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GLOBAL WARMING
opinion
Vote in favor of our eco-system The coral reefs have immense aesthetic value and are good for tourism, but do we have an existential reason to put any effort into reducing these effects? Absolutely. Coral reefs provide critical sea defenses In terms of damage, our coral reefs and against storms, flooding, and land erosion. Antarctic oceans have been among those When Hurricane Irma hit Cancun, the impact who have suffered the most due to the was equivalent to that of 2 Atomic bombs. effects of man-made climate change, However, if not for the coral reef cover to and there are many reasons as to why soften the blow, the impact likely would we should care. have been closer to 20. In his lecture on Nov. 30, 2018 entiAnd coral reefs are not the only ones tled “The coral reef: a model of a stable affected by ocean acidification as a result of insular community,” Dustin Kemp, Ph.D., of climate change. In his Nov. 26, 2018 lecture entiUAB Department of Biology spoke about Rose tled “Neighborhood impacts of climate change the current condition of our coral reefs. in Antarctica,” James McClintock, Ph.D., of UAB Among one of the oldest ecosystems on earth, Department of Biology impressed me with some coral reefs have suffered intense bleaching due to grave problems facing Antarctic oceans due to ocean acidification caused by climate change. man-made climate change. This coral bleaching is caused by warmer temThere has been a dramatic glacier peratures which kill off single-celled algae called recession in the last 50 years, and recently on July zooxanthellae, with which the coral has a symbiotic 12. 2017, an ice shelf broke off and became one of relationship. the largest icebergs in history, with a whopping When this relationship breaks down, it leaves 5,700 km land mass, comparable to the size of Delthe coral vulnerable as photosynthetic pigments aware, according to NASA. reduce thus giving them their “bleached” appearSuch events mean that it is becoming increasance. As a result, the coral experience reduced ingly difficult for animals living on the Antarctic growth and higher vulnerability to degradation and peninsula to find food and shelter, as so much of disease. their previous hunting land is literally floating out into the ocean. The increasing temperatures have also caused land-faring Antarctic animals’ mating and nesting routines to become confused and disoriented. The Adélie penguin has suffered loss of young as eggs are placed in ice which melts uncharacteristically fast due to drastic changes in temperature trends, causing the eggs to drown. The reduction of biodiversity in Antarctic waters is just as much of an existential issue as is the reduction of coastal coral protection. In recent years, extraordinary progress in cancer research has been made as a result of studying the organisms which live in our deep, mysterious oceans. However, acidification and warming will cause a significant decrease in our ability experience and behold these new findings. Therefore, I think we have compelling reason to take action to reduce pollution and CO2 production in light of the damage it has done to our coral reefs and Antarctic oceans. We as a society should address this issue by
Parker Rose Opinion Columnist pdrose@uab.edu
acknowledging the fact that our reefs and oceans are not simply part the environment upon which we act and inflict harm or not-harm. We need to shift the rhetoric to show that reefs and oceans are members of our environment. They are living, breathing, sustaining things which have an effect on our lives in a more significant way than simply providing us with aesthetically pleasing scenery. We can’t make people care about things which they see as external and unchanging, but if we make it such that the conversation is not about the environment as an external being, but the environment as a pact with ourselves and our community, it becomes a more meaningful conversation. But even while changing our rhetoric is important, it’s also important to know that voting is a key aspect of how we will affect change in this world, and I’m not only talking about putting a ballot in box. You cast a vote every single day with what you buy and consume. Make sure you are doing so while keeping your fellow ecosystems in mind.
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