Sylvia Earle is a marine biologist, serving a lifelong dedication to protecting our oceans. She is an oceanographer, author, scientist, and advocate for the oceans. She has earned her platform and stage for talking about the oceans and the human impact on them from years of continued education, earning a spot as chief scientist at NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Assocation), winning research funds, and her decades of experience traveling the world to see oceans firsthand. Her conclusion after a lifetime of work, “Earle says the oceans deserve more attention from policymakers dealing with climate change.”
Why Does Earle Want More Climate Policy?
She is a relentless ocean advocate and urgers for political action in ocean conservation. She constantly reiterates that ocean health is critical to human survival and that we have the knowledge to move in the right direction. Humans are disrupting the cycles of the ocean and rising temperatures are changing the chemistry of the ocean.
Where Did Her Passion Arise?
Sylvia Earle grew up interested in marine life, at a young age her family moved to Florida and the Gulf of Mexico (or the Gulf of America now) was her backyard. Sylvia has been studying the oceans since 1955. A lot has changed in the water since 1955. Therefore, Sylvia is a witness to this notable before and after of the oceans where climate has changed our waters. Many species she once studied are now extinct and she recalls the once blooming, colorful reefs that are now bleached.
Mission Blue and Hope Spots
Earle launched Mission Blue in 2009. This is a global coalition to improve ocean protection. Under this foundation, Hope Spots have been born. These are protected marine areas with critical interconnectedness to ocean biodiversity. These sites hope to reverse damage from human impacts and climate related changes to the ocean, such as ocean acidification and loss of biodiversity. There are over 162 of these locations.
Featured Films
So how does Sylvia Earle get her voice heard? How does she get her research shown? Not everyone will sit and read articles, research papers, or policy reports so Earle has made herself known to the media. Quite entertainingly, she makes an appearance on Netflix documentaries. Mission Blue is her main media portrayal as it follows her own life and passion for the ocean. Seaspiracy is another film that features Earle, particularly her vegetarian diet and calls to public action. Both films are excellent and do a great job at displaying facts and research while keeping it engaging.
Earle is inspiring. I wonder what she is doing now during these months of the Trump administration. The oceans absorb tremendous amounts of heat and CO2 thus sparing all of us from a warming that would make life on land impossible. Their capacity as a heat and carbon sink have terrible consequences for the oceans and I believe there is some troubling research that shows that the ocean's capacity to serve as a heat and carbon sink is diminishing. (Read this before the Trump administration removes it: https://www.aoml.noaa.gov/ocean-carbon-sink-could-be-weakening/)
ReplyDeleteSuch an inspiring individual! Dedicating her whole life to what she loves and cares for, advocating for change. Amazing to hear and learn about her.
ReplyDeleteI'm upset that I have never heard about her before. The biodiversity in oceans is a remarkable phenomenon, not to mention the natural carbon sinks they provide. I'm definitely going to check out those documentaries.
ReplyDeleteSylvia Earle’s love for the ocean really shows in her work. I also admire the incentive to bring attention to these issues through documentaries like Mission Blue and Seaspiracy, making it easier for a larger population to access her research.
ReplyDeleteI think a lot people look at the ocean and only see the vastness of it, not understanding the importance and complexity of it. There are so many aspect of why the ocean is extremely important and how they are being affected by climate change.
ReplyDeleteIt is awesome to see what people are passionate about! I would someday love to have that many things written about me and saving the world. I think we should all try and be a little bit more like Sylvia Earle and take action.
ReplyDeleteThis blog beautifully highlights Sylvia Earle's incredible work and lifelong commitment to ocean conservation. It's inspiring to see how her passion turned into global action through initiatives like Mission Blue and Hope Spots.
ReplyDeleteim glad that someone is talking about the oceans and how important they are to us and the marine life, her name should be more popularized than most people think
ReplyDeleteThis was such an informative and fun-to-read post! I love learning about activists and scientists who impact real change in the world. Especially with all the pollution and water in the waters, it's essential we have people like her to be a voice for the water and the marine animals that reside there.
ReplyDeleteI've never heard of Sylvia Earle before! It is really inspiring hearing the work and dedication of activists and how they are helping this world.
ReplyDeleteVery inspiring, glad to know there's people out there that really care!
ReplyDeleteIt is crucial that we pay greater attention to our oceans, which are dealing with a lot of problems, in addition to protecting land ecosystems. Everyone may now more easily access these pressing concerns because of her strategy of educating and involving the public, particularly through films.
ReplyDeleteSylvia Earle’s work is really inspiring it's powerful to hear from someone who’s seen the ocean change over time. From my view, it’s easy to overlook how connected ocean health is to our own future, so I appreciate learning more about her efforts. It’s also great that she uses films to reach more people who might not read science articles.
ReplyDeleteI agree about how easy it is to overlook ocean health!
DeleteThis is so interesting. I think getting into movies or documentaries was the right move for her. People would much rather watch something than read something. It's not actually called the Gulf of America now, is it??? That's terrible. I think being an oceanographer would be such a fun job but it's so risky. So good for her for sticking up for what she loves.
ReplyDeleteI am glad that there are people out there like Sylvia Earle who devote their lives and occupations to advocate for the health of our planet. I couldn't agree more that the ocean's are crucial for all life, and it is amazing to have Earle as well as many others to educate and inspire future generations.
ReplyDeleteI have not heard of this incredible person before, thank you for the great post! I will be looking more into Mission Blue.
ReplyDeletecheck
ReplyDeleteI had never heard of Sylvia Earle, but it is amazing to hear about the hard work she is doing! Having enough passion about something to study it for so long is amazing, especially because it is so important to protect our oceans and the life that lives in them.
ReplyDelete