Water We Doing?

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Water brings us together, but when there isn't enough to go around things get serious quickly. As the climate changes and water becomes less predictable on the landscape, conflicts over water will likely increase. Also as the arctic sea ice melts what does this mean for our security in the North and how will this affect us? What can we do?

In today's episode we take it to the experts to find out what we should know about water, security and peace.  We talk with Dr. Susanne Schmeier from IHE DELFT about how countries negotiate water agreements over shared water access and we also speak with Dr. Rob Huebert over why Canadians should be concerned about the arctic and the threats we now face with the disappearance of sea ice.

For more information about Dr. Susanne Schmeier's work click here to go to the IHE Delft website to learn more about their programs and research projects. And for more information on the Water, Peace, and Security Partnership that Dr. Susanne runs click here.

For more information about Canadian Arctic Sovereignty and everything that Dr. Rob Huebert mentioned check out ArcticNet and the North America and Arctic Defence Network (NAADSN).

ArcticNet contributes to the development and distribution of the knowledge to inform policy development and adaptation strategies to help Canadians meet the challenges and opportunities created by modernization and climate change in the Arctic.

NAADSN - The North American and Arctic Defence and Security Network is a collaborative network providing timely, relevant, and reliable expert advice on North American and Arctic defence and security topics.

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The future of our pharmaceuticals are from down under.... the surface of course!

Coral reefs are the new tropical rainforests when it comes to drug research. When you think about it, how else do you protect yourself when you are a sea sponge, you can't move, don't have any spines or spikes and are free game for any of the thousands of species living nearby? Well chemistry of course! Turns out some of this chemistry may help with the future of our pharmaceuticals!

In today's episode we chat with Dr. Marc Slattery from the University of Mississippi all about his work trying to uncover the future of pharmaceuticals from reefs around the world.

For more information on the future of drugs from the sea and Dr. Marc Slattery's research click here. To watch his Ted talk "Drugs from the Sea: What do we lose when Coral reefs die?" click here.

Interested in helping our coral reefs? Here are a couple organisations doing great work in Coral Reef Conservation, Restoration and Research!

The Coral Reef Alliance  As one of the largest global NGOs focused exclusively on protecting coral reefs, the Coral Reef Alliance (CORAL) has used cutting-edge science and community engagement for nearly 30 years to reduce direct threats to reefs and to promote scalable and effective solutions for their protection.

Hawai'i Institute of Marine Biology works on coral reefs, tropical marine ecosystems that protect coastlines, support tourism, and provide nutrition to many island nations. Our focus is on defining biological traits that drive the differences in performance among corals and reefs.

The Coral Restoration Foundation We are actively restoring coral reefs on a massive scale, educating others on the importance of our oceans, and using science to further coral research and coral reef monitoring techniques.

The Coral Reef Research Foundation is based in Palau and does original research to acquire the knowledge needed to understand and make intelligent decisions related to conservation, climate change and resource management.

The Mote Marine Laboratory Coral Reef Restoration Program in Florida, US develops and applies science-based strategies with the goal of restoring depleted coral reefs in our lifetime. Specifically, Mote researchers are working to optimize restoration using diverse coral genotypes (genetic varieties), prioritizing native genetic varieties that can resist SCTLD and other stressors such as increased water temperatures and ocean acidification.

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The fact that we rely on Horseshoe crab blood to test all of our internal medical devices and vaccines is stunning! And the fact that we are affecting the environment in such a drastic fashion yet have a synthetic alternative that we can turn to is wild. Yet we still remain crab vampires in the name of healthcare!

In this episode we learn all about Horsehsoecrabs, why we need them, what we do with their blood and why you should care! We talk with Dr. Larry Niles from the Horseshoecrab Recovery Coalition and boy do we get into it!

For more information about the Horseshoe Crab Recovery Coalition Click here. Check out  Dr. Larry Niles blog about his work right here.

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The future of our pharmaceuticals are from down under.... the surface of course!

Coral reefs are the new tropical rainforests when it comes to drug research. When you think about it, how else do you protect yourself when you are a sea sponge, you can't move, don't have any spines or spikes and are free game for any of the thousands of species living nearby? Well chemistry of course! Turns out some of this chemistry may help with the future of our pharmaceuticals!

And then to our crabbiest ally that you never knew about! The fact that we rely on Horseshoe crab blood to test all of our internal medical devices and vaccines is stunning! And the fact that we are affecting the environment in such a drastic fashion yet have a synthetic alternative that we can turn to is wild. Yet we still remain crab vampires in the name of healthcare!

For more information on the future of drugs from the sea and Dr. Marc Slattery's research click here. To watch his Ted talk "Drugs from the Sea: What do we lose when Coral reefs die?" click here.

For more information about the Horseshoe Crab Recovery Coalition Click here. Check out  Dr. Larry Niles blog about his work right here.

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We're not in a material crisis, we're in an atoms and molecules crisis. Welcome to the age of metals.

Polymetallic nodules sit on the sea floor and accumulate atoms from the Seawater. Every element on the periodic table is in solution in the Ocean. Halfway between Mexico and Hawaii there is a very high concentration of Nickel, Cobalt, Manganese, and Copper which is all of the metals that we need for electric cars. So why are we still strip mining huge areas around the world when we could just be picking up rocks from the bottom of the ocean?

"We go down from a ship on the surface. Then there’s a vehicle on the bottom. We haven’t come up with the word for it yet, it’s not really mining, it’s more like hoovering or vacuuming. We’re not destroying, we’re not fracking, we’re not grinding, we’re just picking rocks up." - Dr. Greg Stone

Listen to this episode for our full interview with Dr. Greg Stone, Chief Ocean Scientist from The Metals Company.

To learn more about the Metals Company click here. To learn more about Dr. Greg Stone Click Here and to listen to his podcast the Sea Has Many Voices click here.

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Canada is the only country in the Pacific Ring of Fire that doesn't utilize geothermal energy production. Why aren't we taking advantage of this renewable resource right below our feet?

In Canada ~80% of our energy use is for heating. In Northern Canada where average temperatures are -20 C, you don't need a lot of hot water t make a big impact to offset your heating needs.

In today's episode you'll hear from Dr. Steve Grasby the President of Geothermal Canada. For more information about Geothermal Canada Click Here.

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Today we're discussing wave energy! Oceans cover 71% of the surface of the globe and guess what! Waves are everywhere! It's estimated that just the wave energy potential along the continental US could be 33-65% of the total electricity demand in the US.

You'll hear from Michael Henricksen the CEO of WavePiston. WavePiston is changing the game when it comes to capturing and converting wave energy into electrical potential or desalinated seawater. Based in Denmark, they are creating a non-intrusive, simple, robust and low-cost solution to capturing the energy potential of the ocean.

Interested in learning more about Wave Energy in Canada? Click here!
To learn more about the WavePiston system Click Here.

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The future of green energy of course involves water. The biggest increases in consistent renewable energy production all involve water. Of course the next issue is how do we store all of this green energy? Well the ocean may hold the answer to this question too.

In this episode you will learn all about Wave Energy from Michael Henriksen, the CEO of Wavepiston. Wavepiston is changing the game when it comes to capturing wave energy and transferring it to electricity.

You'll also learn all about the future of geothermal energy in Canada from Dr. Steve Grasby the President of Geothermal Canada. Canada is one of the only countries with active volcanoes that doesn't produce geothermal energy. Tune in to hear how Dr. Steve is planning on changing that.

Now how can we store all of this green energy? Did someone say batteries? Or even better how about electric vehicles? Dr. Greg Stone the Chief Ocean Scientist from the Metals Company lets us in on the little secret sitting on the ocean floor that may revolutionize the future of electric vehicle batteries.

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Get excited for Season 2 of the Water We Doing? Podcast! Tune into the trailer to hear some sneak peaks from our future episodes! 

We will be exploring water security and its role in global conflicts, the science of oil spill response, the hunt for our future medical treatments in the ocean, and so much more!

Our season kicks off on June 8th, World Ocean Day and new episodes will be released every Wednesday. Make sure you are subscribed you won't want to miss it!
 

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What's for dinner? Are we having sustainably caught Arctic Char from right here in Canada? Or are we easting an endangered species illegally caught from halfway around the world?

Well unless you have a DNA testing kit there's no way to know. Seafood in Canada has been shown to be labelled incorrectly 47% of the time so you really have no idea what you are actually eating. How can we help support our honest fishermen and women and stop supporting criminal fishing organizations and save our oceans?

Well tuning into today's podcast is a great place to learn from the experts who are working hard to sort this issue out!

In today's episode you will hear from Sophika Kostyniuk the Director of Fisheries and Seafood of the Oceanwise Seafood Program. You'll learn all about how buying sustainable seafood can be as easy as looking for a Oceanwise logo when your at a restaurant or grocery store.

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