Philippine Coral Reefs Affected by Global Warming

[Luiz Rocha]

C'MON Guys! :beer:

Can't we just get along?? We have hijacked a thread here...and for what? I have already stated that I agree with you all. CO2 is a greenhouse gas, rising temps cause reef bleaching, blah blah blah. My background actually does qualify me to speak to this.

All I'm asking is that you read the article in its entirety...there haven't been any seasonal typhoons this year to aid in cooling the water. Now, that might be due to global warming and my F 150 as you guys have suggested, or it might be due to the natural ebb and flow of CLIMATE CHANGE which occurs over tens of thousands of years.

At any rate, what do you guys suggest that we as a global community do to curb the effects of these greenhouse gases and global warming? Rather than take out aggressions on a fellow reefer, tell me what YOU are doing to save those reefs (and the planet)?? and I don't want to hear about your overpriced electric/hybrid vehicle. The majority of the world's electricity comes from burning coal. The only way to reverse the effects of releasing CO2 back into the atmosphere that was removed from that same atmosphere millions of years ago is to require that all nations go nuclear, solar, and wind for power.

So, three conflicting paragraphs here, on the first you say you agree with us, on the second you say you do not agree, and on the third you say that even if you agreed, you wouldn't agree with any possible solutions that involve a change in the car you drive. Very interesting... What is your background by the way?

Anyhow, as I said before, yes, climate has changed in the past, yes, many times, but never at the rate in which it is changing now. Corals have survived (with lots of species turnover) mostly because the changes were slower.

By the way, did you know that a Honda civic hybrid is cheaper than an F-150? What am I doing you ask? 1- I have overpriced bulbs in my house that consume less electricity (but I am sure they would be a lot cheaper if more ppl bought them); 2 - My electrical company (with prices equivalent to other companies) is 100% renewable energy, yes, you can choose to have that even here in Texas; 3 - My car makes 40 miles/gallon and was not overpriced; 4 - Whenever I can choose, I choose things with less impact. I am sure we would be headed to a much brighter future if people followed those simple steps.

 

[T Diddy]

No offense Hippie, but I don't think it would matter if I told you that I had a dual PHD in Marine Biology and Climatology with an emphasis on invertebrate morphology. If you must know, I have done a bit of marine field research and am named in several published aquatics studies, as well as having taught Biology/Physics/Environmental Science for years.

 

[T Diddy]

By the way, did you know that a Honda civic hybrid is cheaper than an F-150? What am I doing you ask? 1- I have overpriced bulbs in my house that consume less electricity (but I am sure they would be a lot cheaper if more ppl bought them); 2 - My electrical company (with prices equivalent to other companies) is 100% renewable energy, yes, you can choose to have that even here in Texas; 3 - My car makes 40 miles/gallon and was not overpriced; 4 - Whenever I can choose, I choose things with less impact. I am sure we would be headed to a much brighter future if people followed those simple steps.

Please tell me more about this renewable energy

 

[Luiz Rocha]

Please tell me more about this renewable energy

Several companies now provide energy plans that include wind/solar energy. My plan is 100% wind generated energy, 1.4 cents/kw more expensive than the coal (non-renewable) energy plan.

 

[HippieSmell]

No offense Hippie, but I don't think it would matter if I told you that I had a dual PHD in Marine Biology and Climatology with an emphasis on invertebrate morphology. If you must know, I have done a bit of marine field research and am named in several published aquatics studies, as well as having taught Biology/Physics/Environmental Science for years.

To be fair, I never said your background mattered. You did.

 

[T Diddy]

Hippie,

I only brought it up because another poster assumed that I subscribed to junk science blogs and fox news. My original point was only to say that humans have not monitored or recorded weather, climate change, or reef health for long enough to say what is normal and what is not.

 

[HippieSmell]

Fair enough. But I don't think that doing a little field research and being a high school teacher (just a guess) makes you "more than qualified to speak to these issues". Just sayin.

 

[jjsan]

Does the Philippines still use cyanide to catch their fishes?

It is sad to see so many of these corals dying or bleaching.

 

[T Diddy]

It is sad to see so many of these corals dying or bleaching.

I concur

 

[GhostCon1]

Fair enough. But I don't think that doing a little field research and being a high school teacher (just a guess) makes you "more than qualified to speak to these issues". Just sayin.

Just pointing something out, usually one that has gone through the education to obtain a PhD., does not teach at the high school level.

 

[HippieSmell]

Just pointing something out, usually one that has gone through the education to obtain a PhD., does not teach at the high school level.

He didn't say he had a PhD. At least that's not how I took it. PhD holders don't teach Biology/Physics/Environmental Science.

 

[T Diddy]

Perhaps some of us have never been to high school or college, but teaching facilities at all levels prefer to have educated educators educating students about educational subjects including, but not limited to...Biology, Physics, and Environmental Science. Some actually teach other ridiculous subjects like Marketing, Psychology, and "Art". I apologize to the OP here once again...

Lesson learned here is this:

It is not safe to talk about politics, religion, or reef bleaching.

 

[HippieSmell]

Perhaps some of us have never been to high school or college, but teaching facilities at all levels prefer to have educated educators educating students about educational subjects including, but not limited to...Biology, Physics, and Environmental Science. Some actually teach other ridiculous subjects like Marketing, Psychology, and "Art". I apologize to the OP here once again...

So, you are a high school teacher. That's fine, I'm not trying to diminish the value of your job. But, to be brutally honest, that doesn't make you "more than qualified" to talk about reef bleaching and the relationship to global warming.

Having said that, this is an internet reef keeping forum, not the IPCC, so don't let me stop you from saying what you want.

 

[T Diddy]

So, you are a high school teacher. That's fine, I'm not trying to diminish the value of your job. But, to be brutally honest, that doesn't make you "more than qualified" to talk about reef bleaching and the relationship to global warming.

Having said that, this is an internet reef keeping forum, not the IPCC, so don't let me stop you from saying what you want.

I should hope that you are not diminishing the value of a teacher. Teachers, especially the educated ones, and the ones who know a great deal about the subjects they teach, are irreplaceable individuals. Some how I feel that you, Hippie, were (are) the type of student that teachers love and loath at the same time...vocal enough to speak your mind, but a little too hostile and cynical for anyone to take seriously. What if anything does someone like you suggest I am qualified to speak to? What if anything, are YOU qualified to speak to?

As you mentioned, this is a reef keeping forum, and I thought that the topics posted here were in deed up for discussion...I tried to innocently post another possibility as opposed to swallowing the "evil oil empire" pill. Once again, my apologies to the OP

 

[HippieSmell]

Hippie, were (are) the type of student that teachers love and loath at the same time...vocal enough to speak your mind, but a little too hostile and cynical for anyone to take seriously. What if anything does someone like you suggest I am qualified to speak to?

Thanks for the psychoanalysis; I'll refrain from doing the same for your sake.

What do I think you're qualified to speak about? Methods of teaching high school students.

 

[T Diddy]

btw, I don't know enough about different teaching methodologies to speak about the subject. You'd have to find someone with a PhD in education to do that. Much like this forum, the best and worst thing about public education is that everyone is welcome. My apologies once again to the OP

 

[curlykid]

I read that there's some sort of tie between coral reefs and precipitation. I believe it was from the University of Hawaii. So: no reefs = no rain = no water = no humans = fail.

 

[HippieSmell]

Much like this forum, the best and worst thing about public education is that everyone is welcome.

Yeah, it's too bad poor kids can get an education. Public schools should be able to discriminate as much as private ones.

I'm sorry you feel so unwelcome here. I was just curious as to why you were so qualified to talk about this subject. I didn't mean to open any wounds or make you feel insecure about your education.

 

[49.35 North]

C'MON Guys! :beer:

At any rate, what do you guys suggest that we as a global community do to curb the effects of these greenhouse gases and global warming?

One of the challenges of climate change is that it is the mother of all collective action problems. No one - not even the most profligate user of energy - can solve the problem by himself, yet if we don't all take action individually we are going to create some very nasty problems for ourselves. Unfortunately, the death of the world's reefs may be relatively minor compared to some of the other consequences.

So what can we do as a global community? Use less energy. Trade in the F-150, as a start. You may have a real need for a pick up and I apologize if you're a farmer or a contractor, but most people who drive them don't. If you don't like hybrids - and I don't - buy a small diesel. You'll get almost hybrid-level emissions (and fuel economy) and have a much more useful and a much safer vehicle.

Switch your tank to LEDs.

Do everything that's cost effective to make your house energy efficient, then pretend your electricity and gas costs are twice as high as they actually are and make the energy-saving investments that are cost effective at those prices.

Buy a bike. Walk.

Most important, tell your political representative that you think global warming is a serious problem and you want your government, wherever it is, to put in place serious policies to deal with it. IMHO that means a carbon tax with offsetting reductions in income taxes. Your energy prices might double, but you've already made the investments in your home and car to deal with that, and you'll get a nice reduction in your income tax bill.

 

[T Diddy]

Yeah, it's too bad poor kids can get an education. Public schools should be able to discriminate as much as private ones.

I'm sorry you feel so unwelcome here. I was just curious as to why you were so qualified to talk about this subject. I didn't mean to open any wounds or make you feel insecure about your education.

No open wounds here, and no insecurities...no hard feelings either. I am however done with this one sided argument. Feel free to continue on the Lounge. Enough damage has been done to the OP's thread.