Whither ocean ethics?
Wallace, Richard
Hello friends and colleagues,
Or maybe that should be “ocean ethics wither.”
Snark aside, I write to share a recent publication that I hope will be of general interest. My colleagues Sherryl Gilbert (University of South Florida) and the late John Reynolds (formerly of Mote Marine Laboratory and former chair of the U.S. Marine Mammal Commission) spent a number of years analyzing the research and restoration community that grew out of the Deepwater Horizon disaster. We were looking for lessons learned from the billions of dollars worth of research and restoration that has been undertaken or budgeted for since the spill. In the end, what we found was the unceasing pressure created by the neoliberal/late-capitalist paradigm that has, for the most part, paralyzed our ability to care meaningfully for the oceans and coastal zones whenever oil and gas is present. That pressure, combined with an unfortunate reticence by members of the scientific community to act as strong, outspoken advocates for marine conservation, has slowed and starved progress toward ocean conservation.
The resulting article, a forum piece in the journal BioScience, is entitled “Improving the integration of restoration and conservation in marine and coastal ecosystems: Lessons from the Deepwater Horizon disaster.” It published last month, is open access, and is available here: https://doi.org/10.1093/biosci/biz103.
Though it may seem pie-in-the-sky to pit calls for an ocean ethic against the neoliberal forces of oil and gas exploration, our late colleague John was forever optimistic about soldiering on, despite the odds. We honor and remember him with this publication and hope that it contributes to further consideration of the values and advocacy needed to protect our marine and coastal species and ecosystems.
Sincerely,
Rich Wallace
--
Richard L. Wallace, Ph.D.
Pronouns: He/Him/His
Professor, Department of Environmental Studies
Director, Food Studies Program
Co-Director, Whittaker Environmental Research Station
Ursinus College
Collegeville, PA
https://www.ursinus.edu/live/profiles/103-richard-wallace
and
Educator-in-Residence
Northern Rockies Conservation Cooperative
Jackson, WY
P Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail.