Climate Change and the Oceans

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Climate change affects the oceans, and the oceans affect climate change. The natural carbon capturing systems that have shaped earth into a habitable place for life as we know it are destroyed or diminished one way or the other. When you clear cut or burn a forest, what happens to the carbon into the atmosphere? That's bad. But what's worse is that the natural carbon capturing system that has shaped earth into an inhabitable place in any way is destroyed or diminished by human activity. We're justin just thinking about their other values. I me, we love whales. We love their songs. WeLove their intangibles.

It’s a well-worn cliché that oceans cover seventy percent of the surface of Earth, but we tend to give them secondary consideration when thinking about the environment. But climate change is wreaking havoc on the oceans, not to mention pollution and overfishing — 90% of the world’s marine fish stocks are fully exploited or depleted. Today’s guest, Sylvia Earle, is a well-known ocean scientist, a celebrated underwater explorer, and a tireless advocate for the world’s oceans. We talk about the current state of our oceans, what we know and have yet to learn about them, and what we can do individually and collectively to make things better.

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Sylvia Earle received her Ph.D. in phycology from Duke University. She is currently National Geographic’s Rosemary and Roger Enrico Chair for Ocean Exploration, as well as founder of Mission Blue, SEAlliance and Deep Ocean Exploration and Research. She formerly served as Chief Scientist for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Among her awards are the TED Prize, the National Women’s Hall of Fame, and the inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award from the Seattle Aquarium. She is the author of several books, the most recent of which is National Geographic Ocean: A Global Odyssey.