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DEFENDING OUR OCEANS
By Murray Rankin, MP. Victoria
First published in Oak Bay News, April 4
http://www.orcanetwork.org/nathist/salishorcas1.html
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Spanning three oceans, Canada’s coastline is the longest in the world. Sadly, our oceans are increasingly threatened by rising temperatures, acidification and pollution. The impacts on humans, wildlife and the environment could be disastrous.
The University of Victoria’s Ocean NetworksCanada monitorsthe country’s coaststo gather real-time data for scientific research. This research helps communities, governments and industries make informed, evidence-based decisions to promotebetter ocean management, disaster mitigation and environmental protection.
While we know that human activity has already caused significant changes in our oceans, important questions remain unanswered. How will marine ecosystems respond to increasing ocean acidification? How does the depletion of oxygen in coastal waters affect ecosystem services? What are the long-term effects of marine plastic pollution? These are of the questions Canadians need to address. Thankfully, organizations like ONC are working to answer them.
One concern right here at home is plastic pollution. A recent report by UVic's Environmental Law Centre revealed that there are over 3,000 particles of plastics per cubic metre of seawater in the Strait of Georgia. It’s estimated that 90 percent of seabirds have plastic in their stomachs. Research like this has a big impact. In 2015, one of my NDP colleagues, Brian Masse, introduced a motion to ban harmful plastic microbeads in consumer products. I'm pleased to say that after years of effort that ban will go into effect on July 1 this year.
Plastic microbeads are just one of many pollutants that find their way into our oceans, but they're a good example of how scientific research and evidence-based decision making can yield progress.
Unfortunately, a larger threat is looming. Despite the risks and against public opposition, thePrime Ministeris still championing theKinder MorganTrans Mountain oil pipeline and tanker project as being in the “national interest.” I fail to see how it can be in the national interest to retain the Harper government's emissions targets, refuse to adequately consider the project's upstream and downstream impacts, and dismiss the environmental and economic disaster that our coast would suffer in the wake of a major spill from a bitumen tanker.
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