There has never been a better time to be a citizen scientist--those individuals interested in the collection of data toward solutions, the expansion of public awareness, to satisfy curiosity, and to help develop concrete actions for the protection of the ocean. In this episode of World Ocean Radio we provide a number of examples of ocean science initiatives for the curious at heart, whether your interest is penguins, birds, clouds, phytoplankton or any other feature of the ocean world.
Food webs describe who eats whom in an ecological community. In the aquatic food web, humans feed down the food chain, consuming lesser and lesser ocean predators and marine species without a consciousness of the consequences of our actions at the microscopic level. How do we persuade listeners to adopt a different perspective? How do we articulate an optimistic and realistic way of looking at who we are in relation to all the elements of the natural world? In this episode of World Ocean Radio host Peter Neill suggests we look at the food chain from the bottom up, and ascribe value to the base elements and fundamentals of ocean life so that all life may thrive and provide and endure.
Invention and management of energy systems have led to increased efficiency and less reliance on unsustainable supplies of fossil fuels. In this episode of World Ocean Radio we discuss Statkraft, a Norwegian energy conglomerate that has begun to implement digital market platforms and smarter grid technology to help build more dynamic, efficient and sustainable energy systems worldwide.
World Ocean Radio host Peter Neill recently returned home from a trip to Antarctica aboard MS Island Sky with scientists from Woods Hole and a film crew from BBC-ONE, sharing insights and knowledge with other citizen scientists aboard. In this episode he offers reflections on his experiences in the last wilderness.
This week marks the 500th episode of World Ocean Radio! For more than 10 years, World Ocean Radio has been engaging in dialogue about ocean issues, suggesting solutions to today's problems, and championing for the change required to conserve and sustain all natural resources for the benefit of all mankind. Originally broadcast through WERU-FM in Blue Hill, Maine, World Ocean Radio is now heard via college and community radio stations, podcast and Internet radio on five continents around the world.
A recent report from the Yale Program on Climate Change, measuring public awareness and political views on issues related to climate, shows that opinions are changing. Survey results show that in the last year alone there has been a significant upward shift by registered voters in terms of understanding and concern of human-caused climate change. In this episode of World Ocean Radio we break down the report and the proposed national policies impacting public opinion.
The word 'indigenous' is used a lot these days, especially in terms of territorial rights to land and of invasive species of flora and fauna. In this episode of World Ocean Radio we discuss the origins of nature, especially in terms of the interaction between humans and the natural world, the rights of nature, and the world's most invasive species and biggest threat to biodiversity: homo sapiens.
Antarctica, terra nullius--nobody's land, has long been a place apart, once explored only by intrepid and resourceful individuals willing to risk failure and death. Peter Neill, host of World Ocean Radio, will be in Antarctica next week aboard MS Island Sky with scientists from Woods Hole and a film crew from BBC-ONE, sharing insights and knowledge with other citizen scientists aboard, all wanting to experience and document the world's last wilderness. This upcoming trip has him thinking about the changing landscape and asking, "What are the real threats to the Antarctic?" and "Are changes to the planet hurtling us and these last wild places toward accelerated, irreversible change?"
We wrap up our seven-part thematic overview of the ocean edge this week by discussing the cultural edge: the place alongshore where we interact with nature, with our spiritual selves, and with each other. We assert that the ocean is the ecosystem that connects us all, bringing us together as one population of humanity and civilization, capable of discovering solutions that will benefit all living things. The Cultural Edge is part 7 of a 7-part series dedicated to the ocean edge, exploring what takes place there, from the real to the symbolic.
We continue our thematic overview of the ocean edge this week with a conversation centered around coastal and offshore zones and the politics that define them. The Political Edge is part 6 of a 7-part series dedicated to the ocean edge, exploring what takes place there, from the real to the symbolic.
In this episode of World Ocean Radio we discuss the natural security provided by the ocean edge: the barrier effect of mangroves, beaches, cliffs, bluffs, atolls and more, and the ways that these places became and remain military and defense installations for protection of national interests. The Security Edge is part 5 of a 7-part series dedicated to the ocean edge, exploring what takes place there, from the real to the symbolic.
We have long enjoyed the ocean edge for leisurely ends: as a place to gather with family and friends to enjoy surf and sand, and to relax in the freedom and solace that being near the ocean provides. In this episode of World Ocean Radio we argue that we must reclaim the spaces near the ocean edge for recreation, for coastal protection and for authentic connection to the sea. The Leisure Edge is part 4 of a 7-part series dedicated to the ocean edge, exploring what takes place there, from the real to the symbolic.
This week we begin to present the ocean edge in thematic ways with The Working Edge, outlining the various social structures, industries, exchange, trade, globalization and more that were shaped by early settlement near the sea. The Working Edge is part 3 of a 7-part series dedicated to the ocean edge, exploring what takes place there, from the real to the symbolic.
How do we protect ourselves and our properties from storm surge and sea level rise? Last week we discussed the hard edge strategy of dikes, dams, gates and walls as barriers to the ocean. This week we continue our series with The Soft Edge, offering examples of more flexible ways to absorb the ocean's powerful force. The Soft Edge is part 2 of a 7-part series dedicated to the ocean edge, exploring what takes place there, from the real to the symbolic.
This week with "Hard Edges" we kick off a 7-part series dedicated to the ocean edge, exploring what takes place there, from the real to the symbolic. In this episode we'll take listeners through the history of the industrial development and management of ports, wetlands and watersheds. And we'll share some modern examples of hard-edge engineering and the challenges for existing structures in the face of projected sea level rise, storm surge and coastal flooding.
The ocean, in its constant motion, offers solace and support for the human spirit and provides an immersion in nature for renewal and regeneration. In this episode of World Ocean Radio we offer thoughts on the dynamic character of the ocean as a celebration of vitality, recreation, and rejuvenation. World Ocean Radio offers you, our listeners, very best wishes for a healthy and happy new year.
'Tis the season for our end-of-year episode. Each year at the holidays, World Ocean Radio host Peter Neill reads At The Fishhouses, a poem by Elizabeth Bishop. This perennial favorite is chosen for its relevance for the New Year and because it distills years of Bishop's seaside meditations, evoking the meaning contained in personal encounters with the ocean.
In this episode of World Ocean Radio we discuss The Earth Law Center, a New York-based environmental non-profit organization that is dedicated to the concept that Nature, as an ecosystem, deserves the same rights as humans to exist, thrive, evolve and be protected by law. We share the scope of their work and advocacy, their programs and values, and the communities that are served by their involvement in American and international environmental court cases, laws, briefs and resolutions.
This week on World Ocean Radio we introduce listeners to two women who are planning to embark on an unsupported exploration in the Arctic: 270 days at the Bamsebu trapper’s cabin in the high north. Hearts in the Ice is a citizen science initiative that Sunniva Sorby and Hilde Falun Strom will undertake in August 2019 as a means to create a global dialogue around changes in the Polar regions that impact us all. We invite you to join the conversation at heartsintheice.com.
The Catalogue of Life is an online database of the world's known species of animals, plants, fungi and micro-organisms. It holds the essential information on the names, relationships and distributions of over 1.8 million species worldwide. In this episode of World Ocean Radio we discuss the importance of such indices to help address the concerns of sustainability and biodiversity on our fast-changing planet. And we argue that, in addition to the collection of data, we must all put this knowledge to use for the future of the ocean and of all living things.
In this episode of World Ocean Radio we discuss publications, reports, and projects integral to the evolution of ocean policy and science, including the Atlas of Ocean Wealth, published by the Nature Conservancy in 2016, which provides a tool for understanding the true value of what Nature provides in previously unrecognized ways.
On the heels of the Arctic Circle Conference in Reykjavik, Iceland in October, World Ocean Radio host Peter Neill offers some additional thoughts on a changing Arctic and China's role in the future of the polar north. In this episode of World Ocean Radio we detail the intentions of the Chinese as outlined in a policy statement published earlier this year. And we discuss the likelihood that eastern powers such as China will have increased vested interest in trade, governance and finance--a blue economic passage to the potential wealth of resources in a changing, melting north.
This week on World Ocean Radio we provide our annual observations on the Arctic Circle Conference in Reykjavik, Iceland. This year's report highlights not only a seemingly insurgent presence by the Chinese but also a diminished presence by the United States, whose typically consequential interest in the Arctic was lacking. Also noticeably absent from the conversation: a perceived decline of representation by the Arctic's indigenous peoples. We'll discuss these things and more in this week's episode.
The first Arctic highway was the sea: a moving, shifting, frozen system that allowed its inhabitants to be sustained for generations. Since 1974, two more roads have been carved from the Arctic landscape: the first to connect oil fields in the north to consumers in the south and the second, opened this year, to connect Inuvik to Tuktoyaktuk. This second project, more of a local endeavor, links the land's indigenous peoples to economic opportunity and affordable goods and resources. This week on World Ocean Radio we talk about these three roads and their impacts on the Arctic, for better and for worse.
Ships have long been used for exploration and trade, as well as for colonial expansion and conflicts at sea. We are using technological achievement to advance global influence, and the rules of engagement are ever-changing. In this week's episode of World Ocean Radio we share new technologies that accelerate sub-sea activities, some of the new technological achievements now being deployed, and the ways that the underwater zone is being used for offensive and defensive strategies in the modern age.
