Over 2/3 of the planet is covered by water. Environmental arguments are ubiquitous in this day and age, but one thing almost everyone can agree upon is that our oceans are very sorry shape indeed. Just look at the continent-sized ring of trash in the Pacific Ocean.
Many countries are acting to clean up and protect their coasts, but world leaders are proposing further measure. Namely, marine planning and zoning.
It's basically applying urban planning to water. As the SciAm article points out, "porn shops aren't next to preschools... and drilling rigs aren't the centerpieces of national parks."
Basically, various areas of the seas are designated for a specific purpose such as drilling or fishing.
But one of the problems is lack of oversight.
"In the US for example, one body regulates commercial fishing, usually a single species at a time. Another group manages toxic substances, still another mining, and so on - some 20 federal agencies in all. They tend to make decisions without regard to what the others are doing."
The primary obstacle I can see is policing this. There's a lot of ocean out there. But hopefully most companies can be trusted to follow the boundaries simply because there is so much area to work with.
Duke University marine ecologist says, "We have to treat the oceans holistically, not one system at a time."
Many countries are acting to clean up and protect their coasts, but world leaders are proposing further measure. Namely, marine planning and zoning.
It's basically applying urban planning to water. As the SciAm article points out, "porn shops aren't next to preschools... and drilling rigs aren't the centerpieces of national parks."
Basically, various areas of the seas are designated for a specific purpose such as drilling or fishing.
But one of the problems is lack of oversight.
"In the US for example, one body regulates commercial fishing, usually a single species at a time. Another group manages toxic substances, still another mining, and so on - some 20 federal agencies in all. They tend to make decisions without regard to what the others are doing."
The primary obstacle I can see is policing this. There's a lot of ocean out there. But hopefully most companies can be trusted to follow the boundaries simply because there is so much area to work with.
Duke University marine ecologist says, "We have to treat the oceans holistically, not one system at a time."
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