Yes, and a challenge that grows with the unnatural man-made alteration of our de-oxygenated atmosphere? There was a time when our first ancestors took their first upright steps, when the world's atmosphere was around 51% oxygen.

Now we're lucky if it's 20% of the atmosphere? And given oxygen is implicated in all healing and much of nature's disinfection. Many of today's maladies were then unknown?

To be sure we could all be healthier, and would be if those we compel to live on the lowest rungs of the socioeconomic ladder, could afford, wholesome, fresh nutritious food?

Simply put, any successful attack and removal of poverty in all its forms and guises, flows on up the socioeconomic ladder as snowballing economic activity and economic improvement for all!

And Just the foreseeable result of a vastly improved money-go-round, eonomic activity! Thereby virtually compelling economic improvement outcomes the whole way up!

And why do we make simple and relatively cheap hyperbaric oxygen therapy the exclusive province of the rich? And why do we all but outlaw chelation therapy or equally cost effective and relatively safe HRT? Which could be made far safer and vastly more cost effective if it routinely included HGH?

There's so much more we could do and with far fewer currently wasted resources, wasted on the ever upward profit graph of ultra powerful big pharma, who NEED chronic conditions to MAXIMISE and pad out profits and no doubt, the power and influence that buys!?
Alan B.

From my point of view involving long term underwater ocean ecosystem exploration and investigative general research, the major media is obstructing chronic disease prevention.
Investigative reporting and debate seems gagged. Governments are engaged in aquaculture policy but not ocean health management policy.

There is no news or debate about sewage nutrient fed algae that has killed most seagrass nurseries on which baitfish depend on which tuna and most sea animals and birds depend on which seafood dependent island people once depended.
There is no reporting of links between protein deficiency malnutrition and anaemia and increase in maternal mortality that coincides with fish population devastation.

Serious and general fish depletion including of inshore fish also coincides with increase in Diabetes II and major organ failure and other NCD among seafood dependent island people. In PNG reduced immunity and also antibiotic resistant contagious TB are out of control.

Toxic algae is increasing worldwide yet links between cyanobacteria algae causing asthma-like attacks on contact with humans is not investigated and reported and generally known.
Where is the science on particles of beached sun dried toxic algae being swept by wind into the atmosphere? Asthma attacks are not only about pollen.

If the true state of the marine environment was reported and debated the need to reduce the nutrient loading would be known. It is nutrient overload that is proliferating the elevated blooms of toxic and other algae. This includes algae under sea ice considered an “impossible discovery”, involving masses of algae plant matter not even been measured and assessed in AGW, IPCC and Kyoto associated science.
http://news.stanford.edu/news/2012/june/arctic-algal-blooms-060712.html

The state of the world ocean marine environment is not in the news, is it? Nor is under-nutrition and chronic disease health issues linked to collapse of whole world ocean seafood sustainability and affordable protein food supply. Why is that so?

Alan B.,
The 51% oxygen claim on which your argument is based is completely wrong.

See http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sauerstoffgehalt-1000mj2.png

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JF Aus,
Why are you still so obsessed with this one threat to fish stocks when there are so many other factors decimating fish populations?

And when you say "There is no news or debate about sewage nutrient fed algae that has killed most seagrass nurseries ..." do you really not know the reason? There's rarely much world news shown here, and the issue is being adequately addressed in Australian waters.

I don't accept that you or your endless erroneous links, [some of which support completely countervailing positions on the very same day,] are the suppository of all wisdom and advise you to check your facts! Instead of setting yourself up as an absolute authority on everything!

I stand by the published research and the results gained by scientific examination of very old ice core sampling!

Better the world thinks you a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt!
Alan B.

Aidan,

I am still commenting as I am because just yesterday I returned from Solomon Islands where I have had to watch children and adults eating only rice or potato for breakfast and dinner, no lunch.
Increase in NCD there is now of significant concern.
In fact an operating ward has just been set up only for diabetes amputations.

You Aidan, think I am obsessed.
I think I am disgusted that you and Australian major media are ignoring or shunning reality and truth of the causes, impacts and consequences of seafood protein devastation and air and water quality deterioration.

Such is the lack of news of the actual situation that you refer to "factors decimating fish populations" when in fact fish populations are already decimated, past tense.
In reality wild fish populations in general are devastated.

Yes I really know the reason, it is nutrient overload feeding algae as I have stated.
Or can you or major media provide evidence to establish otherwise? You cannot. Media cannot. Science cannot.

What evidence of substance can you provide to establish that health of the oceans is being adequately addressed in Australian waters?
You seem to think Australian waters are not part of the SW Pacific Ocean ecosystem, when in reality they are a vital part.

The degraded health of the ocean is degrading the health of humans and marine feeding animals and some of the disease involved is contagious and all of it is very costly, including to control civil unrest.

And all the business and employment and industry development that could be involved with relevant solutions is being ignored or shunned. How totally stupid.

There is dire need for nutrient trading, not just emissions trading associated with air pollution.

//There was a time when our first ancestors took their first upright steps, when the world's atmosphere was around 51% oxygen.//

No there was not. It's never been above 35%.

//Now we're lucky if it's 20% of the atmosphere?//

No we're not. It should be very nearly 21%; if it's less than 20% something is amiss.

Still, it's nice to see old and discredited ideas being given a new coat of paint and wheeled out:

http://zapatopi.net/kelvin/papers/end_of_free_oxygen.html