Even our rules and regulations, our laws, our policies, favor the destructive nature of taking too much from the ocean and using techniques that are horribly destructive. We know they don't work. We know it's not sustainable. Sylvia Earle More Quotes by Sylvia Earle More Quotes From Sylvia Earle My parents moved to Florida when I was 12, and my backyard was the Gulf of Mexico. Sylvia Earle backyards florida parent The sudden release of five million barrels of oil, enormous quantities of methane and two million gallons of toxic dispersants into an already greatly stressed Gulf of Mexico will permanently alter the nature of the area. Sylvia Earle enormous-quantities oil two When I first ventured into the Gulf of Mexico in the 1950s, the sea appeared to be a blue infinity too large, too wild to be harmed by anything that people could do. Sylvia Earle sea blue people Just as we have the power to harm the ocean, we have the power to put in place policies and modify our own behavior in ways that would be an insurance policy for the future of the sea, for the creatures there, and for us, protecting special critical areas in the ocean. Sylvia Earle ocean special sea If we have a hope of really understanding our place in nature and of carving out a place for ourselves that is sustainable, it's primarily because of the new level of communication. It used to be, 'What you don't have in your mind, you have on your shelf.' But now we have the Web. Sylvia Earle communication understanding nature There's something missing about how we're informing the youngsters coming along about what matters in the world. We teach them the numbers and the letters, but we fail to communicate the importance of our connection to the living world. Sylvia Earle what-matters missing numbers Nearly all of the major kinds of life, divisions of life, phyla of animals, occur in the sea. Only about half of them can make it to land or freshwater. Sylvia Earle land sea animal This much is certain: We have the power to damage the sea, but no sure way to heal the harm. Sylvia Earle nature sea way People still do not understand that a live fish is more valuable than a dead one, and that destructive fishing techniques are taking a wrecking ball to biodiversity. Sylvia Earle technique fishing people Success underwater depends mostly on how you conduct yourself. Diving can be the most relaxing experience in the world. Your weight seems to disappear. Space travel will be available only to a few individuals for some time, but the oceans are available to almost everyone - now. Sylvia Earle diving ocean space There is a terribly terrestrial mindset about what we need to do to take care of the planet-as if the ocean somehow doesn't matter or is so big, so vast that it can take care of itself, or that there is nothing that we could possibly do that we could harm the ocean...We are learning otherwise. Sylvia Earle care ocean needs The most important part is to take on the challenge of protecting the ocean as if your life depends on it - because it does. Sylvia Earle ocean important challenges I'm haunted by the thought of what Ray Anderson calls 'tomorrow's child,' asking why we didn't do something on our watch to save sharks and bluefin tuna and squids and coral reefs and the living ocean while there still was time. Well, now is that time. Sylvia Earle sharks ocean children What we once used as weapons of war, we now use as weapons against fish. Sylvia Earle weapons use war The best scientists and explorers have the attributes of kids! They ask question and have a sense of wonder. They have curiosity. 'Who, what, where, why, when, and how!' They never stop asking questions, and I never stop asking questions, just like a five year old. Sylvia Earle asking-questions kids years I love music of all kinds, but there's no greater music than the sound of my grandchildren laughing; my kids, too. Sylvia Earle grandchildren laughing kids There is an enormous amount to be learned about the sea; like most wildernesses, it has great potential. Sylvia Earle wilderness ocean sea Protecting vital sources of renewal - unscathed marshes, healthy reefs, and deep-sea gardens - will provide hope for the future of the Gulf, and for all of us. Sylvia Earle healthy garden sea Meat reared on land matures relatively quickly, and it takes only a few pounds of plants to produce a pound of meat. Sylvia Earle meat land pounds The Arctic is a place that historically, during all preceding human history, has largely been an icy realm with an impact on ocean currents. That, in turn, influences the temperature of the planet. The Arctic is now vulnerable because of the excess carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, with a rate of melting that is stunning. Sylvia Earle atmosphere impact ocean
