On June 5th the United Nations General Assembly will convene for The Ocean Conference in New York City to set objectives, cultivate partnerships, and build consensus for the further implementation of sustainable development goal 14—Life Below Water. In this episode of World Ocean Radio, host Peter Neill describes the sustainable development goals and lays out the plan for this major four-day event and the final report which will follow as an agenda for targeted success by 2030.
We are living in a time of great environmental, social, and political change, and our outdated ways of living and governing are failing. The 21st century is crying our for invention and innovation. One such provocative idea is the evolution toward governance and management around eco-regions such as coastal zones, watersheds, deep ocean, and more as a way to shift our approach for the future. In this episode of World Ocean Radio, host Peter Neill breaks down the concept of eco-politics: new practices, laws, energy, and education designed to bring about a more successful response to the challenges of this new century, and beyond.
Arctic ice is melting at record levels, revealing an ocean open and vulnerable to enterprise and extraction. In this episode of World Ocean Radio, host Peter Neill suggests that the Arctic be treated like the Antarctic-—a place for research and conservation rather than one of exploitation and exhaustion.
China is the world's largest consumer, producer, and exporter of every fish species caught by their vast industrial fishing fleet, at a rate on track to decimate the global fish supply in the not-too-distant future. Indifference to treaty quotas, illegal species catch, fishing outside of national jurisdiction, and other government sanctioned activities have propelled China to the status of largest consumer of natural resources on the planet. In this episode of World Ocean Radio we report on the problems generated by an insatiable appetite for fish, regardless of the global consequences.
Seaports have long been places of commerce and trade: hubs connecting land and sea in an import/export exchange that contributes to regional, national, and global economies. In this episode of World Ocean Radio, host Peter Neill discusses the history of the port of Gaza on the Mediterranean Sea, the long-standing Israel-Palestine conflict, and recent interest in a project to build an artificial island off the coast for the purposes of creating a modern seaport which could possibly break through the political paralysis of the region, create employment opportunities, and enable an import/export revival.
In the face of an all-out attack by the Trump administration on environmental regulations and values, how do we create a new strategy for Nature? In this episode of World Ocean Radio, host Peter Neill posits this question and lays out a new organizing strategy for our natural systems, including and foremost our relationship with the global water cycle.
Since the U.S. election in November, the Trump Administration has taken bold action to change the policies, regulations, and environmental protections that have been in place since the beginning of the 20th century. In this episode of World Ocean Radio, host Peter Neill talks of the steps being taken by environmental groups and organizations to maintain historical protections. And he argues for the necessity of a more broad spectrum view to confront specific problems, recognizing the need for an understanding of integrated natural systems and global solutions required to manage local impacts.
In September of 2016, World Ocean Observatory began a collaboration with the Smithsonian Institution's Ocean Portal to promote the Earth Optimism Summit in Washington, D.C. during Earth Day weekend in April. For the past six months we have searched for and reported on examples of ocean optimism and innovative projects around the globe. In this episode of World Ocean Radio, our final episode in the Earth Optimism Series, host Peter Neill hails the work of the Smithsonian Institution and the Ocean Portal in their preparation for this global event, and outlines the mission of the summit as well as the need for optimism and why it should be celebrated.
In this episode of World Ocean Radio, written during a blizzard raging off the Maine coast, host Peter Neill reflects on the vulnerability of the ocean and the implications of the aggressive destruction of natural resources. And he asks, “Are we really prepared to destroy the global ocean and all its potential for sustaining us into the future?”
Insurance touches every aspect of our lives, protecting us from financial loss. As climate change is continually felt everywhere on the planet, how might we protect against the impacts of extreme weather, sea level rise, and more? In this episode of World Ocean Radio we outline the role of insurance companies and the ways in which insurance must adapt as a risk management tool for the world's most vulnerable.
This week we continue the Earth Optimism Series, a 24-episode project in partnership with the Smithsonian Institution's Ocean Portal, to celebrate ocean solutions and innovative projects in the context of the Earth Optimism Summit, April 2017. In this episode of World Ocean Radio we discuss the history of the recycling movement and the modern day efforts of local groups such as ecomaine, a waste-to-energy and single-sort recycling facility in Southern Maine. And we offer suggestions for what we can do as consumers and citizens to mitigate waste from the trash cycle, and to keep plastics out of landfills and the ocean.
This week we continue the Earth Optimism Series, a 24-episode project in partnership with the Smithsonian Institution's Ocean Portal, to celebrate ocean solutions and innovative projects in the context of the Earth Optimism Summit, April 2017. In this episode of World Ocean Radio we argue for the ocean as contributor to the resilience, enhancement, biodiversity, and health of the planet. And we assert that the green economy does not succeed without the blue economy, and when we begin to see the ocean as integral to the land rather than a place apart from it, we may begin to build a world that is truly sustainable.
Waste and the management of it are new challenges in recent decades. How do we dispose of toxic waste, plastic packaging, electronics, and other discards of modern society? Where does it all go? In this episode of World Ocean Radio, host Peter Neill talks about current efforts to recycle and re-purpose trash in efforts to slow the contribution to the waste stream, and he suggests some new ideas for turning waste into profit.
In this week's episode of World Ocean Radio, host Peter Neill reads "The Fish," a poem by Marianne Moore from a collection entitled "American Sea Writing: A Literary Anthology“ which contains unique writings of American voices and experiences related to ocean passage and coastal observation.
On February 13th and 14th Peter Neill, director of the World Ocean Observatory, will be in New York City to moderate a United Nations Inter-Parliamentary hearing entitled “A WORLD OF BLUE: Preserving the Ocean, Safeguarding the Planet, and Ensuring Human Well-Being in the Context of the 2030 Agenda.” In this episode of World Ocean Radio Peter describes the work of the UN as a forum for communication and resolution of issues confronting all nations. And he will outline the 2-day hearing at the General Assembly where some 300 legislators will gather to discuss and learn about ocean issues and to organize observations and suggestions to be presented as a final report at The Ocean Conference in June.
In this episode we discuss two ideas--floating farms and saltwater agriculture--using ocean and renewable resources toward the goal of sustainable food production worldwide.
This week's episode is a continuation of the Earth Optimism Series, a 24-episode project in partnership with the Smithsonian Institution's Ocean Portal, to celebrate ocean solutions and innovative projects in the context of the Earth Optimism Summit, April 2017.
This week we continue the Earth Optimism Series, a 24-episode project in partnership with the Smithsonian Institution's Ocean Portal, to celebrate ocean solutions and innovative projects in the context of the Earth Optimism Summit, April 2017. In this episode, we discuss two examples of innovative practices and their relationships to each another: 1. ocean research and data collection and the connection to geothermal energy generation, and 2. offshore wind energy and its relationship to desalination plants, which require high volumes of energy to operate.
Mario Soares, former PM and President of Portugal, statesman, exile, political prisoner, "father of democracy", passed away last week at the age of 92. In this episode, host Peter Neill pays tribute by discussing his many political and environmental achievements as contributions to the 20th century, most notably the creation of the Independent Ocean Commission's report “The Ocean, Our Future” and the Global Water Contract, both important policy documents with requirements and recommendations to guide the international community for the preservation of earth’s ocean resources.
In this episode of World Ocean Radio we discuss politics in a changing landscape, and the ways in which global agencies advocate for, protect, and improve upon existing agreements in an age when environmental and ocean protections are under threat.
In this New Year’s episode of World Ocean Radio, host Peter Neill details a number of sacred places around the globe--on islands, along the shore, on the banks of rivers, lakes and streams--and the allies that these spaces have found in protective movements, enforcement, and international action. He outlines the relationship of biodiverse regions around the world to their sacred and scientific importance, and how conservation justifies protection while simultaneously meeting the goals of religionists and conservationists alike.
At each year's end, World Ocean Radio host Peter Neill reads "At The Fishhouses" by Elizabeth Bishop. This perennial favorite poem was chosen not only for its relevance for the New Year, but also because it distills years of Bishop's seaside meditations and evokes the clarity of meaning contained in personal encounters with the world ocean.
Best wishes for the New Year from the World Ocean Observatory.
This week we continue the Earth Optimism Series, a 24-episode project in partnership with the Smithsonian Institution's Ocean Portal, to address ocean solutions and innovative projects in the context of the Earth Optimism Summit, April 2017. In this episode, we discuss publications, reports, and projects which are integral to the evolution of ocean policy and science, including the newest project called the Atlas of Ocean Wealth, published in 2016 by the Nature Conservancy.
This week we continue the Earth Optimism Series, a 24-episode project in partnership with the Smithsonian Institution's Ocean Portal, to address ocean solutions and innovative projects in the context of the Earth Optimism Summit, April 2017. In this episode, host Peter Neill discusses the need for more funding and energy directed toward the vast unknown ocean, and the importance of scientific endeavor and observation. He introduces us to the General Bathymetric Chart for the Oceans (GEBCO), a project dedicated to completing the full mapping of the world ocean by 2030.
This week we continue the Earth Optimism Series, a 24-episode project in partnership with the Smithsonian Institution's Ocean Portal, to address ocean solutions and innovative projects in the context of the Earth Optimism Summit, April 2017. In this episode, host Peter Neill talks about the revival of a once plummeting population of a spawning fish species on a river in Maine, made possible in part by conservationist action. He argues that victories for change and renewal are achievable when we engage as citizens at the local level.
We continue the Earth Optimism Series this week, a 24-episode project in partnership with the Smithsonian Institution's Ocean Portal, to address ocean solutions and innovative projects in the context of the Earth Optimism Summit, April 2017. In this episode, host Peter Neill sites from a recent article by William McDonough published at Nature.com entitled, “Carbon Is Not the Enemy”, which argues for a new vision for how we view the carbon cycle and for ways to redefine its value and mitigate its negative consequences for a possible new climate future.
