Student Writing (Advanced Search)
10391 Articles, Editorials, News Summaries, Blog posts and Volunteer Opportunities submitted by students across the NewsActivist Network.
Simon-Karl in Planetary Challenge winter 2018
April 20, 2018
April 20, 2018
The objective of the Pacific North Coast Integrated Management Areas (PNCIMA)’s article is to raise awareness to the public about the effects of pollution. In the article, the researchers talks about the way the contaminants enters the animals and plants. It also describes the type of contaminants. It reveals the correlation between the contaminants and the death of many animals who was in contact with those contaminants, it finishes with a positive note by enumerating the laws and projects that where made in order to restrain the level of contamination in water.
Link to article:... [+] Read more
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harshm in Planetary Challenge winter 2018
April 20, 2018
April 20, 2018
It is said that humankind’s population will increase by 2 billion, which will require us to increase our actual production of food by 50% to 70% to feed everyone on the planet. With that said, we must consider that south America is one of the most resourceful areas on the planet, offering agriculture, meat production, water and forests for the world to trade with. Yet, climatologist claim that due to the upcoming waves of climate changes in south America, 90% of the land will be affected and have possibilities of drought. On the other hand, we have been seeing hints of innovation going on... [+] Read more
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danchelariu in Planetary Challenge winter 2018
April 20, 2018
April 20, 2018
In the article "Sustainable seafood farms can help Asia's oceans" by Mata Press Service, the main purpose is to show how overfishing and destructive fishing in Southeast Asia puts its sustained existence at risk, despite the diversity of the marine ecosystem. The resource base of fisheries is at a medium to high risk of overfishing in the future, as the UN reports the extinction of exploitable fish stocks by year 2048 which is an economical consequence that also affects seafood production and needs. Asia co-chair Sonali Seneratna Sellamuttu claims that by that year, the region is likely to... [+] Read more
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A.B in Planetary Challenge winter 2018
April 20, 2018
April 20, 2018
Summary 4(Oceans and Fisheries/Agriculture)
The article I found is from the United States Environmental Protection Agency(EPA). The article points out how agriculture and fisheries are highly dependent on the climate. Climate change, will have affects on food security on a global level. Warmer oceans, higher overall temperatures, drought and extreme weather events like hurricanes and flooding will all impact food sources. Changes in the oceans temperature may affect salmon and increase the likelihood of disease. Warmer waters have already caused outbreaks in disease in coral,... [+] Read more
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Lauranie Phan in Planetary Challenge winter 2018
April 20, 2018
April 20, 2018
In the article entitled “Reefs help protect vulnerable Caribbean fish from climate change”, a research group from the University of British Colombia found in the Caribbean, big reef areas where protecting fish species living there from the warming of the ocean. Indeed, while the overall fish population in the region has been decreasing due to changes in the temperature, those whose habitat was in the reef have been experiencing a slower decline. Sadly, however, those reefs are slowly disappearing because of many factors such as storms and human pollution. The article believes that if... [+] Read more
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mrob10 in Planetary Challenge winter 2018
April 20, 2018
April 20, 2018
The article “Fisheries emissions rising despite recent efforts, UBC study shows” by Bethany Lindsay discusses and brings forward how different types of fisheries bring different amounts of Carbon and greenhouse gas emissions. A new research from the University of British Columbia discovered that crustacean fisheries, like shrimp and lobster, actually create the most emissions than other fisheries. The study found a 21% increase in Greenhouse gas emissions per tonne of fish, from 1990-2011. However lead author and a postdoctoral fellow at UBC's Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries, Robert... [+] Read more
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maurane in Planetary Challenge winter 2018
April 20, 2018
April 20, 2018
Summary 4:
In the article “Environmental Impacts of Ocean Fishing & Fisheries by Content Provider, the author informs us how human activities effects on ocean fish stock. According to the article, fisheries are responsible for causing damage to the ocean and destroying its ecosystem. Actually, recent studies claim that fish stock is constantly declining is the United State. Therefore, they claim that in 2048 there will be no wild-caught seafood anymore. According to the article, there are a few causes that explain how fisheries are affected by Human activities. Over-fishing is one of... [+] Read more
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Dajia Bergeron in Planetary Challenge winter 2018
April 20, 2018
April 20, 2018
In the article "Fisheries Emissions Rising Despite rect efforts" written by Bethany Lindsay explains the findings about a study on fisheries and their greenhouse gasses emmisions. According to the University of B.C. research, harvesting crustaceans such as shrimp is creating a bigger carbon footprint. From 1990 to 2011, there has been an increase in carbon footprint of around 21 percent per tonne of fish. The study’s leader Robert Parker said that he didn’t really think this result was actually considered bad. A lot of fisheries have attempted lower their fuel consumption, but it is very... [+] Read more
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veronicajchang in Planetary Challenge winter 2018
April 20, 2018
April 20, 2018
In the article “Fisheries and the Environment”, it is described how marine ecosystems are severely damaged due to commercial fisheries; the purpose of this article is to inform the public on the causes and effects of commercial fisheries’ practices. It is further stated how overfishing disrupts the aquatic ecosystems; though fish may be renewable, they are not inexhaustible; the life and health of fish are in danger, as many are losing their habitat and are getting contaminated by elements negatively affecting the waters that fish live in. With that said, scientists mention how the world’s... [+] Read more
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ChaiEl in Planetary Challenge winter 2018
April 20, 2018
April 20, 2018
The following article “The Government of Canada protects Species at Risk habitat” has for purpose to justify how several marine mammals are at risk in their own natural habitat. The author of the article further puts the blame on climate change, which is resulted by our actions (again!). As mentioned in class, several causes can endanger the ocean; coral bleaching, ocean acidification, fish migration and many others. According to the article, Canada has issued a warning to protect several species from serious damage, this includes: the North Atlantic right whale, the Beluga, and three fishes... [+] Read more
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RosalieCB in Planetary Challenge winter 2018
April 20, 2018
April 20, 2018
In an article called “Race to the Bottom:Impact of Deep-sea Fishing Severely Underestimated written by Alastair Bland, on April 2018, we study the impacts that deep-sea fishery has on the environment.
Bottom trawling is when a big net is dragged on the sea floor to catch fishes, massively. In 1950, scientists did a study and found that deep-sea fishing killed nearly 80 percent most fishes than previous researches found. Over 25 million tons of marine life have died because of this type of fishery, while scientists of the United Nation Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) had estimated... [+] Read more
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Nicholastank2 in Planetary Challenge winter 2018
April 20, 2018
April 20, 2018
In an article by Popular Science, they talk about how half of marine life population has disappeared in the last 45 years. The article also notes that by 2050, coral reefs will face extinction by 2050 if the current rate of pollution in the ocean continues. Ocean species like Tuna have declined by 74% and seas cucumbers have declined by over 90%. Though they do point out that due to a change in ocean conservation policy such as increasing ocean protection zone have increased fishing laws. Many of these zones are now starting to return to there previous state. So although we have done a lot o... [+] Read more
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Rainertaycho in Planetary Challenge winter 2018
April 20, 2018
April 20, 2018
According to the article "Are current fishing regulations misguided?" by John Matson, fishes all over the world continue to decline while certain species of fishes are being driven to endangerment at an alarming rate. Governments all over the world has implemented different kinds of regulations such as selective fishing in order to reduce the likelihood of an endangered species being caught and sold. What the government did not account for are the unintended consequences such as unintentionally shifting the ecosystem out of balance. Fisheries were presented an alternative approach to... [+] Read more
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Username in Planetary Challenge winter 2018
April 19, 2018
April 19, 2018
The article Sustainable Seafood Farms Can Help Asia’s Oceans, published by the Asian Pacific Post, focuses on the increasingly alarming rate of destruction or the Asian marine ecosystem along with the imminent collapse of itself and the fishing industry, while also present certain solutions. It informs us that across Asia, 64 % of the resource bases for fisheries at between a medium and elevated risk of overfishing, with estimates that by 2048, there would be no fish left for commercial fishing. Not only would there be so little fish left that the industry would collapse, but it... [+] Read more
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AlexandraGevry in Planetary Challenge winter 2018
April 19, 2018
April 19, 2018
The article “Environmental Impacts of Ocean Fishing & Fisheries” demonstrates that human activities have severely affected the marine life on the Earth’s oceans. Fisheries may be necessary for providing food and for the economy but they are causing huge damage to the environment. Environmentalists are warming us that if the fisheries continue to expand worldwide, negative impacts would dramatically increase and interfere with the trophic level within the ecosystem. Moreover, the author mentions that ocean fish stocks are constantly declining in the United States, and it is predicted by a... [+] Read more
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Devon Sarkissian in Planetary Challenge winter 2018
April 19, 2018
April 19, 2018
In Agriculture’s Portfolio for an Uncertain Future: Preparing for Global Warming, readers are informed that global warming poses threats on agriculture. Since agriculture takes place outdoors, climate change affects when, where, and how food and timber are produced (Drabenstott, 1992). Changes in climate can cut crop yields, force regional shifts in production, an increase in irrigation costs, etc. Luckily, major technological changes have been made in the twentieth century to make agriculture more adaptable.
The future climate is very uncertain, however there is still hope for... [+] Read more
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Antoine Favreau in Planetary Challenge winter 2018
April 19, 2018
April 19, 2018
The article “Fisheries and the Environment” is an article about the consequences fisheries and overfishing has on the environment. Fisheries are a big part of many small cities economies and overfishing has had a huge impact ecologically and economically at one point. The tool used for fishing has destroyed marine habitat and some species of fish that were not even targeted. Fish are a renewable resource, but overfishing may lead to fishing more fish than the rate they are able to reproduce. A lack of knowledge of the ocean led to many fisheries overfishing and compromising the future of... [+] Read more
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Maya Rinaldi in Planetary Challenge winter 2018
April 19, 2018
April 19, 2018
The purpose of Carly Cassella’s article “A Sperm Whale Found Dead in Spain Had 29 Kilos of Plastic in Its Stomach” is to display the severe consequences that ocean pollution can have on marine life. After the young sperm whale was found dead on a beach in Spain, an autopsy was performed on the whale to get further information on the cause of its death. It was revealed that the whale died because it could not get rid of the trash it had swallowed which consisted of several plastic bags, cans, pieces of rope and net. Plastic is one of the most detrimental threats to wildlife, especially marine... [+] Read more
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inaarahaydari in Planetary Challenge winter 2018
April 18, 2018
April 18, 2018
Question within food
The article “Why what we eat is crucial to the climate change question” by Ruth Khasaya Oniang’O argues that the impact of agriculture on climate change is bigger than the impact of transportation. The main cause of climate change, according to her, is the carbon emission that is released due to our food systems, accounting for a quarter of the emissions. The whole process for our food to get form the farm to our tables includes harvesting, processing, packaging, transporting, etc. It implicates the consumers just as much the retailers and the farmers into this problem,... [+] Read more
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mirufdd in Planetary Challenge winter 2018
April 18, 2018
April 18, 2018
In his article from The Guardian, Dermot O’Gorman, CEO of “World Wildlife Fund Australia”, wanted to share his successful projections concerning the problem of overfishing. Seeing, the urgent need in seafood business, the country decided to take actions into their own hands. Indeed, studies showed that a huge range of marine species were declining in numbers. Ocean ecosystems were in danger because of the overfishing and the dangerous fishing practices. As the demand in seafood increase, the offer is lowering rapidly. Fishermen of the Pacific Islands would have a hard time bringing... [+] Read more
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