General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsCan I ask a question here? What in the world in going on in Florida with all the dead marine llife?
I keep seeing memes on Facebook and other sites, but there's never an explanation?
Thousands and thousands of fish and manatees, too
NCTraveler
(30,481 posts)Big sugar is having a devastating impact. It's what is getting the manatee's and destroying a lot of our waterways. Second is a direct result of global warming and big sugar. Red Tide is increasing in scope and scale.
Much of the hell big sugar is having on our waterways is being written off as red tide.
How the runoff from big sugar is being diverted is devastating. Much from releases from Lake Okeechobee discharge. Green slime and red tide are two different beasts. Yet they both hate wildlife and the rest of the environment.
atreides1
(16,079 posts)CatWoman
(79,302 posts)before I clicked on the link.
Thanks.
Aristus
(66,377 posts)After all, a clean planet is Item One on the socialist agenda...
The Velveteen Ocelot
(115,704 posts)MineralMan
(146,311 posts)It's worse than ever this year, in part because they have diverted the outflow from Lake Okeechobee to run straight to the Atlantic and Gulf, rather than being dispersed widely via the Everglades.
So, massive amounts of nutrients from farming are flowing into the Atlantic and Gulf and feeding the organisms that result in the toxic bloom.
Stupidity is why, along with global climate change to add to the stress on the environment.
hatrack
(59,587 posts)The "algae" is actually a bacterial bloom.
Both are toxic to sea life - fish, marine mammals, shellfish, everything - and as the blooms get bigger, they're getting worse.
Both are naturally occurring, but warming and outflow of ag wastewater, unregulated septic systems and a rainy summer are making things way worse than they would be otherwise.
In fact, it's gotten so bad that Rick Scott has been force to act as if he cares about environmental issues.
CatWoman
(79,302 posts)hatrack
(59,587 posts)And layoffs of 100s of employees - scientists, technicians, analysts. Remember that this is the guy who forbade the use of "global warming" and "climate change" in reports.
Now that the cheese has begun to bind (as in cancelled bookings, evaporating fishing charters, beaches covered in dead fish, dead turtles and the occasional dead manatee), he's got a lot of pissed-off voters and steamed business owners on his hands.
Gov. Gollum is trying to blame Bill Nelson, which could work, but hard to say. His own responsibility is substantially larger, I'd argue.
Blue_true
(31,261 posts)retread
(3,762 posts)Iggo
(47,552 posts)HopeAgain
(4,407 posts)Big sugar controls much of Florida politics.
beachbum bob
(10,437 posts)cwydro
(51,308 posts)Obama allowed it. Though I voted for him both times, Ill never forgive or forget that.
All it did was get the problem out of sight, which is what the oil companies wanted.
That stuff will kill forever.