Sonar Hurts Sea Life

As if technology encroaching into the natural habitats of animals on land isn’t enough, it’s now spreading into the depths of the ocean. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Navy sonar use for anti-submarine training off the coast of Southern California despite the potentially harmful effects sonar pulses can have on underwater sea life. The court accepted the Navy’s argument that limiting anti-submarine training exercises posed a national security issue. Three justices did, however, vouch for the underdogs: “Sonar is linked to mass strandings of marine mammals, hemorrhaging around the brain and ears, and acute effects on the central nervous system as well as lesions in vital organs,” Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg wrote in her dissent.