"We know the ocean is in trouble – and therefore, so are we," warns legendary oceanographer

Ahead of the World Ocean Day conference in Cork City Hall, she sat down for an exclusive Q&A with the Irish Examiner:

You’re a great ambassador for the global campaign to secure 30% ocean protection by 2030. How greatly do you think Ireland is helping to achieve that goal in an international context?

Ireland is among the nations that have committed to protecting 30% of the ocean by 2030, with a plan to have 10 percent of the ocean under Ireland’s jurisdiction designated as network of Marine Protected Areas by the end of this year. It seems an ambitious goal, but the need to scale up real protection of the natural systems that maintain the habitability of Earth has never been more obvious — nor more urgent.

You’ve previously spoken about your desire to “democratise access to the sea” and make it possible for people of all ages to explore it. Why are you so passionate about children in particular getting to know the depths of our oceans?

The unprecedented knowledge available to twenty-first century humans — especially children — gives us the best chance we will ever have to secure an enduring place for our species within the natural systems that make possible our existence. In the ocean, the deeper we go, the less we know but the more new discoveries we find. We know the ocean is in trouble – and therefore, so are we. Today’s children need to know the nature of the ocean, top to bottom, to lead the greatest era of exploration ever, and to inspire current leaders to urgently protect what remains of Earth’s healthy natural systems, land and sea, and to do everything possible to heal the harm already imposed.

You have what can only be described as a worldwide fan base, with people in all corners of the globe who hugely admire your work. Is there any particular demographic that seems to have really connected with your messaging, and why do you think that is?

I have a special kinship with those who have taken the plunge, immersed themselves in the sea, and witnessed the reality: the ocean is more than rocks and water — the sea is alive! I also relate to those who ask how? Who? When? What? Where? Why? And especially, why not? This includes children, everywhere, and everyone else endowed with a sense of wonder and curiosity about the existence of life and anyone, anywhere, blessed with a robust sense of humour.

What would you like our readers across Ireland to know about Mission Blue and the work you’ve done here?

Mission Blue’s vision was outlined in my 2009 TED Prize wish intended to be “big enough to change the world.” It was 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.” Ocean champions in Ireland have been working for many decades to explore and safeguard the country’s extraordinary ocean species and ecosystems. By joining with Mission Blue’s network of 151+ Hope Spots in 70+ countries, information, stories, examples of success as well as problems will be shared using a consistent ESRI Story Map framework. Hope Spot Expeditions are crafted to conduct research, gather data and images for scientific and public communication. Individually — and together — the goal is to inspire hope-leading-to-action, to stabilize the living systems that underpin the habitability of Earth.

You have an incredible career, spanning over 50 years in both academia and activism relating to all things marine — how do you think people’s attitudes have shifted in that time?

Actions within the past year are cause for optimism that humankind will shift from policies leading to dreaded tipping points of planetary decline to tipping in the other direction — toward a peaceful, stable relationship with nature. There are plenty of causes for hope, namely the agreement among most nations to protect 30 percent of the land and sea under national jurisdictions by 2030, and agreement on a legal mechanism to protect half of the world that remain a global commons — the High Seas.

How has public engagement with your work increased as climate change has worsened?

Climate scientists have begun to highlight the significance of the living ocean as the principal driver of planetary temperature and chemistry. Economists, scientists and the public at large are encouraged to “follow the carbon,” and in so doing, the fundamental role of the living ocean has become more obvious. Living whales have been assigned a commercial climate carbon value of a trillion US dollars, far more than the value of dead whales sold as products. There is a related rationale for protecting sharks, cod, tuna, and numerous other creatures that by whatever measure are more valuable alive than dead.

If there’s just one small thing that you wish each of us would do to make a collective difference in protecting the ocean, what would that be?

Please, consider the power of one. No one can do everything, but everyone can do something. Look in the mirror and ask yourself who you are, what sets you apart from every other human. What have you got? A way with music, with art, with science? Are you good with numbers? What do you love? Do everything you can to learn about the ocean and use your power of choice to protect ocean life. Every fish, whale, coral or kelp counts, and what you do (or do not do) counts, too.