The ocean was the hottest ever recorded last year according to a report from a team of international scientists. Half the world’s oceans may experience marine heat waves by September according to NOAA. July 4 was the hottest day in our blue planet’s recorded history. Those findings are alarming but not surprising given that the […]
An Ocean Film Festival for an Ocean in Trouble
Not surprisingly San Francisco Bay is home to the largest ocean film festival in the world, one that mixes wonder and warning. But the warnings are growing louder. There’s a documentary on deep sea mining slated for the Pacific with Jason Momoa, another on plastic pollution narrated by actor Tim Robbin, also a film on […]
Louisiana Is Starting to Rise Up Against Big Oil
The Obama administration held its biggest oil lease sale yet—and then the protesters showed up. By David Helvarg I’ve seen Louisiana and the Gulf devastated and drowned after Katrina, and I’ve seen it in a froth of anger and confusion following the BP blowout and months-long Deepwater oil spill. When I asked one shrimper […]
The Shifting Politics of Offshore Drilling
When it comes to offshore oil and gas drilling, a politician’s party affiliation is normally a good indicator of his or her views on this controversial issue. For the most part, Republicans support drilling in U.S. waters. More often than not, Democrats (at least outside of Louisiana) are skeptical of, or outright opposed to, more […]
Always Ready: The U.S. Coast Guard Diving Program
“My umbilical is stuck,” MK1 Michael Pearsall reports. “Primary banks going down,” DV1 Geri Cabrera says from where she’s monitoring her fellow diver’s air, communications and depth on the XLDS (Extreme Lightweight Diving System). We’re on a Coast Guard pier in Alameda, Calif. It’s a hot, clear day, and we can see his bubbles about […]