“The observations that have developed over the years have given us perspective about where we fit in. We are newcomers, really recent arrivals on a planet that is four and a half billion years old.” YearsGivenHalfFourPlanetsPerspectiveFitBillionsObservationArrivalsNewcomers Author:Sylvia Earle
“It has taken these many hundreds of millions of years to fine-tune the Earth to a point where it is suitable for the likes of us.” YearsEarthMillionsTakenFineLikesTunesSuitable Author:Sylvia Earle
“When some people look at a shrimp they think, "Hmm. Delicious." When I look at a shrimp I think, "You're a miracle, absolutely incredible. Your ancestors have gone back hundreds of millions of years." And to develop a thing as simple as a shrimp cocktail, you have to calculate the hundreds of millions of years that have preceded that moment where you're sitting there with your sauce and fork poised.” PeopleThinkingYearsLooksMomentsSimpleMillionsGoneSittingMiracleIncrediblesThat MomentAncestorDeliciousSauceCocktailsForksHmmShrimp Author:Sylvia Earle
“This is a living planet. Look around. Mars, Venus, Jupiter. Look beyond our solar system. Where else is there a place that works, that is just right for the likes of us? It has not happened just instantly. It is vulnerable to our actions. But it's the result of four and a half billion years of evolution, of change over time. And it changes every day, all the time. It would be in our interest to try to maintain a certain level of stability that has enabled us to prosper, to not wreck the very systems that give us life.” GivingTryingYearsLooksWould BeActionCertainInterestLevelsResultsHalfFourHappenedPlanetsEvolutionBillionsLikesVulnerableStabilityMarsOur ActionsWrecksVenusSolar SystemJupiterChanges Over Time Author:Sylvia Earle
“We woke up some years ago about the consequences of ozone depletion, the hole in the atmosphere. You can't see it. You can't taste it. You can't smell it. But now we do regard that as a key issue. It's a scientific finding.” YearsIssuesKeysTasteFindingsConsequenceYears AgoRegardSmellHolesAtmosphereOzoneOzone Depletion 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
“We want to believe that we can continue doing what we've done for the past thousand years and not worry about the consequences coming back to us.” WantYearsBelieveDonePastWorryThousandConsequenceThousand YearsComing Back 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
“The next 10 years could be the most important in the next 10,000.” YearsImportantNext Author:Sylvia Earle
“We still have 10 percent of the sharks. We still have half of the coral reefs. However, if we wait another 50 years, opportunities might well be gone.” IfsYearsWellsStillsMightOpportunityWaitingHalfGonePercentSharksReefsCoral Reefs Author:Sylvia Earle
“We are all together in this, we are all together in this single living ecosystem called Planet Earth. As we learn how we fit into the greater scheme of things, and begin to understand how the system works, we can plan ahead, we can use the resources responsibly, to show some respect for this inheritance that goes back 4.6 billion years.” YearsUseShowsEarthTogetherResponsibilityGreaterPlansPlanetsFitResourcesBillionsSchemesInheritancePlanet EarthEcosystems Author:Sylvia Earle
“We've got to somehow stabilize our connection to nature so that in 50 years from now, 500 years, 5,000 years from now there will still be a wild system and respect for what it takes to sustain us.” YearsStillsConnections Author:Sylvia Earle
“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.” YearsKidsAsksWonderFiveScientistAskingCuriosityFive YearsAttributesExplorersAsking QuestionsFive Year OldsSense Of Wonder Author:Sylvia Earle
“By the end of the 20th century, up to 90 percent of the sharks, tuna, swordfish, marlins, groupers, turtles, whales, and many other large creatures that prospered in the Gulf for millions of years had been depleted by overfishing.” YearsEndsMillionsCenturyCreaturesPercent20th CenturySharksWhalesTurtlesTunaOverfishing Author:Sylvia Earle
