Worrying about something different for a change

Having been pondering the economic crisis, global recession or depression, the return of mass unemployment, jobless bankers roaming the streets and all the rest, it almost makes a pleasant change to find something new to worry about.  How about the environment?

I've come across several items recently which have given me pause.

First, an interview with Chris Priest, a researcher with HP Labs. Chris has contributed to a report called Climate Futures, responses to climate change in 2030 (PDF).  It makes interesting reading, though the interview itself, available as a podcast from the Redmonk site, gives a good summary.

The report describes five different possible scenarios for the world in 2030, ranging from the relatively benign, in which technology allows us to continue living our lives in much the same way as we do now, through to a protectionist world in which governments are forced to take drastic action against widespread environmental change and the consequent social disruption.

Next was a report on the plagues of jellyfish which are appearing around the world, one particularly slimy manifestation of environmental change.  I saw this mentioned first in a typically irreverent report in the Register.  You can find more detail at the National Science Foundation.

Finally, the way we have abused the oceans through the dumping of waste, spillage of pollutants and years of massive overfishing are the subject of a special report in this week's Economist (December 30th).  The link is here.  

The report is 16 pages, if not of doom and gloom, then certainly of material that fails to raise a smile. It makes the good point that we are far too late to "save" the oceans, if by saving, we mean the restoration of the seas to their state before industry changed them.  But if we are to prevent much more damage, we need effective international cooperation.  Sounds problematic to me. 

All rather depressing.