Alanna Mitchell, a Canadian author and journalist who specializes in global science issues, recently took some time to speak with Modern Hippie Mag about the state of our oceans as described in her latest book Seasick: The Hidden Crisis in the Global Ocean.
“Sea Sick is the first book to explain how the global ocean — 99 per cent of the planet’s living space — is undergoing vast chemical changes at the hand of man and why that matters.
In a nutshell, some of the carbon dioxide we are putting into the air by burning fossil fuels is being absorbed by the ocean. That reverts it to a state it has not been in for millions of years: more acid, warmer, and more prone to vast oxygen-deprived dead zones. At risk is the very structure of life in the ocean and therefore, on the planet as a whole.
Mitchell has traveled around the world to find the big picture and translate the science.
Alanna Mitchell
She snorkels on the Great Barrier Reef, signs on as a member of the scientific crew examining the huge “dead zone” in the Gulf of Mexico, traipses the beaches of Zanzibar to see how the world’s poor will make do without fish, witnesses a breathtaking once-a-year coral spawning in the waters off Panama, immerses herself in the fantastical world of plankton and the acidifying ocean. Ultimately, as you follow Mitchell on a terrifying voyage to the bottom of the ocean, you face your own fear and despair and discover hope.
This book will forever change the way you see your planet.”
Named the Best Environmental Journalist in the world by The World Conservation Union (IUCN) and the Reuters Foundation in 2000 and the winner of the 2008 Atkinson Fellowship in Journalism, Alanna brings a unique perspective and a very engaging podcast.
Steve
In addition to serving as Managing Editor and contributor to Modern Hippie Mag, Steve McAllister is an actor, musician, accomplished author and filmmaker. His most recent novel, The McAllister Code is available as an e-book at www.themcallistercode.com. Find Steve on Twitter, @InkenSoul. Read his reviews and articles here.
Over the past several years, computer science experts have become something of a digital detective. Site Photoshopped Image Killer has developed computer algorithms that can tease out the tiny flaws hidden in phony photos. Though there's no way to push a button and tell if a photo is real, there are tests run automatcally there to allow you to be pretty sure if it's a fake.
Wow, thats a ralely clever way of thinking about it!