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There are nearly 150 oxygen-starved or "dead zones" in the world’s oceans and seas, a new report by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) shows.

These ‘dead zones’ are linked to an excess of nutrients, mainly nitrogen, that originate from agricultural fertilizers, vehicle and factory emissions and wastes. Low levels of oxygen in the water make it difficult for fish, oysters and other marine creatures to survive as well as important habitats such as sea grass beds.

Klaus Toepfer, UNEP’s Executive Director, said: "humankind is engaged in a gigantic, global, experiment as a result of the inefficient and often over-use of fertilizers, the discharge of untreated sewage and the ever rising emissions from vehicles and factories. Some of these so called dead zones are up to 70,000 square kilometres."

Some of the earliest recorded dead zones were in places like Chesapeake Bay in the United States, the Baltic Sea, the Kattegat, the Black Sea and the northern Adriatic Sea. Others have been reported in Scandinavian fjords. The most well known area of depleted oxygen is in the Gulf of Mexico. Its occurrence is directly linked to nutrients or fertilizers brought to the Gulf by the Mississippi River.

Others have been appearing off South America, China, Japan, south east Australia and New Zealand.

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Originally posted by Lizard Breath:
Anyone want to start a pool on how long before we're all extinct?

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Screw it.

I don't understand why people aren't more horrified by news like this. There's only one ocean. We ought to recognize that these dead zones are just the beginning. They're seeds for a completely dead ocean. Especially if we don't change our sewage and fertilizing habits right away, and start work on reclaiming these parts of the ocean as much as is possible.

But that's never going to happen because everyone in Government is a slave to everyone in big business who is a slave to their profit margins and so we're all doomed.

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There's only one ocean.

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They're seeds for a completely dead ocean.

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And you aint rich, bubba.

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Klaus Toepfer, UNEP’s Executive Director, said: "humankind is engaged in a gigantic, global, experiment as a result of the inefficient and often over-use of fertilizers, the discharge of untreated sewage and the ever rising emissions from vehicles and factories.

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what depresses me is that i've lost count of the "gigantic, global experiments" that could have potentially damaging (and overlapping) long term effects:

[ 31 March 2004: Message edited by: Lizard Breath ]

Also, the hog farms in North Carolina and Alberta and elsewhere, or generally all industrial farming (including fish farms).

And our overdependence and blind reliance on the fossil fuel-powered vehicle in its many forms, from cars and trucks to planes and ships. (and don't forget the crap that the ships drop into the ocean!).

We should also probably count modern warfare, with the great explosions, the dirty bombs, and the chemical and biological warfare...

And then there's the craze for completely disposable consumer goods to meet every "need"...coupled with our penchant for incinerating or just burying our trash--when we're not throwing it into the ocean.

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We're the dumbest animals that ever walked this earth, and we may well be the last.

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