George Sranko - Speaker

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Climate Change resource

In my lectures, I try to give folks some insights into the massive changes we're seeing in the oceans, such as rising seas and acidification, and weather conditions around the planet. One excellent resource is available online at the Guardian website: the ultimate climate change FAQ.

http://www.theguardian.com/environment/series/the-ultimate-climate-change-faq

As far as economics are concerned, here's the conclusion of one of the most recent articles:

It's important to understand that our choices aren't to either reduce carbon emissions or to do nothing. Our options are to either reduce carbon emissions or to continue with business-as-usual emissions that will cause accelerating climate change and damage costs beyond what we can accurately estimate. From an economic perspective, and from a risk management perspective, this should be a no-brainer. As economist Paul Krugman put it,

"So is the climate threat solved? Well, it should be. The science is solid; the technology is there; the economics look far more favorable than anyone expected. All that stands in the way of saving the planet is a combination of ignorance, prejudice and vested interests. What could go wrong?"

Japanese Fish Market & Squid sashimi

Just returned from a cruise lecturing aboard the ms Volendam, from Yokohama to Vancouver, via Hokkaido and Alaska.

The fish market in Hakodate, Hokkaido was amazing! Crabs, including King Crab, and fish of all sizes... and live squid...

King Crab in fish market, Hakodate, Hokkaido, Japan

Crabs galore in the various tanks

Jigging for Live Squid at the fish market

Squid in that tank do not have a bright future!! Once caught they are quickly turned into sashimi on the spot. Good thing this is a relatively sustainable fishery! I for one am not a big fan of squid sashimi... I prefer not to look my lunch directly in the eyeballs!

I prefer my squid nicely grilled on a skewer... thank you!

Monday, December 30, 2013

Galapagos Adventure in December

Blue-footed Boobies -- native to the Galapagos (but not endemic)

Galapagos Hawk

Galapagos Flightless Cormorant

Flightless cormorant drying wings

Marine Iguana sunning

On a recent trip to the Galapagos Islands we had some wonderful experiences with the endemic wildlife, such as the Galapagos Tortoise, Marine Iguana, and Flightless Cormorant. Endemic means that a particular species is found here and nowhere else on the planet, having evolved to form a distinct species. The amazing part about the Galapagos is that these animals have been isolated for millions of years without human contact; consequently they've evolved without an instinctive fear of humans. Some creatures in other parts of the world can lose a certain amount of fear with regard to humans based on their personal experience... however the difference is that instinctive fear is still present and always will be.

This difference makes the Galapagos a particularly fascinating place to experience wildlife!

Galapagos Sea Lions & curious primates

Marine Iguanas, Galapagos Sea Lions, and Galapagos Tortoises watched our activities with curiosity at times, but mostly with total disregard. They did not seem too keen to move off the path in fact!


Marine Iguanas are ubiquitous along the coastline in the Galapagos and come in all sizes - these ones are quite young and still handsome!

This is an older male strutting his stuff... and it turns out his "opponent" is a lady!

The Galapagos Tortoise

These are the creatures that Darwin made famous. Each island has its own distinct subspecies.

Diego, super dad to over one thousand little Espanola tortoises

The Charles Darwin Research Station in Puerto Ayora is a great place to learn about the Galapagos Tortoise. The Española tortoises were in critical danger in the 1960’s, when all living Española tortoises, 2 males and 12 females, were brought to the research station for protection. Diego arrived from the San Diego zoo in 1977, where he had spent decades. Diego is over 130 years old!! Diego has a long neck because the Espanola subspecies evolved to feed on tall Opuntia cactus -- which grew tall to keep out of reach of the tortoises with long necks... Which came first? the tall cactus or the long-necked tortoise...? -- answer: they evolved together. After all, it was Darwin who wrote:

"It is not the strongest of the species that survives,
nor the most intelligent that survives.
It is the one that is the most adaptable to change."
-- Charles Darwin

Given our track record with the environment this seems prescient!

Are we smart enough as a species to change our ways?

It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change.

Charles Darwin