Is the Gulf Getting Better? A Marine Toxicologist Weighs In

There are some signs of hope out there. Under our federal laws, corporations are not required to operate with health or the environment in mind, so we need toxic chemicals regulation reform badly at the federal level. But some of this is happening at the state level. Maine, for example, saw the banning of the flame retardant Deca, a neurotoxin, and some other states also banned it. Some corporations like Google have started incorporating sustainability into a high percentage of their operations. Architects are creating green buildings and green communities. In the ocean community, we’re working very hard to create marine protected areas—no take zones where boats can't go in and overfish and rip up the sea floor. Some of the cruise lines are certainly greening their image and greening their operation. We’re protecting less than one percent of our oceans, so we still need to do much, much more. Saving our oceans is a survival issue for all of us.