“The diversity of life on Earth, generally, is astonishing. But despite those large numbers, it's also important to recognize that every species, one way or another, is vulnerable to extinction. And in our time on Earth... our impact on the diversity of life has been profound.” WayHas BeensImportantEarthNumbersDiversityImpactProfoundSpeciesDespiteVulnerableOne WayOur TimeExtinctionAstonishingLarge NumbersTime On EarthDiversity Of LifeOur Time On Earth Author:Sylvia Earle
“Ironically the very energy, the very basis of how we know what we know, has been reliant on having an energy source [necessary] to build rockets to go to the moon and Mars, to support airplanes that fly, and satellites to give us our communication.” KnowsGivingHas BeensEnergySupportCommunicationSourceMoonBasesAirplaneMarsRocketsSatellitesEnergy Sources Author:Sylvia Earle
“We have an atmosphere that is roughly 21% oxygen. The rest of it is largely nitrogen. There's just enough carbon dioxide (CO2) to drive photosynthesis. That has been, throughout the history of our species, pretty stable. Until recently.” Has BeensEnoughSpeciesAtmosphereStableCarbonOxygenCarbon DioxideCo2NitrogenPhotosynthesis Author:Sylvia Earle
“It's baffling why the issues relating to climate change - [which] have far more obvious and tangible and much more clear-cut evidence about the cause - have been slower for people to accept as a given.” PeopleHas BeensGivenCausesAcceptingIssuesClearCuttingEvidenceClimateClimate ChangeObviousTangible Author:Sylvia Earle
“The climate has been changing. Of course it [has]. Evidence throughout history, [which] we can assess, especially during human history, shows there have been ups and downs. But the last ten thousand years have been relatively stable compared to now.” YearsHumansHas BeensShowsLastsCoursesThousandTenEvidenceClimateStableThousand YearsHuman HistoryUps & Downs Author:Sylvia Earle
“Since I began exploring the ocean in the 1950s, 90 percent of the big fish have been stripped away. Tuna, sharks, swordfish, cod, halibut, you name it, the numbers have just collapsed. Also, about half of the coral reefs are gone, globally, from where they were just a few decades ago.” Has BeensBigsNamesNumbersHalfGoneOceanPercentFishesDecadesExploringSharksReefsTunaBig FishCoral ReefsHalibut Author:Sylvia Earle
“We humans have this idea that the ocean is so big, so vast, so resilient that it doesn't matter what we do to it. That may have been true 1,000 years ago. But in the last 100, especially the last 50 years, we have destroyed the assets that make our lives possible.” YearsHumansMayHas BeensIdeasMatterBigsLastsOur LivesOceanYears AgoDestroyedAssetsResilient Author:Sylvia Earle
“We have been far too aggressive about extracting ocean wildlife, not appreciating that there are limits and even points of no return.” Has BeensReturnLimitsOceanAppreciateAggressiveWildlife Author:Sylvia Earle
“Santa Monica Bay is less polluted today than when I first moved to the area in the 1970s, because actions have been taken to avoid putting some of the noxious materials into the sea. I think people are more aware than they once were, the air is cleaner, water generally is, in spite of the fact that there are more people.” PeopleThinkingFirstsHas BeensFactsTodayActionWaterTakenAirSeaMaterialsAreasMovedSpiteSantaCleanersMonicaSanta Monica Author:Sylvia Earle
“Since the middle of the 20th century, more has been learnt about the ocean than during all preceding human history; at the same time, more has been lost.” HumansHas BeensLostMiddleCenturyOcean20th CenturyHuman History Author:Sylvia Earle
