MANIFESTO: DR. SYLVIA EARLE

THE TRAILBLAZING marine biologist, oceanographer, explorer, writer, and lecturer PENS A MANIFESTO FOR BEYOND NOISE ISSUE NO.04.

It is with deep urgency—and enduring hope—that I write this message to my fellow 21st century humans. We are living in a sweet spot in time. With knowledge that did not—and could not—exist before, we have the best chance possible to secure a long and prosperous future for ourselves and all who follow. Lucky us! Imagine if we did not know that the living systems that underpin our existence are in trouble. But not only can we see, feel, measure, and predict future consequences of our impacts on the planet, we know what to do to secure a place for ourselves in a universe that is otherwise starkly inhospitable to life as we know it. While some seek to terraform Mars, the red planet, the actions of most of us are relentlessly “marsiforming” the blue one, Earth. It is time for us to change our relationship with nature.

In prior times, we could not understand that Earth is a dynamic, living miracle: a unique four-and-a-half-billion-year-old system populated by millions of species that, in four and a half decades, have changed rapidly and radically, owing to the actions of one—humans. Dinosaurs did not get to choose their future. But we can.

It seemed like good news when our global population grew in my lifetime from fewer than two billion individuals to more than eight billion. Now, we know something about the costs of our prosperity. We occupy nearly half of the land just to grow plants and animals for our food and products. Little remains of the ancient forests, untrammeled deserts, and intact prairie lands that have been homes for creatures who preceded us by millions of years. Presently, the biomass of all wild mammals that exist—from bears, elephants, and whales to flying squirrels and deep diving dolphins—account for just four percent of the biomass of mammals. We and our domestic mammals form the other 96 percent. Five hundred years ago, the reverse was true.

As a scientist and explorer, with years at sea and thousands of hours submerged using scuba, submarines, and living in underwater laboratories, I have personally witnessed changes from the standpoint of the creatures who live there. In the sea, about half of all ocean wildlife has been consumed by us, from whales, sharks, tuna, and swordfish, to oysters, clams, squid, shrimp and many other creatures. Since the 1950s, about half of the tropical coral reefs, seagrass meadows, and mangrove and kelp forests have disappeared, disrupting ancient rhythms including the tightly coupled biogeochemical systems that make Earth habitable. There is time, but not a lot. We can shift the current trajectory of loss to recovery and build a harmonious future for humans within the natural living systems that make our existence possible. What we do, or fail to do, in the next five years will determine the future of the planet for the next 10,000 years.

My message is this: If you could choose any time in history to be on Earth, the 21st century is the best time ever. Today’s children are growing up knowing that people can go to the moon, climb the highest mountains, and dive into the deepest seas. It is widely known that the ocean shapes planetary climate and weather. All life requires water and most of Earth’s water and life—97 per cent—are ocean. The deeper we descend into the sea, the less we know, but the more new discoveries are being made. Whether in the ocean, in forests, or in the universe beyond, this new knowledge is being communicated across the world in minutes, not decades or centuries. Knowledge is our superpower.

As I write this, I am in the midst of deliberations at the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), an organization that was formed in 1948 to represent the interests of nature globally, just three years after the United Nations became a global forum for humanity. Here, in Abu Dhabi, thousands of people have gathered to share knowledge and agree on recommendations that aim to secure a voice for nature—the fabric of life that underpins our existence. Security for nature is vital for the security of humankind. If you like to breathe, this is for you.

There are plans and international agreements underway to secure protection for at least 30 percent of land and sea by 2030, an ambitious goal since only 15 percent of land and three percent of the ocean currently have high levels of protection. An international treaty was ratified a few weeks ago that will help safeguard about half of the planet, specifically, the High Seas beyond national jurisdictions. Laws are vital to govern and guide the actions of
humankind, but it is most important for people to know why they should care. People can know but not care, but cannot care if they do not know.

Some might say we are letting nature slip through our fingers, when we should actually be worrying that nature could let us slip through hers. There is time—though not a lot—to shift the projection of decline, to recovery. Fifty years ago, we simply did not know or care enough to protect the many systems that maintain the habitability of Earth in our favor.

Fifty years from now, children will either look back on us with despair—that we missed our chance to safeguard Earth—or will celebrate us, and our willingness to make the right choices now. We just have to make the right choices now.

Sylvia A. Earle
Oceanographer,
National Geographic Explorer,
Founder of Mission Blue