Giving Voice To The Voiceless
I can’t tell you how many times when vacationing by the ocean, I’d find heaps of garbage by the shoreline. From plastic bottles, saran wrap, to half eaten food…you get the picture. I could easily spend an hour just picking up crap in a small attempt to avert all of it getting sucked into the ocean with the tide. I could never understand why someone wouldn’t take an extra minute to put their trash in the garbage bins.
For too long we’ve been treating our oceans with little to no respect and it’s more vital than ever that we protect them. I don’t know about you, but I’ve never ceased to be intrigued by the mystery and wonders of our vast oceans. Growing up, I loved to watch episodes of Jacques Cousteau as he tried to educate us as we virtually accompanied him on his many journeys. He brought to light an entire universe and it’s many inhabitants, the likes of which most of us had never seen before.
In doing a Chatgpt for Jacques Cousteau and his son this is what it produced. I have to say it’s pretty impressive for a chatbot. Helpful for sure, but it doesn’t replace human writing. At least not yet!
Here are the Chatgpt results for Jacques Cousteau:
“What are some of the accomplishments of Jacques Cousteau and his son?
Jacques Cousteau was a French oceanographer, researcher, filmmaker, and environmentalist who is best known for his work as the co-developer of the Aqua-Lung, a device that allowed people to explore the underwater world more easily and safely. He was also a pioneer in the field of ocean conservation and is credited with helping to raise awareness about the importance of protecting the world’s oceans and marine life.
Cousteau’s work was also instrumental in advancing the field of marine biology and in promoting the study of the oceans as a scientific discipline. He was a prolific writer and filmmaker, and his books, films, and television shows about the oceans and marine life were popular around the world and helped to inspire a generation of ocean explorers and conservationists.
Cousteau’s son, Jean-Michel Cousteau, followed in his father’s footsteps and also became an oceanographer, filmmaker, and environmentalist. He continued the work of his father, advocating for ocean conservation and working to educate the public about the importance of protecting the oceans. Jean-Michel Cousteau also founded the Ocean Futures Society, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting ocean conservation and education.”
If you want to know what’s going on with the oceans this episode of The Nature of Things is a must watch. It explains about the disappearing Sea Ice and why it matters in the negative self perpetuating cycle of the oceans heating up.
One of the things that has terrible effects on Sea Ice is something called black carbon. https://www.ccacoalition.org/en/slcps/black-carbon
Black carbon is a type of air pollution produced by the incomplete burning of fossil fuels, biofuels, and biomass. It is a major contributor to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) air pollution, which is a serious health hazard. Black carbon is also a potent greenhouse gas, meaning that it can trap heat in the atmosphere and contribute to global warming.
The main sources of black carbon emissions include the burning of fossil fuels for transportation, industrial processes, and electricity generation, as well as the burning of biofuels and biomass for cooking and heating in developing countries. In the environment, black carbon can contribute to the melting of snow and ice, leading to rising sea levels and other impacts of climate change. Black carbon can also have negative impacts on agriculture and forestry, as it can reduce crop yields and harm tree growth.
According to Seas At Risk, black carbon, is a potent climate forcing pollutant with an impact over three thousand times that of CO2 and responsible for around 20% of shipping’s climate impact (on a 20 year basis), is emitted from the exhausts of ships burning fuel such as heavy fuel oil (HFO) and settles onto snow and ice, it accelerates melting and the loss of reflectivity — the albedo effect — which creates a feedback loop that further exacerbates local and global heating. Learn more about black carbon here [2,3] and see MEPC 79/5/5.
Shipping’s climate impact must halve by 2030 if global heating is to be kept below the Paris Agreement’s limit of 1.5 degrees, and action on black carbon is essential if the industry is to reach this objective”, said Dr Sian Prior, Lead Advisor to the Clean Arctic Alliance, made up of 20 not-for-profit organisations working to persuade governments to take action to protect the Arctic, its wildlife and its people.
New black carbon regulation, would contribute to the future reduction of black carbon emissions impacting the Arctic”, said Andrew Dumbrille, Clean Arctic Alliance advisor [6]. See MEPC 79/3/6. Read the full article here
Please take a minute to watch the OceanLove video on Youtube. I created the video as a reminder for us all to remember, reconnect, and experience, this magical universe we call the ocean. Teaming with life and intelligence, this is nature’s design and it’s magical. These are voiceless creatures that deserve to be treasured, heard and protected. Support the initiatives of The Clean Arctic Alliance (Seas At Risk and 19 other NGOs) in reducing the impact of black carbon on Arctic snow and ice as it would have a rapid and dramatic reduction in the impact of shipping emissions on the planet’s climate — this is why action in the shipping sector to reduce black carbon emissions can and should start immediately, by simply switching to cleaner fuels and installing particulate filters”.
Please comment and share your ideas and knowledge to help save our sacred underwater ecosystem.
Video Credits and many thanks go out to this list of artists: Adrien Jacta, Zlatin Georgiev, Arthouse Studio, Lachlan Ross, Daniel Torobekov, Taryn Elliott, Tom Fisk, Masatu Kruki Polposus, Iam Loi, Magda Ehlers, Jan Zakelj, Mikhail Nilovdid, Mustafa Akkus, Jess Loiterton, Peggy Anke, Ix TV, Pixabay, Red Brick
