fbpixel mission blue Archives - Page 35 of 52 - Mission Blue

Blog Archives
Skeletons Enmeshed in Plastic Pollution Descend on Barcelona

Mission Blue is proud to join the Plastic Pollution Coalition (PPC) in sponsoring a plastic art exhibit in Barcelona’s metro and airport. The name of the remarkable installation is Vida Tóxica (Toxic Life) and it was created by Catalan artist Alvaro Soler Arpa to present the issue of global plastic pollution to the millions of travelers who pass through Barcelona. With a total of fourteen sculptures created with bones and plastic waste, Mr. Arpa emphasizes the human impact of runaway plastic pollution on ecosystems and individual animals. Approximately eight million tons of plastic are dumped in the ocean each year, making marine plastic pollution a major issue that impacts animals across the food chain, from whales to zooplankton.
The sculptures are the result of a painstaking process.…

Posted in .Homepage, Featured, mission blue |

3 Comments
Oldest known bird in the wild hatches healthy chick at Midway Atoll

Wisdom’s chick hatches at Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge!
Originally published Feb 8, 2016 by USFWS Pacific Region.
PRESS CONTACT: Ann Bell | (808) 954-4814 |  

The oldest known bird in the wild, a Laysan albatross named Wisdom – at least 65 years old – is a mother again at Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge, part of Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument. The chick was observed still coming out of its shell on February 1, 2016 and days later was named Kūkini, which is a Hawaiian word for messenger. Wisdom’s mate had been on the nest since January 20 when he took over incubation duties while Wisdom headed out to sea.  Wisdom returned just as the Super Bowl ended yesterday with her belly full.  …

Posted in Featured, mission blue |

7 Comments
Museo Atlantico: New Underwater Museum in Lanzarote, Spain

Jason deCaires Taylor installs the first phase of sculptures in Museo Atlantico, the first underwater contemporary art museum in Europe and the Atlantic Ocean. Situated in clear blue waters off the coast of Lanzarote, Spain, the unique, permanent installation is constructed 14m beneath the surface, accessible to snorkelers and divers. The Museum will be open to visitors from the 25th of February 2016.
(click images for further galleries)
Raft of Lampedusa: a harrowing depiction of the ongoing humanitarian crisis, referencing French Romantic painter Théodore Géricault’s work: The Raft of the Medusa. Drawing parallels between the abandonment suffered by sailors in his shipwreck scene and the current refugee crisis, the work is not intended as a tribute or memorial to the many lives lost but as a stark reminder of the collective responsibiliy of our now global community.…

Posted in Featured, mission blue |

1 Comment
The Island President Released From Prison to the UK

If you’re planning on booking that next dive trip to the Maldives, you may want to think twice. Human rights abuses there are on the rise.
“I think it’s important for tourists to know the facts of what’s happening in the Maldives,” human rights lawyer Amal Cooney recently said to NBC News. “I don’t think people realize that there’s a flogging taking place a kilometer away when they’re sunbathing in their resort. Democracy is dead in the Maldives. I mean literally, if there were an election now there would be no one to run against the president. Every opposition leader is either behind bars or being pursed by the government through the courts.”

One such opposition leader is Mohamed Nasheed, the first democratically elected president of the Maldives and international champion of climate change action, who was ousted as president of the Maldives in 2012 and jailed on what Mrs. …

Posted in .Homepage, Featured, mission blue |

Leave a comment
A New Years Resolution for the Climate

By Courtney Mattison

The dust has settled following the momentous COP21 climate summit in Paris last month, and now the real work begins. Ministers from nearly 200 countries have voluntarily committed to scale up the global response to climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions, backing sustainable development and renewable energy projects, working to eradicate poverty in areas threatened by the effects of climate change, and ratchet up those efforts over time. The 32-page COP21 Paris Agreement even recognizes the ocean—a key driver of climate and weather covering 71 percent of our planet—as an important ecosystem to protect despite the fact that the ocean was not included in the COP21 agenda. What happens next is as important as what has been agreed.…

Posted in Featured, mission blue |

Leave a comment
Help Mission Blue Ring In the New Year!

Did you know that in the last 18 months more than 1.5 million square miles of ocean have been fully protected? That’s 62% of the fully protected areas that exist on the planet.
Take, for example, New Zealand’s Kermadec Trench. As of this year, this Mission Blue Hope Spot now contains a full 239,000 square miles of marine reserve. The fascinating critters in this deep, unexplored region are surely dancing a salty jig!

Friends, the global call for marine protected areas – Hope Spots! – is bearing fruit. Every new square mile of ocean that gains protection is the work of many organizations, governments and passionate individuals. We are so proud to be part of this chorus for the blue planet.…

Posted in Featured, mission blue |

1 Comment
Chesapeake Bay Suffers From Menhaden Reduction Industry

Chesapeake Bay is fished by industrial fishing boats that hoover up billions of menhaden into their holds and transport them to a local facility where they are ground up for applications such as fertilizer, dog food and omega-3 fish oil supplements. This is known as the menhaden reduction industry, and it accounts for 80% of the menhaden catch in the Atlantic. The health benefits claimed by fish oil companies are not supported by research.

Omega Protein (NYSE: OME), a company based out of Houston, dominates the menhaden reduction industry, taking the majority of the Atlantic Menhaden catch and operating the only processing facility on the East Coast, which is located in Reedville, Virginia.
If you’re thinking there may be some environmental collateral damage from the industrial fishing of menhaden, you are right. …

Posted in Featured, mission blue |

19 Comments
Weaving a Tapestry of Hope for Ocean and Earth

By Courtney Mattison

Negotiations at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP21) in Paris are culminating as ministers from nearly 200 countries work tirelessly to finalize an agreement that will influence the future of life on Earth. These high-level meetings on strategies to curb greenhouse gas emissions and enable poor countries to adapt to the impacts of global warming are occurring amid a profusion of public events that has sprung up throughout Paris aimed at inspiring decision makers to act urgently and comprehensively to craft an agreement strict enough to drastically limit the harmful effects of climate change and ratchet up those commitments over time. Among the world-renowned environmental advocates in attendance is Mission Blue founder and National Geographic Society Explorer-in-Residence Dr.…

Posted in Featured, mission blue |

1 Comment
Sylvia Earle & Jane Goodall Create Tapestry of Hope

Mission Blue founder and National Geographic Society Explorer-in-Residence Dr. Sylvia Earle visited the Petit Palais in Paris on Monday, presenting alongside legendary primatologist Dr. Jane Goodall about their message of hope for the planet and the launch of their new map created by Esri called the Tapestry of Hope. Together with a coalition of other experts, advocates, and CEOs, Drs. Earle and Goodall are participating in “Earth to Paris—Le Hub”— a high impact, global, multilingual event held during the COP21 summit to discuss creative and impactful climate solutions to inspire bold, meaningful action for people and the planet.
Watch the video of the Earth to Paris event below. Drs. Earle and Goodall go on stage at 01:09:26. Find the full lineup of presenters and the video in other languages at www.earthtoparis.org/event.

 
Tapestry of Hope
With generous support from Esri, the Jane Goodall Institute and Mission Blue are pleased to announce the launch of the Tapestry of Hope.…

Posted in Featured, mission blue, Partner Stories |

4 Comments
Climate Change Movies to Watch

The COP21 climate negotiations in Paris are rallying people around the globe to help solve global warming and adapt to its impacts. Among the world leaders gathering in Paris, however, there is a notable absence: former Maldivian President Mohamed Nasheed is behind bars, being held as a political prisoner by his own country. World-famous as the Island President, Nasheed had a profound impact on the COP15 conference in Copenhagen six years ago, during which he represented island nations threatened by sea level rise as an ambassador for the Climate Vulnerable Forum. On November 30th author, climate activist and 350.org founder Bill McKibben called Nasheed a true climate leader in the Guardian:
Six years ago today [Nasheed] was the first head of state to arrive, and he went straight from the airport to a packed meeting hall where he led a giant crowd in chant after chant.…

Posted in Featured, mission blue |

1 Comment