Humans can also be the cure for the ocean, according to marine biologist

You have to see the ocean “as part of a whole”, as regulator of climate, despite the alterations caused by humans, but it can be restored, because “by knowing the causes, we can also be the cure”; the approach is “have will”said American marine biologist Sylvia Earle.

The human being is the “change agent” in the ocean and the planet, said Earle in an interview with Efe, who upon collecting the Princess of Asturias Award for Concord 2018 said one of the best-known phrases to define the function of the ocean: “Without the ocean there is no life. Without blue, there is no green.”

The 88-year-old explorer visited the Oceanográfic in Valencia where she gave a conference on the importance, impacts and threats of the sea, a space that occupies more than 70 percent of the earth’s surface, to later travel to Ibiza, where she inaugurated the V Marine Forum.

“There is no doubt that we are the agents of change” on the planet, he said, but what is really worrying is “speed, acceleration and correlation with our activity”, held in relation to the consequences of not acting in time to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, responsible for global warming.

“The question is whether we have the will to take the necessary measures, which will take time, but will ultimately be what we need”pointed out in reference not only to the burning of fossil fuels, but also to the way of growing food, because “Almost half of the Earth is now dedicated to agriculture, with very large methane production, carbon dioxide production, and the loss of wild places that normally served for carbon capture.”

For Earle, it is necessary “understand how the planet works and what we are doing to harm it” and ensures that the highest priority must be “keep the Earth habitable, maintain the systems that still work in our favor”to generate oxygen, capture carbon, maintain the fabric of life.

“We have the capacity that we have never had before to destroy on an industrial scale, and we are doing it by cutting down forests, stripping the ocean of life”without appreciating it as “source of livelihood” and rather it is taken as “moneymaker”.

Deep sea mining is also seen as a “moneymaker”, because “We know how to sell some of the metals that are embedded in these manganese nodules or deep sea crusts”highly appreciated by the technology industry.

But, he asked himself: “We must do it?“, and noted: ““We have a choice.”choose the “short-term benefit” for a few people, a few countries, a few companies, but “everyone else will lose, everyone else will pay the cost with their lives. So let’s not go there,” he warned.

“It’s a good start”he stressed in relation to the goal of protecting the 30% of marine and terrestrial nature for 2030 (30×30) established at the COP15 Biodiversity meeting, but “not enough”, because “The ocean keeps us alive, nature keeps us alive.”

Therefore, the human being “it has the only opportunity we will have now to reverse the decline”he assured, and warned: “It will be more difficult, but this is the moment like never before and we have the power.”

“Everyone can do something.” and it is necessary that “Everyone does what they can do” in terms of what you choose to eat, how to travel, how to vote, the support you can give to “right policies and opposition to wrong policies, and looking at the good things that are happening.”

For the marine biologist, “we can go from leaning in the wrong direction to leaning in the right direction and stabilize what keeps the Earth habitable right on the edge.”