Plastic Free July

The challenge, if you choose to accept it, is to avoid buying disposable plastic in July for;

1 shopping trip

1 day

1 week 

1 month

Now I am not about to boast that I have registered for this event however, I have 3 good friends who have and the awareness it has raised amongst a bunch of us is pretty incredible. See the impact of plastics on ourselves and our world is another one of those intangibles. We put the plastic bag in the back of the garbage truck and it is removed from our lives forever. But if you have you ever stopped to wonder where it actually goes, you realise, its not quite as simple as that. Check out this photo of the central installation from the Out to Sea – The Plastic Garbage Project that just opened in the Zurich Museum of Design, Switzerland.

Every 15 seconds this amount of plastic garbage gets released into the sea

Every plastic bag, every plastic water bottle, every straw, every bit of packaging ends up in the ocean and deteriorates immediately right? Wrong. Most stuff takes more than a single human lifetime to degrade. See the list of very familiar items below...

Glass bottle - 1 million years

Fishing line - 600 years

Plastic bottle - 450 years

Aluminium can - 80-200 years

Plastic cup - 50 years

Plastic bag - 10-20 years

Cigarette filter - 1-5 years

Newspaper - 6 weeks

Ok, so it sinks to the bottom of the the ocean and causes no harm right? Wrong again. Whales get entangled in fishing net underwater and because of their need to breathe at the surface, they can drown, and seals and sea lions get throttled by plastics. Because plastic bags resemble jelly fish in the ocean and sea turtles such as green turtles eat jellyfish they accidentally ingest plastic bags that clog up their digestive tracts and kill them. Look at this link showing the plastic in an albatross chicks stomach. We are all quick to condemn killers - but is it time to look in the mirror?

We ARE the 'plastic generation'. The first generation to use plastic so heavily and be so dependent on it.  We have no idea what the effects of it all are. How much chemicals do we ingest every time we drink a hot drink out of a plastic cup? or when our babies drink hot milk out of a plastic milk bottle? what about when we heat our food in plastic boxes in the microwave? Has plastic just become so 'convenient' that we conveniently block out the hazardous impacts of its use from our minds?

There's a lot of information all over the internet about the impacts of our increasingly plastic-dependent lives, and this blog is not about repeating what has already been said. Instead, through this, I want to 

1. reawaken your awareness about the impacts of your daily actions not just on the environment, but on ourselves and 

2. ask you, are you willing to take on the challenge?

For more about the Plastic Free July initiative and information about how to live a more plastic free life please check out the website. 

Traffic in Sri Lanka's waters threatens blue whales - New York Times article

When Erik Olsen from the New York Times first called me about doing an article on my work, I was slightly apprehensive. The limited funds I had for my field work meant that I needed to make sure when the weather was good I was doing science. Thankfully Erik was really adamant about documenting exactly that. The science. 

So here is the culmination of his patience and hours on the ocean, watching and capturing moments that would best represent the work being done. He survived the sun burn and the chilli peanuts and stuffed fish buns and put together this incredible little piece. The power of great reporting is hard to explain.

I am really happy at how this follows on so neatly from the amazing documentary put together by the Channel 7 team on my work and the blue whales back in 2011. 

Thank you to all of you who have expressed interest in supporting the work and for the encouragement I constantly receive. It fuels me and keeps me strong. 

For those of you who would like to support through funds, I am currently working on a PayPal link on this blog to make it easier. Please stay tuned, it should be up by the end of the week. 

Erik Olsen at work. Photo credit Matt Bowers.

Rio+20 = Rio-40 or Rio Fail?

Speaking on behalf of the Ocean and everything in it with my Ocean Hero, Dr. Sylvia Earle, at the Rio+20 Oceans Dialogue.

"More money was mobilized at #Rioplus20 than at any previous UN conference, to benefit the planet & its people" @UN Twitter statement. 

But what really was the outcome for the planet and the people? 49 pages of fluff. The outcome document, titled 'The Future We Want' has been shunned by many who attended the summit and many more who watched eagerly from their seats at home, anticipating positive outcomes. For those of us who attended, participated and voiced a general need for ACTION rather than RECOMMENDATIONS, particularly for the oceans and the high seas - which form half our planet, the mood is low. 

Finding silver linings is tough....especially seeing as the will of 183 countries to develop a framework for high seas governance was killed by a very small number of powerful countries - namely, the United States, Russia, Canada and Venezuela. How that is even possible, is beyond me!

The resulting document has been described as "watered-down text that has very little teeth" by Kumi Naidoo the executive director of Greenpeace International. Frankly, the results are discouraging.

The final outcome document does however, contain recommendations on ending overfishing, taking action to stop illegal fishing, phasing out harmful subsidies, eliminating destructive fishing practices and protecting vulnerable marine ecosystems. I, like many others, await action. 

It becomes evident once again that the one thing that will rescue us and our oceans is education. This was reflected in my message at the Oceans Dialogue of Rio+20. Below is an excerpt,

"We need to empower people with knowledge so they can make informed decisions. We live in this incredible age of digital technology and social media. We need to embrace the tools that lie at our finger tips to get the word out about oceans and get people excited enough so that we can begin to see the positive change that we so desperately need. We need to involve the local communities in the protection of their own back yard. Mobilize the masses. A bottom up approach might be our only hope."

Finally, it is important to note that Rio+20 was not a complete failure because after two decades of trying, the Oceans were finally on the agenda. There was a high amount of public participation in Rio+20, including the fact that people from 163 countries submitted nearly one and a half million votes online about environmental issues they wanted to see discussed. 


The conference has been a celebration of knowing that nature matters - for business, industry, healthy, security, and every breath we take, every drop of water we drink," said Dr. Sylvia Earle. "Whether the political leaders endorse what people are saying or not is not as important as the lift this conference has given to the growing awareness that the planet has limits."

Statement made at Rio+20 United Nations Sustainable Development Dialogues - Asha de Vos

Photo credit IISD Reporting Services

Photo credit IISD Reporting Services

Me taking a picture of you on live TV. Photo credit Yasha Hetzel.

Sylvia Earle, Ocean Hero, My Hero.

Photo credit IISD Reporting Services.

 

I would like to begin by applauding and thanking the Brazilian government for their efforts to engage and involve civil society in this otherwise high level and exclusive meeting. I feel honoured to have been invited to sit on this panel amongst some great ocean heroes and represent the youth of our planet ocean.

I believe the biggest achievement we have had since the first Rio summit is getting the oceans on the agenda. We have a number of people to thank for that, some who are present and others who aren't. It is an incredible achievement and we must not fail to recognize that. Now I believe we must honor their efforts a use this opportunity wisely bearing in mind that the unfortunate truth is that the future we want is not in 20 years time. It is more immediate. It is tomorrow.

We have already left it too late because we have been complacent and left it in the hands of governments for the last 2 decades. But we are all part of the problem and so instead of depending so heavily on this top down approach that we now know does not work effectively on its own, we need to evolve a different way of thinking. We need to empower people with knowledge so they can make informed decisions. We live in this incredible age of digital technology and social media. We need to embrace the tools that lie at our finger tips to get the word out about oceans and get people excited enough so that we can begin to see the positive change that we so desperately need. We need to involve the local communities in the protection of their own back yard. Mobilize the masses. A bottom up approach might be our only hope.

If governments choose to make pledges then we need to be able to hold them accountable. We need clear and concrete measurable outcomes that are achievable within reasonable timelines. We also need to consider developed and developing countries separately as each have different priorities and face different challenges.

 

Right now we need more than recommendations. We need actions.Setting targets that look good on paper does not achieve anything. Creating X number of protected areas by a certain date is less important than Measuring the success of the protected areas we already have. I know that in my part of the world these are all paper parks and are possibly more damaged than other areas because all people were ever told about them is that's where theres lots of fish.

The ocean makes up 70 % of Our planet and I believe we need more than a single dialogue to really get any depth of discussion. The current recommendations are all so closely interlinked that it is almost too difficult to vote for them in isolation. This is a true reflection of the complexity of the ocean which we are only just beginning to understand.

 

That said, I strongly support recommendation number 4 because this is our time to really do something for a part of the ocean that is currently under no governance and i extend my support to recommendations 1 which has already been selected and 10 because they both reflect the important role of education, community engagement and making people part of the solution to save planet ocean.


(To watch my statement at the Rio+20 Oceans themed Dialogue click on the link. I start at 1:03:25)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Where do we go from here? Rio+20

The panelists for the oceans theme with the Minister for Foreign Affairs in Brazil, Julio Bittelli (center).

Photo credit IISD Reporting Services.

Moderator Phillipe Cousteau from CNN addresses the panel.

Photo credit IISD Reporting Services.

Photo credit IISD Reporting Services.

As many of you know, yesterday concluded the Sustainable Development Dialogues of Rio+20. These Dialogues were a great effort on the part of the Brazilian Government to involve civil society in the debates and discussions on ten very important themes. The panel for Oceans featured a prestigious line up of 'ocean luminaries' all there to make a plea for the oceans. The occasion was graced by the presence of H. M. Carl XVI Gustaf, King of Sweden and H. M. Queen Silvia, Queen of Sweden.

If you missed the live webcast of the event please click here. Its available in English and Portugese. There was a lot of varied thought and comments on the state of the oceans and how to tackle the issues. I would urge anyone interested in the state of the planet to watch this and the other dialogues. Here's a summary of my thoughts:

1 We need action not just words

2 The ocean needs more than one dialogue

3 Education is key to solving problems

4 The top down approach does not work on its own. While we need governance frameworks we can't depend on governments alone. Each of us must take responsibility.

The statement I made will be available as a separate blog post. Please look out for it.

I strongly supported the rest of the panel in the decision to support a framework of governance for the high seas. The high seas is all seas that are out of national jurisdiction...that is a good 50% of the ocean. Basically because it is beyond the area under regulation of individual countries there is a huge and very real risk that it will be used and abused freely and this is something we have to prevent. Declaring protected areas in these parts and implementing regulations will have their own complications, but its a much needed start. If we don't do it now, we may lose our only chance.

Other issues discussed highlighted the need for the removal of harmful fisheries subsidies, stakeholder consultation prior to launching activities, the need for the control of pollution and understanding the link to land based pollution, education, outreach and implementation.

For more information about the event click here and here.

 

Watch Rio+20 live!

For all of you interested in watching the events at Rio +20 including the Sustainable Develpment Dialogues, visit the live UN webcast page. For the schedule and times of different dialogues click here.

The Oceans dialogue featuring Sylvia Earle, Jean-Michel Cousteau, myself and seven other prestigious panelists will be telecast live from 1100-1330hrs Rio de Janeiro time. To figure out the time difference between your location and Rio try this link. If you do miss the live broadcast you can look for it in the list of per-recorded programmes.

For great interviews and all things oceans at Rio +20 visit the dedicated website of Oceans Inc.

This is our planet and we must all work together to achieve the future we want. Join me!

 

Ocean-a-Rio! Ocean facts from Rio thus far....

Sri Lankan flag flutters in the Copacabana breeze.

Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. All major cities were built along the ocean. While the ocean provides us with so much, what do we do in return? Dump waste, making it unsafe to marine life and ourselves. Fabian Cousteau says we dump 10 million tons of plastics per day!

Jean-Michel Cousteau, son of the legendary Jacques-Yves Cousteau, speaks at TEDxRio+20. 25% of belugas found dead on the east coast of Canada have cancer.

Jacques Cousteau's grand son Fabian talks about his grand father and his 'plant-a-fish' project. An advocate of the bottom up approach to conservation and therefore a man after my own heart.

Director of Scripps Institue of Oceanography Tony Haymet says "the ocean is our friend, we should look after it" in a talk about the robot that accompanied James Cameron on the bottom of the Mariana Trench. What did they bait it with? Chicken of course!

Sugar loaf mountain and Christ the Redeemer from the ocean at sunset. A different, more peaceful perspective.

The city centre at sunset.

 

Sylvia Earle invites us into her magical world

Explorers are people who have never grown up! Sylvia Earle shows us around her space.....and reminisces. What an incredible lady! What an honor to sit on a panel with Her Deepness. I look forward. Watch us online on the UN website.

Rio's iconic Christ the Redeemer turns green for Rio+20

Christ the Redeemer watches over the busy city of Rio de Janeiro as it launches into a fortnight of discussions, talks and agreements for Rio+20,the United Nations conference on Sustainable Development. The green hue is symbolic of the main theme being discussed this year - greening the world's economy.

How do we move forward into the upcoming decades in a sustainable manner that ensures the protection of our resources for future generations?

 

Meet your team!

I would like to introduce to you the panelists for the 'Oceans' theme at the upcoming Rio+20 Sustainable Development Dialogues. This session will be facilitated by Phillipe Cousteau.

Thank you to all those who have voted thus far. If you haven't yet, there's still time - Click here to find out how. There are a total of ten very important themes being discussed at these Dialogues and I hope you will take a few minutes to look through the entire list.

Our team is looking forward to discussing the issues that you vote for on the 19th of June 2012 between 10-1330 Rio de Janeiro time. Please join us live via the UN website. More details to follow. Until then, have a browse of the official website here.