“Someone
once wondered why it is that if a work of man is destroyed, it is called
vandalism, but if a work of nature is destroyed it is often called progress.”
Jane Goodall, Seeds of Hope
We only know
about 9 percent of the 2.2 million species that inhabit the ocean. This means
that about 91 percent is unknown to us. There
is a complex elusive world under attack by us, humans, as we continue to dump plastic, fertilizers, toxic metals, pesticides, sewage, agricultural runoff, oil, etc. These chemicals kill and contaminate the fish that feed three billion
people. Coastal pollution leads to the spread of infections; oil spills and
various chemicals compromise the oxygen supply of ocean creatures.
Phytoplankton are single-celled creatures
that produce 50-80 percent of the oxygen on earth, so protecting oceans is tied
to our own survival. Along with tropical, temperate, and boreal forests, phytoplankton make up
the “lungs” of the planet.
The warming of the oceans as a result of
industrialization affects life in the sea. Warm water holds less oxygen,
and the requirement for oxygen at warmer temperatures increases, so this
creates a deficient supply for living beings in the sea. Furthermore, I already
wrote about the acidification of the oceans due to the high emission of carbon
dioxide by human activities when I reviewed the book Hurricane Lizards and
Plastic Squid by Thor Hanson. In my post, I also explained what corals are
and the bleaching that takes place when the water is too warm.
The Atlas of Disappearing Places: Our Coasts and Oceans in the Climate Crisis, by Christina Conklin and Marina Psaros, details some of the challenges and transformations that various places are facing as a result of pollution and climate change, two issues that are inextricably interwoven.
There is a chapter for each individual place; the authors explore the environmental issues and
how they are affecting the economy. There is a section about their projections for
the year 2050. In other words, in that section of
the chapter the writers pretend that they are already in the year 2050, and they describe
the outcome of the situation.
The places portrayed and explored in the book include the following: Kure Atoll, Hawaii; the Arabian Sea; Camden, Maine; the Cook Islands; San Francisco Bay; Houston, Texas; New York city; Hamburg, Germany; San Juan, Puerto Rico; Kutupalong Camp, Bangladesh; The Arctic Ocean; Pisco, Peru; The North Atlantic Ocean; Ise, Japan; Kisite, Kenya; Pine Island Glacier; Shangai, China; The Thames Estuary, Britain; Ben Tre, Vietnam; and Hampton Roads, Virginia.
The book addresses
the need to act to create a habitable future on earth for our descendants.
Kisite, Kenya, is one of the places described:
For
decades, the diversity and bounty of Kenya’s small-scale fisheries have been in
decline. Unsustainable fishing practices-including cyanide to stun fish; bottom
trawling to scrape from the seafloor into big nets; and exceeding (or failing
to set) quotas on threatened fish species—are some of the culprits. Kenya has
worked hard over the past few decades to better protect its wildlife, including
designing a number of new marine protected areas that aren’t protected (MPAs).
These areas, which restrict extractive activities, show increased biodiversity
and larger numbers of fish over areas that are not protected.
Even though Kenya has attained some degree of
success, it is still seeing declines in fish and the degradation of coral reefs
as a result of ocean warming, polluted runoff from coastal towns, and illegal
fishing activity. This has deleterious effects for the thousands of subsistence fishers
in Kenya, and it impacts tourism as well.
Perhaps the greatest feat of the book is to spur us to do our part to work toward a better outcome. Every individual action matters; each day is an opportunity to learn and improve, to lead the path toward a better future. Policies also matter. Voting is crucial to make sure that we support measures that care about the quality of the air and the water, so contact your representatives and inform yourself. It is an ethical responsibility to remember, no matter where you live.
There are many interesting facts that will help remind people to make better choices each and every day:
We wash eight million tons of plastic into
the ocean each year, and even countries with good waste management recycle very
little of it—just 30 percent in Europe and 9 percent in the United States of
America. By 2050, one major study projects, if we continue on the same
consumption trajectory, there will be a pound of plastic in the ocean for every
pound of fish.
Chemicals in plastic, such as bisphenol A and phthalates, are endocrine disruptors and they cause cancer in humans. They also harm
animals in the sea. It takes over five hundred years for plastic to break down,
and the tiny particles remain in the environment, having an impact on marine
life and our own health.
Here's a recent report on the possible effects of microplastics on the brain.
Placing plastic in the recycling bin is not a guarantee that it will get recycled. According to a recent article in the Smithsonian Magazine, only 5 percent of the total plastic met the conditions to get recycled during the year 2021 in the United States of America. Hence, it is necessary to reduce or avoid the use of plastic altogether.
Despite
our differences, we all want and need clean water and air, so we should do more
to protect the planet. We depend on the existence of healthy soil as well. Yes, clean energy is crucial; conservation is paramount.
The only aspect I did not like about the book
is the authors’ utilitarian view of animals. I think they could have offered another
perspective on this, one based on the current scientific research, to promote empathic
solutions…
What will our descendants say about us in a
hundred years? It will depend on our actions in the 2020s…
I came
across this lovely quote this past week:
The quote
concludes that the earth is sacred, so we should treat her with respect and
align our actions with this ethical principle. We are the Earth; the Earth is us.
We know that when we harm the Earth and other creatures, we are harming
ourselves.
The quote reminded me of the speech by Chief Seattle, a Suquamish chief. My mother shared it with me when I was little, and it has become relevant today:
“The
President in Washington sends word that he wishes to buy our land. But how can
you buy or sell the sky? the land?
The idea is strange to us. If we do not own the freshness of the
air and the sparkle of the water, how can you buy them? Every part of the earth
is sacred to my people. Every shining pine needle, every sandy shore, every
mist in the dark woods, every meadow, every humming insect. All are holy in the
memory and experience of my people.
We know the sap which courses through the trees as we know the
blood that courses through our veins. We are part of the earth and it is part
of us. The perfumed flowers are our sisters. The bear, the deer, the great
eagle, these are our brothers. The rocky crests, the dew in the meadow, the
body heat of the pony, and man all belong to the same family. The shining water
that moves in the streams and rivers is not just water, but the blood of our
ancestors.
To read the full speech, you can go here.
I will publish my next post on November 11.
Enjoy the ride on My Writing Life blog.
