On the Waterway

“The world’s oceans and coasts – the Blue World – are the cornucopia for humanity. They provide us with food, oxygen and livelihoods … and are the foundation of much of the world’s economy and the cultures of many peoples.” This excerpt, from the introduction of the newly released report “Green Economy in a Blue [...]

The French Marine Protected Areas Agency (Agence des aires marines protégées) recently held their 2011 Scientific Symposium in Paris, France. Linwood Pendleton, director of ocean and coastal policy at the Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions, delivered the keynote address for Sesssion B, November 23.  His remarks, titled “Beyond Valuation: Using Economics (and Ecosystem Values) [...]

Much has been made of the economic returns on marine protection. The truth is that the economic return on marine protection varies. Some marine protected areas (MPAs) generate substantial economic value and others … well not so much. One thing is for certain – we could do a much better job of using MPAs to [...]

Environmental and industry leaders from countries around the south Pacific met this week to discuss the pros and cons of the emerging deep sea mining industry.  The deep sea is home to a variety of mineral formations including manganese nodules, seafloor massive sulfides, and cobalt rich crusts. Each type of formation contains different types of valuable metals (gold, silver, nickel, [...]

Hundreds, if not more than a thousand marine conservation specialists are here in Victoria British Columbia at the International Marine Conservation Congress to find ways of “making science matter” for marine conservation.  It’s something we’ve been working on at Duke and NOAA. So many scientists have a deep interest in marine conservation; so many marine [...]

March 31, 2011 As spring sneaks up on us, thoughts turn again to spending more time on the water.  Many boaters, though, remain concerned about whether the waterway will continue to be a place where boaters can travel without worry of running aground.  The current budget showdown in Washington makes one thing clear – more [...]

This is the question before a group of international experts, convened here in New Caledonia by the Coral Reef Initiatives of the Pacific.  It is not an easy question to answer.  Unlike other development projects, we aren’t sure what we get from investing in coral reefs.  When we invest in a power plant, we have a [...]

The first permit has been issued allowing deep sea hydrothermal vents to be mined for the gold, zinc, copper, and silver that lies beneath them.  A good thing?  A bad thing?  Well, it depends on your perspective. How do you feel about gold, zinc, and copper?  Using a computer? Alkaline batteries?  Got a tin roof? [...]

Marine protected areas will not prevent future oil spills, but they could make Gulf of Mexico marine ecosystems more resilient to the impacts of environmental damages from oil, gas, and natural disasters.

Hurricane Earl passed by coastal North Carolina with damage limited mostly to the Outerbanks.   While the economic cost of direct damage is likely small, the economic cost attributable to the uncertainty associated with the Hurricane will be large. Thousands of vessels will be hauled out of the water in anticipation of hurricane force winds [...]