“Humans have always wondered the big questions, "Who am I? Where have I come from? Where am I going?" It's part of human nature. It's perhaps the underpinnings of religion.” HumansBigsHuman NatureBig Questions Author:Sylvia Earle
“Not only who am I, but who are we? And where are we going? It's the "we." It's the social connections that are special to human beings.” HumansSocialHuman BeingsSpecialConnections Author:Sylvia Earle
“It's taken us a short time to change the nature of nature. In my lifetime, more change than during all preceding human history put together.” HumansTogetherTakenLifetimeHuman HistoryShort Time 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
“Throughout all of human history we've enjoyed certain benign circumstances: an envelope of atmosphere, an envelope of temperature. A kind of resilience that if you cut down trees, then they'll grow back. You take fish, they recover. You put stuff into the atmosphere that you know is not good for us, but we can still breathe. We haven't awakened, generally, to the sense of urgency that does exist.” IfsKnowsHumansKindDoeStillsCertainGrowsStuffCuttingTreeHavensCircumstancesFishesBreatheResilienceEnjoyedAtmosphereOver YouHuman HistoryTemperatureAwakenedUrgencyEnvelopesBenignSense Of Urgency 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
“In the past few decades, Earth's natural systems have endured more pressure than in all preceding human history.” HumansEarthPastNaturalPressureDecadesHuman History Author:Sylvia Earle
“I hope that someday we will find evidence that there is intelligent life among humans on this planet.” HumansInspirationMotivationSeaPlanetsOceanEvidenceIntelligentSomedayConservationIntelligent LifeOcean Conservation Author:Sylvia Earle
“Humans are the only creatures with the ability to dive deep in the sea, fly high in the sky, send instant messages around the globe, reflect on the past, assess the present and imagine the future.” HumansPastAbilityImagineSeaSkyCreaturesMessagesInstantGlobes Author:Sylvia Earle
“For humans, the Arctic is a harshly inhospitable place, but the conditions there are precisely what polar bears require to survive - and thrive. 'Harsh' to us is 'home' for them. Take away the ice and snow, increase the temperature by even a little, and the realm that makes their lives possible literally melts away.” HumansLittlesHomeConditionsBearsIncreaseSnowIceRealmsThriveHarshTemperatureArcticPolar BearsIce And Snow Author:Sylvia Earle
“I'm not against extracting a modest amount of wildlife out of the ocean for human consumption, but I am really concerned about the large-scale industrial fishing that engages in destructive practices like trawling and longlining.” HumansPracticeAmountOceanConcernedScalesDestructiveFishingConsumptionModestWildlifeLarge Scale Author:Sylvia Earle
“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.” HumansTurnsInfluencePlanetsOceanImpactRateCurrentsVulnerableAtmosphereRealmsExcessCarbonHuman HistoryTemperatureMeltingStunningArcticIcyCarbon DioxideOcean Currents Author:Sylvia Earle
“Places change over time with or without oil spills, but humans are responsible for the Deepwater Horizon gusher - and humans, as well as the corals, fish and other creatures, are suffering the consequences.” HumansWellsSufferingCreaturesConsequenceResponsibleFishesOilHorizonSpillsOil SpillChanges Over TimeSuffering The Consequences 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
