By now you’ve probably seen one of the many articles we have posted about plastics, recycling, and the garbage problem that plagues the world’s oceans (if not, check them out 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7). Ocean pollution is obviously an issue that we here are UNdertheC are concerned about. Luckily, we aren’t the … Continue reading
If you have been following this blog, you have become familiar with a myriad of issues facing our oceans today: acidification, global warming, over fishing, ect. Yet, what is actually being done about it? While most of the environmental headlines have focused on the Paris talks, only recently has news coverage begun to highlight the … Continue reading
This article is a guest post by ODU undergradaute Ben Maxie. Ben works in the Barshis Lab and studies the evolution of stress tolerance in corals and other organisms. Despite an adverse but nonbinding vote by the International Whaling Commission (IWC), Japan has sent a whaling fleet south to Antarctica. The fleet left on December … Continue reading
Can corals survive climate change? This is a question on the minds of many environmentalists and researchers these days. The short answer is: probably, but coral reefs as we know them likely cannot. Every coral may not go extinct, but reefs are degrading and will continue to do so if the status quo is not … Continue reading
If you’re reading this blog, you have probably heard of the issue of overfishing. In sum, our appetite for seafood has grown larger than what the ocean can supply, and this ravenous demand has resulted in plummeting fish stocks. In fact, it has been estimated that we have reduced the populations of large ocean fish … Continue reading
We are exactly one month away from the ‘Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change’! That’s a mouthful. But what it really means is: the 2015 United Nations Climate Submit begins November 30th. Which is kind of a big deal and could finally (?) mean an international (and even … Continue reading
In economics, nothing is more alluring than being on the right side of the law of supply and demand. Today, owning copper, along with some other metals commonly used in electronic devices, is certainly being on the right side. Thus, any prospect of acquiring copper has the industrial sector simply drooling. And so, back in … Continue reading
Let’s start off with a little game of good news, not-so-good news. First, some good news: a recent survey released by the nonprofit foundation ClearPath reveals that the majority (~56%) of Republican voters, and even many of those that identify as conservative Republicans (~54%), accept that the climate is changing and that human activity is … Continue reading
It seems like I read an article about sexual harassment or under representation of women in STEM fields every day. Frankly, I’m tired of hearing about it. Not because I’m a sexist moron, but because every time I read one of these articles I get absurdly angry. I just don’t want this to be a … Continue reading
Pope Francis released an encyclical on the environment in June, and your first thought was probably, “Should I care?” Your second may have been, to quote 1920s presidential candidate Al Smith, “What the hell is an encyclical?” Quick answers: 1) yes, no matter who you are, and 2) read on. Let’s start with the basics, … Continue reading
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