All posts tagged: coastline

Albanians Protest Over Kushner-Linked Luxury Resort on Pristine Coastline

Albanians Protest Over Kushner-Linked Luxury Resort on Pristine Coastline

Published by Sam Flores

TIRANA, June 3 (Reuters) – Thousands of Albanians took to the ⁠streets ⁠of Tirana on Tuesday night ⁠protesting against a development planned by a company linked with Donald Trump’s ​son-in-law Jared Kushner on an environmentally sensitive part of the Adriatic coast.  The €1.4 billion ($1.6 billion) resort is being ‌led by Kushner’s investment firm Affinity ‌Partners on an island off Albania and an undeveloped stretch of coastline near the Vjosa-Narta ⁠protected landscape, ⁠a wetland home to flamingos, seals and sea turtle nesting sites. Environmentalists oppose ​the plan, which they say would impact several hundred hectares of pristine beaches. Developers say they will progress responsibly.  “Our focus remains on responsible stewardship, environmental enhancement, job creation, and creating long-term value for local communities. We respect ​the ongoing public and institutional processes,” said Asher Abehsera, chairman of Sazan Real Estate Development ⁠LLC, ⁠which is developing the plans ⁠in partnership ​with Kushner’s firm. Affinity Partners and Kushner did not respond to requests for comment. Protesters gathered outside the ​office of Albania’s Prime ⁠Minister Edi Rama on Tuesday evening, holding inflatable …

How ancient shorelines played a crucial role in the survival of early sea creatures

How ancient shorelines played a crucial role in the survival of early sea creatures

Published by Jenni Sidey

Coastlines can look like simple lines on a map. Over Earth’s history, they acted more like gates and traps. A new study led by researchers at the University of Oxford suggests that the shape and direction of coastlines helped decide which shallow-sea animals survived, and which vanished, across the last 540 million years. The study links extinction risk to a detail you might overlook: whether a coastline runs mostly north to south, or east to west. The team reports that marine invertebrates living along convoluted coastlines, or coastlines that stretch east to west, faced higher odds of extinction than those living along north to south coasts. That pattern matters because coastlines can either help you move with changing temperatures, or block your escape. When the climate shifts, the ability to migrate toward cooler or warmer waters can decide survival. The new results suggest many species did not die out only because conditions worsened; many disappeared because geography limited their options. The relationship between coastline geometry and dispersal potential. (CREDIT: Science) A Fossil Record With a …

Rob Caughlan, fierce defender of coastline and Surfrider leader, dies

Rob Caughlan, fierce defender of coastline and Surfrider leader, dies

Published by Sam Flores

Known by friends and colleagues as a “planetary patriot,” a “happy warrior” and the “Golden State Eco-Warrior,” Rob Caughlan, a political operative, savvy public relations specialist and one of the early leaders of the Surfrider Foundation, died at his home in San Mateo on Jan. 17. He was 82. His wife of nearly 62 years, Diana, died four days earlier, from lung cancer. Environmentalists, political operatives and friends responded to his death with grief but also joy as they recalled his passion, talent and sense of humor — and his drive not only to make the world a better place but to have fun doing it. “He’d always say that the real winner in a surfing contest was the guy who had the most fun,” said Lennie Roberts, a conservationist in San Mateo County and longtime friend of Caughlan’s. “He was true to that. It’s the way he lived.” “When he walked into a room, he’d have a big smile on his face. He was a great — a gifted — people person,” said Dan …