Dark Side of The Ocean: The Destruction of Our Seas, Why It Matters, and What We Can Do About It

by Albert Btes

Ocean biodiversity is being decimated on par with the fastest rates of rain forest destruction. More than 80 percent of pollutants in the oceans come from sewage and other land-based runoff (some of it radioactive). The rest is created by waste dumped by commercial and recreational vessels. In many areas and for many fish stocks, there are no conservation or management measures existing or even planned. Climate author Albert Bates explains how ocean life maintains adequate oxygen levels, prevents erosion from storms, and sustains a vital food source that factory-fishing operations cannot match--and why that should matter to all of us, whether we live near the ocean or not. Bates presents innovative companies and organizations working to change the human impact on marine reserves, improve ocean permaculture, and put the brakes on the ocean heat waves that destroy sea life and imperil human habitation at the ocean's edge. Along with eye-opening revelations of serious environmental concerns, The Dark Side of the Ocean conveys a deep appreciation for the fragile nature of the ocean's majesty and compels us to act now to preserve it. We can make a difference.

Genres: Nature

221 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 12, 2020

Reviews

[Grady · Rating 5 out of 5]

‘It is not too late to stop the worst if we can act quickly enough’

Environmentalist author Albert Bates is a former attorney, paramedic, aid worker, natural builder, and educator. His many published books on climate, history, and ecology include TAMING PLASTIC: STOP THE POLLUTION, TRANSFORMING PLASTIC: FROM POLLUTION TO EVOLUTION, BURN: USING FIRE TO COOL THE EARTH, THE BIOCHAR SOLUTION: CARBON FARMING AND CLIMATE, and his highly awarded and prescient book CLIMATE IN CRISIS. He is also the director of the Global Village Institute for Appropriate Technology and an advisor to foundations and governments on applying regenerative design to reverse climate change.

Advice from a renowned expert such as Albert Bates is made even more accessible in this beautifully designed book by his quality of using the personal approach: ‘I am fortunate these days to find myself in a place where I can swim every day. I head offshore about 250 yards and then paddle along, parallel to the beach for a quarter mile, before returning to where I started. Tucked inside the great Mesoamerican Reef, the shallow turquoise waters in this part of the world are unusually safe from sharks and jellyfish. The waves are calmer, making swimming easier on this old body. We are of the oceans, you and I…’ Creating this scenic and pastoral atmosphere makes his plea for preserving the oceans both personal as well as globally ecologically important.

Bates breaks down the constituents of the problem of ocean preservation in a most accessible manner. He details the ongoing onslaught being perpetrated against every aspect of ocean life and its long-reaching impact on humanity. He explains how the growth of technology over the past century has backfired our ability to interact with the ocean without causing irreparable harm. With the media focused on the hurricane destruction here in the US and abroad and the news from Greenland and the Antarctica about the melting icebergs of ocean heat waves and altered sea life populations etc bring his message front and center. But aside from these events, Bates addresses the pollution that is occurring – pesticides, fertilizers, pharmaceuticals, sewage, industrial wastes, overfishing, damage to coral reefs and kelp forests – things we can alter with some courage and correct directing to regenerate marine ecosystems.

Underlining his appreciation for the miracle of nature, Bates offers hope that some of the ongoing changes can be possible. His wisdom is profound: his call to action is clarion. Climate change IS occurring, and we must respond! Highly recommended

[Sunhawk · Rating 4 out of 5]

We are lucky: we live with the ocean every day. For too many folks, "ocean" means the canned tuna or, best case, clam chowder or lox they eat, yet Bates, an accomplished environmentalist and seeker of ways for Homo sapiens to get ourselves over the looming wall of climate change, examines at length the fact that 70% of the Earth's surface, and all of the most essential solvent (water) is in deep trouble. After cataloging the abuse, surprisingly, Bates offers considerable hope.
There seems to be a new trend in environmental "literature" (and I include videos like Nature in the genre): while acknowledging the overrun and willful neglect, and accepting the fact that even if we stopped burning carbon tomorrow, temperatures and sea levels will still be going up 100 years from now, the last few chapters or segments point to the good works of the few who recognized the problem decades ago and are making progress, often in small ways, to preserve their little patches.
This is one of the books I wish I could force the decision makers to read. It's full of fact and explanation, and just might jar enough of them (you?) loose from their presbyopia that sensible steps could be taken on a global scale.