can point our finger at the captain of this latest ship carrying coal. His ship is in danger of breaking apart and causing untold damage to the coral reefs, as he was nine miles out of the shipping lane, in protected territory, when he ran aground.But maybe we should consider this in a new way. Marcus, of 22C+, has a theory worth considering.
25 comments:
it is shameful how we abuse our planet. off to check out marcus' theory...
There are many troubling aspects of all this..one is the talk with no walk, the other is the lack of provision of emergency equipment for cleanups which should be on board every vessel.Our coast is long..12,000 miles but with satellite imaging this shouldn't be a problem to patrol.Disrespect for the reef is another problem, people don't take it's fragility seriously, all shipping should be banned and that ban enforced.Our Government is very lax, so is the State Government and cleanups are far to slow in happening.
Good post Nancy.
Nancy, I live in the 'Coal City' that exports coal to China. I was only thinking about it the other day, because our city has gone to ruin over the last twenty years or so, only the beautiful beaches draw people in. I was considering personal responsibilty, and I know that there are people here, who are genuinely trying to make a difference. I.e putting up the price of electricity by 64%, and promoting tourism to keep the city afloat, instead of our long history of coal production.It will take time.....
Good post, Nancy! Like the link to marcus's blog.
We should defend the shared treasures of the Earth as well as we protect the wealth of the wealthy!
Aloha from Waikiki
Comfort Spiral
Brian - We really must do something. This theory puts the responsibility on all of us.
Von - You must be so frustrated. The Great Barrier Reef is so very fragile, and so very important.
Natalie - This is a world wide problem. It's going to take all of us to solve it. China is going to need to come to the table soon.
Trish & Rob - I thought it was worth reading.
Cloudia - True statement.
We reap what we sew... Such a simple concept and yet we never seem to get it.
Dear Nancy,
thank you for this entry of yours, as for days now it is the first that I found talking about this - maybe haven't searched well enough, but neither did sites of Australia that I know speak about it.
Thank you also for the link, which for sure kept me awake, as it is now close to twenty fast four in the morning.
Please have a wonderful Wednesday.
daily athens
Fascinating the way he connects the threads between the pollution, the coal industry and the grounded ship about to pollute the reef. It's pretty heavy stuff and a terrible irony but I get it. Good post.
Ah, the proverbial, what you sow, so shall you reap story, don't you think?
I have had the great privilege of dipping under the ocean's waves and witnessing the awe and beauty and wonders of the deep - such a crime the polluting of our oceans and destruction of our reefs. And to think, they still hold so many mysteries... will we destroy them before we discover them?
you know i heard that cruise ships dump waste and trash in the ocean, i wonder if that is true?
Nancy you asked if i was going to have a button, but i dont know how to make one!
Jayne - We need to start getting it, we're about out of options.
Robert - Nice to know it was interesting enough to stay up for! :-)
California - It's all interconnected. Everything is interconnected, for that matter. And we all share in the responsibility. I just got up and shut off two more lights...
Good Cook - I certainly hope not. But it's not looking good.
Nancy - Yes, they do dump their trash and refuse. I don't know how much that practice is still happening, but I know it does happen.
You have to write the html code found at the bottom of my button (only with your own info, with one of your own pictures). Meeko did mine. I found a blog that gave blog tips one time that told how to do it. I'll look around.
Nine miles out of the shipping lane ... It just seems like anything goes these days.
Interesting post that you pointed to, Nancy. Not sure I can see things his way, although there's no disagreement from me that there needs to be a radical change in the way we think and operate if the planet is to be spared eventual destruction.
I'll go check out that link, but I also have been following this story and wondering what, if anything, can be done to stop the rest of the oil leaking out?
In my home, the parents are always warning the children we need to do this or that. And usually nothing happens until catastrophe. And we all hang our heads in shame. Parents should have enforced the rules. Children should have listened... This is our global home. The warnings are all around us. Will we wait until global catastrophe?
I read the link you mentioned. Of course there is global issues to these actions. But to say that the "accident" was inevitable and the powers that be had it coming is preposterous.
It has happened, time to look forward, clean the immediate problem, trace the responsible party and insure that this issue does not happen again. Blame cannot be assessed on society, but on the individual actions of those actually responsible
Mankind is not going to rest until it has destroyed our wonderful world.
Greed, thoughtless need for gratification and selfishness drive our actions. We all pay lip service but there are very few who are actually willing to put their money where their mouth is.
The way he connects the dots it easy to see Australia and China's culpability. Harder for most to swallow will be the collective culpability and need for change on a wider plane. Thanks for the link.
Great comments. Conversing about our issues, such as this one, is detrimental to our planet's, and our, well being. Thanks for participating. I know you all care as much as i do.
It is shameful, and disturbing. It also put me in mind of something. Do your remember the merchant sea captain, captured by pirates, and eventually freed by snipers? I just saw him interviewed on Jon Stewart's The Daily Show.
I was really struck by what a good, and honorable man he was, and is.
I think sometimes I have a tendency to define the whole of something by the worst examples an industry sets. So as I read this, and watched the video, I thought about that ship, which was carrying aid supplies to the region.
As glaring, and terrible an example as this sets, I do think it is important to remember that not everyone in the shipping industry is without ethics. We see these sort of disasters/accidents so often, and it always seems the crew or captain has done something reprehensible...which is part of what leads to the accident.
The abuses of our environment are heinous, and we do need to direct our attention towards these matters.
Sorry about the length of my comment Nancy, I'm just musing here about the fact that many people who set out to sea do so because they also love the oceans. That the best avenues to change, and solving the problem, are side-by-side with the people causing the problems.
Shimp - I think that was exactly Marcus's thoughts as well. I don't think any of these captains head out thinking they are going to cause a disaster, but the ships need to be designed to protect our oceans. Double hulled ships need to be used when hauling oil and coal, for example. Being nine miles off course is reprehensible. I would bet that there was someone unexperienced at the helm. Thanks for your always thoughtful response.
As long as there is such a demand for fossil fuels from other countries, there will always be the accidents. The ocean is very unforgiving.
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