Friday, November 25th, 2016
Stephan: If you read me regularly you know my views on wellbeing, and that I think the function of the state is to foster and support wellbeing from the individual, to the family, community, state, nation, and planet. From 25 years of research I have developed the Theorem of Wellbeing, and the thing about the Theorem is that it has all kinds of unanticipated positive consequences. Why? The answer I think is because all life is interconnected and interdependent. Here is some very good news, and an illustration of what I mean. Now if we could control our greed and get smart enough to stop overfishing tuna before it goes extinct the news would be even better.
Species of Tuna
Want proof that reductions in coal burning are starting to make a difference? Look no further than the Atlantic bluefin tuna. A new study finds that the levels of mercury in these popular fish declined by about 19 percent between 2004 and 2012.
The toxic heavy metal is carried into the ocean by way of emissions from coal-burning power plants. Tuna sit at the top of the food chain, so their levels of mercury contamination build up to very high concentrations as they eat smaller fish over their long life spans. For decades, health officials have warned that tuna contained enough mercury that their consumption could cause health problems in humans, especially children and pregnant women.
Tuna still contains pretty high mercury levels, the study found, so those health risks have not vanished. They have, however, slightly lessened.
The study’s senior author, Nicholas Fisher of the State University of New York at Stony Brook, said tuna is the “largest pathway for mercury exposure […]
I have worked as a contractor at coal fired, nuclear and cogeneration plants as well as commercial solar pronects. Coal plants are a dirty, awful polluting mess and absolutely contribute mercury poison that ends up everywhere. It is inexcusable way to generate electricity. I do not agree that the role of government is wellbeing. Government is violence. Everything it does, even when it appears to be advocating, protecting or promoting wellbeing – is underlied by threat of violence or actual violence. This fact is inescapable. Good article.