The ocean isn’t healthy. It’s filled with plastic, coral reefs are shrinking and sea levels are rising. But there are so many negative sounding facts and figures that it’s hard to put it all into perspective, which is why the New England Aquarium, Conservation International, and the National Geographic Society are teaming together to develop the Ocean Health Index.
From the Boston Globe:
Calculated annually, the index will comprise about 40 measures, which are being selected and weighted to represent the most critical factors affecting ocean health, including overfishing, climate change, habitat destruction, pollution, and invasive plant and animal species. The final score will be on a scale from 1 to 100. The OHI will evaluate the oceans’ status at the global level but also report on regional coastal areas that offer enough test data, such as the Gulf of Maine or the Mediterranean Sea.
The overall OHI score will resemble the grade-point average on a report card, but there will also be scores in those 40 measurement categories relative to performance goals established by the index team, and they’ll be mapped and color-coded so people can understand which areas are particularly troublesome and which reflect progress. Those numbers will be similar to grades for individual classes and should assist agencies and councils at the international, federal, and local levels to assess whether any actions taken to address harmful trends are producing results. Over time, the numbers will, in turn, enable the public to determine whether these ocean managers are fulfilling their responsibilities, and whether society’s investment in ocean health is paying dividends.
More here.
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This is a clear trend, banning plastic bottles to help the environment has been the talk of the media lately, good that we are getting perspective for those of us who are unaware of the depth of the problem…