31/08/2022
Ive been a fan of Dr Sylvia Earle for decades.
My birthday wish? It is the same as the wish “big enough to change the world” that I made when I won the TED Prize in 2009:
'I wish you would use all means at your disposal – Films! Expeditions! The web! New submarines! – to ignite public support for a global network of Marine Protected Areas, “Hope Spots,” large enough to save and restore the ocean, the blue heart of the planet.'
At the time, a fraction of one percent of the ocean was fully protected. Now, nearly three percent is deliberately safeguarded from human harm. And, as of today, 145 Hope Spots span the globe with champions, communities, partners, institutions and governments aligning to officially increase protection of Earth’s blue heart.
That is progress, but to reach the widely-embraced goal of true protection of 30 per cent of the land and sea by 2030, it is time to scale up! And why stop there? On his 80th birthday, fellow Ocean Elder, E. O. Wilson cautioned that “We are letting nature slip through our fingers.” There is time, but not a lot, to ensure that Nature does not let us slip through hers.
We in the 21st century are the luckiest humans ever to exist owing to unprecedented knowledge that did not and could not exist until now. Imagine if we did not know the perils of biodiversity loss, of climate disruption, of how much damage we have caused – or if we did not know what to do to heal the harm?
As a new year begins for me, I want to salute you, all of you who make up the growing Mission Blue community of supporters, allies and friends. Each of you and all together are cause for hope that on our watch, we will achieve enduring harmony with nature – and in so doing, the potential for peace among ourselves.
https://mission-blue.networkforgood.com/projects/167134-happy-birthday-dr-sylvia-earle