To mark the historic ocean treaty, we look back at the essay penned by marine biologist Dr. Sylvia Earle for Mission‘s environment issue.
Throughout her career as a marine biologist and explorer, Dr. Sylvia Earle has lived underwater on 10 different occasions, authored countless books, and uncovered hundreds of new aquatic species—earning her the nickname “Her Deepness.” In 2009, she announced the launch of Mission Blue to raise awareness of Marine Protected Areas, or, as she calls them, Hope Spots. The idea is that communities from anywhere can nominate a site that is special to them and work together to protect it. Here, she outlines how every individual action has the power to collectively save—or destroy—the oceans.
The ocean first got my attention when I was a 3-year-old on a New Jersey beach. I got knocked over by a wave, and the wind was taken out of me. It might have been a bad start, but after I got back to my senses, I was exhilarated. The discovery of life in the ocean is what’s held my attention for decades. If there’s life elsewhere in the solar system, it’s not very apparent—or at least nothing like anything we have here on Earth.
The very idea of breathing underwater is unnatural to humans, but fish do it all the time. We take for granted the oxygen above the ocean’s surface, but when we dive, we have to take life support with us in the form of scuba tanks and fins. Being able to breathe underwater is unbelievable. Every time I leap into the ocean, I still feel the same sense of wonder and joy that I did when I completed my first dive in my late teens.
In my own lifetime, we’ve learned more about this great mass of blue than in the rest of human history—and we’ve still only explored less than 10 percent of it. Imagine if most of North America could be unseen, or the whole of Africa and the pyramids in Egypt. Just think of how much we wouldn’t know, and apply that theory to the ocean. The more we know that we don’t know, the better equipped we are to see the world with new eyes.
No one lives far from the ocean. Every breath you take, every drop of water you drink is from there, even if you’ve never set foot in it. Around 71 percent of the Earth’s surface is covered by water and oceans; the Pacific, Arctic, and Atlantic help hold up to nearly 97 percent of all the Earth’s water. Most of the air in the atmosphere is generated by the sea—green plants help via photosynthesis, but the bulk of the heavy lifting comes from the blue. At this moment in time, we are experiencing the deoxygenation of nature: The ocean has less oxygen than is normal, and it’s affecting life on land and in the sea. But humans can still breathe—and that’s why people are not responding with greater urgency. We have evidence of cause and effect. Now is the time to take it to heart.
After very long periods of stability, the pH balance (the alkalinity) of the ocean has increased dramatically. As a consequence of burning fossil fuels, the ocean has become acidic. The impact of this is most obvious in creatures like oysters and clams: Both have shells that dissolve in more acidic environments. Farmers in Washington State can no longer grow oysters in the open sea. Changing the chemistry of the ocean has a broad impact on the whole ecosystem, not just on those creatures with carbonate shells. The backbones of fish, for example, are dissolving.
Our actions in a few decades have unraveled hundreds of millions of years. Altering the nature of nature in the span of a human lifetime should make us feel extremely powerful and also make us aware that we have the power to destroy. We have unwittingly undermined the capacity of Earth to support humans. But we also have the power of restraint. Every action counts one way or another. So fish die—why should you care? Since most of the oxygen in the atmosphere is generated by life in the sea, what about the capacity of the ocean to supply more than half of the air that we breathe?
Today, just 3 percent of the ocean is covered by conscious policies. Global warming is happening everywhere, the acidification is everywhere, and toxic chemicals are pervasive. Although 97 percent of the ocean is open to exploitation, the places that are protected have become safe havens for wildlife and regeneration. At my charity, Mission Blue, we’ve introduced the concept of Hope Spots to help identify other critical areas that need protecting. Using data collected from more than a hundred governments around the world, teams of scientists have made a red list of areas and species that are most in danger.
But you don’t need to be a scientist to figure this out; you just need common sense. It’s logical that polar areas, the thermostat of the ocean, are vital to secure stability for our future. It’s obvious that breeding areas for endangered whales and fish need to be given a break. Creatures of high value, like tuna and swordfish—we’ve eaten 90 percent of them—let’s give them a break too. Eating fish is a luxury, not a necessity. Exercise the cautionary principle: If we don’t know much about seagrass meadows, mangroves, and coral reefs, if we don’t know what’s in the deep sea, why destroy it?
Taking care of the planet is a team sport, and whatever anyone protects is a gift for everyone. The biggest misconception is that you have to be part of a large organization to make a difference. I urge everybody to use what they’ve got and join with other individuals. Make better choices about what you buy at the supermarket, avoid plastic, pick up that piece of trash at the beach, cut down or cut out eating fish, and be responsible. It may seem inconvenient now, but wouldn’t it be terribly inconvenient if we couldn’t breathe in the future? Think about how collectively our actions add up. Pennies make up dollars—and dollars make up fortunes that can be applied for bad or for good.
Be aware of conscious and unconscious actions: You have the power to vote policies and people into government to make decisions for all of us. Your vote does matter. Be a voice for the voiceless, all of the creatures and kids that can’t vote. Do what you can do to keep the world safe. Your actions times 10, times a hundred, times a thousand—pretty soon that’s a wave of help. We still have 10 percent of the sharks, bluefin tuna still exist—there is hope. The next 10 years will influence the next 10,000 years. Let’s take what we’ve learned from the past and apply it to the future. Instead of being overwhelmed by negative policies and decisions already in place, accentuate the good things. Throughout my career, I have made a point of working with people who don’t agree with me. I emphasize to them that everything we care about is connected to the natural world: Minerals, oils, and marine life are looked at as free goods, but they are essential to the economy. Oil companies clearly have a down side, but they have power too. With mindful engineering, they can save money and help keep whole ecosystems alive. Let’s start conversations with a handshake, not a fist—but let’s do it now. Let’s embrace the challenge of what is good for the economy and the environment wholeheartedly. Let’s find smart solutions. Recycle waste. Power the future and heal the past with thoughtful measures, one step at a time. In the end, the numbers will tell the story. The lack of accounting for nature will surface, and we will pay for our thoughtlessness—we will pay, and we are already paying now. Let’s start today. We only have one chance to get it right.
Photos courtesy of Kipp Evans and Kris Krug.
