The world’s ocean is the setting for increasing economic activity and it will continue to be so for years to come. Only in recent years have scientists begun to understand the significant impact of growing industrialization on the ecosystems of the ocean and, by extension, on the broader biosphere that we call home. The Economist believes that it is the time to engage the global business community and change the nature of the debate.
The Economist’s World Oceans Summit will examine how the increasing activity in and around the ocean can be managed sustainably and what this means for business and other key stakeholders. Chaired by John Micklethwait, Editor-in-chief of The Economist, the summit will bring together more than 200 global leaders from various sectors and disciplines, including government, business, international organizations, NGOs, think-tanks and academia to participate in a unique, outcome-driven dialogue.
On the eve of the conference, Dr. Earle was live on Channel News Asia talking about her passion for the ocean that sustains life on our planet and what we can do to cease our destructive practices and put more sustainable methods in their place. Click the link below for Dr. Earle's interview with Channel 1 AM Live from Singapore.
Dr. Earle will be a panel guest tonight with Dr. Gary Null at 7PM Eastern Time, along with Professor Henry Pollack (Professor Emeritus of Geophysics at the University of Michigan and member of ICPP), and
Professor David Montgomery (Professor of Geology at University of Washington).
The subject will be an investigation into some of the critical environmental tipping points - and should make fascinating listening.
If you're lucky enough to be in the San Francisco Bay Area this week, you'll have the opportunity to hear Dr. Earle present the sixth Fred Keeley Lecture on Environmental Policy on Thursday, February 16, 2012 at 7:30 p.m. at the UC Santa Cruz Music Recital Hall. The lecture is free and open to the public. Doors open at 7:00 p.m.
Photo of Dr. Earle: Becky Hale
Acclaimed nature photographer and UCSC Trustee Frans Lanting will give a special introduction.
"As a campus committed to the environment and at the forefront of marine conservation, we are delighted to welcome Sylvia Earle who has been on the frontier of deep ocean exploration for more than four decades," said Chancellor George Blumenthal.
In the first Eco-Audit of the Mesoamerican Reef, it has been
determined that although progress is being made, more must be done to protect
this fragile ecosystem, which is also one of Dr. Earle’s Hope Spots.In the summer of 2011, Dr. Earle and
her team mounted an expedition to the Swan
Islands of Honduras, bringing increased focus to the region. The Mesoamerican reef runs over 600 miles from Mexico
south to Honduras, and is a vital support system for this beautiful corner of our
ocean planet.
Dr.
Sylvia Earle Explores a coral reef at Swan Island, (c) Kip Evans Photography
The evaluation was carried out by The Healthy Reefs
Initiative (HRI), in collaboration with the World Resources Institute (WRI),
and nearly 40 local organizations, government agencies and companies.Economies in the region are highly
dependent on marine resources, especially from tourism and fishing industries.
In Belize alone, the reef was estimated to contribute approximately $395 - $559
million each year. The hope is that this information and subsequent
remedial action taken will ensure a thriving Mesoamerican reef system for
future generations.
Inspired by Dr. Sylvia Earle and Mission Blue, artist, marine conservation biologist and ocean lover Courtney Mattison has created her own ecosystem of 18 Hope Spots, now on exhibit at the San Francisco University High School / Jackson Street Gallery in San Francisco, California. In doing so she hopes to bring the coral reef above the ocean waves where people can experience them, as well as educate and inspire others to take action to save our planet's coral reef systems while there is still time.
Dr. Earle's TED Prize wish in 2009 was, “I wish you would use all means at your disposal 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."
Courtney took Dr. Earle's words to heart. "I have admired Dr. Earle’s work since my first marine biology class with instructor Rob Spivack at San Francisco University High School in 2002. I believe that art has the unique ability to bring marine conservation issues to the surface and into our awareness. Hope Spots is a series of 18 vignettes – each a sculptural representation of one of the most vital marine ecosystems on earth as identified by Dr. Earle."
"Each of these 18 pieces represents a Hope Spot in its most ideal form – vibrant and healthy and thriving and protected from the barrage of threats that each faces – namely climate change, overfishing, and pollution. It is my hope that by considering the essence of each of these wildly different ecosystems together in a single gallery space, Hope Spots will inspire in us a sense of wonder and a wish to conserve," says Courtney.
The Hope Spots Exhibit is at the Jackson Street Gallery / San Francisco University High School, at 3065 Jackson Street, San Francisco, CA 94118 until April 6, 2012. Courtney's own informative website is here. You can read about her recent art installation at NOAA's Headquarters in the Department of Commerce building, as well as her current installation, "Our Changing Seas," at the AAAS (American Association for the Advancement of Science) in Washington, D.C.
Courtney began creating her lifelike ceramic ecosystems in a quest to learn more about the creatures she was studying in marine biology. By making sculptures of them, she became intimately acquainted with their every nuance, their colors, and textures. At the same time, it was an exacting scientific study. From crafting a sea anemone from stoneware that looks as supple as the actual creature, to working with the uncertainty of colors as they go through the firing process, Courtney designed and built the entire 18 piece exhibit in just about one month. With her scientific and artistic sides working together, Courtney hopes to "discover how art and science can inform one another and combine to catalyze a public and political movement for coral reef conservation." We are sure that Courtney Mattison is going to be an important part of the ocean community for many years to come and we're excited to see what her next projects will be!
Just when you thought it couldn't get any better, Google Earth has done it again. Last week, on the third anniversary of an explorable ocean seafloor, Google released yet another upgrade. Take a tour in the video below to see what's new - a massive update of data with new features you will have to see to believe!
NSW South Coast
Australia Two talented filmmakers and ocean advocates, Mike deGruy and Andrew Wight, have lost their lives in a helicopter crash in Australia. Underwater cinematographer and story teller Mike deGruy had close ties to the Mission Blue family and spoke eloquently on behalf of the ocean during the first Mission Blue Voyage in 2010. Mike will be remembered for his dedication to the ocean by those whose lives he touched through his films as well as by those who were lucky enough to know him personally.
With Mike, and piloting the craft was Australian writer-producer Andrew Wight. The helicopter crashed on takeoff near the NSW South Coast. David Bennett, president of the South Coast Recreational Flying Club, said that the two men had left to film a documentary at Jervis Bay. The ocean community, in fact the ocean herself has lost two great champions.
TED has set up a Memorial page, TED blog - Remembering Mike deGruy where you may read more about Mike and follow links to more information about his life.
Mike's 2010 TED Talk from onboard the first Mission Blue Voyage to the Galapagos (below) embodies the kind of unbridled curiosity and infectious enthusiasm with which Mike inspired many to explore the ocean for themselves. And for those who don't take the plunge, Mike created films that were truly a window into the underwater world.
Mike's contribution to educating the worldwide public about ocean issues was profound. As Dr. Earle often says, "If you don't know, you can't care." During his 30 year career, Mike brought the ocean into our living rooms so that we could learn to care, and he did a strikingly good job of it. We send our sincere condolences to Mike's friends and family. He will be missed.
In this video from the Mission Blue Voyage, Mike takes us from his childhood growing up on the Gulf of Mexico and the Delta to exploring deep sea ocean volcanoes. Rest in peace, and thank you for everything, Mike.
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