Washington National Cathedral

The Sunday Forum: Critical Issues in the Light of Faith

The Very Rev. Samuel T. Lloyd III, host

Marine biologist Sylvia Earle joins Cathedral Dean Samuel T. Lloyd III on the topic, “The World is Blue: Why Saving the Ocean will also Save Us.”

All humans depend on ocean life for survival, Earle says: “It’s life in the water that really has made all the difference. If earth were just rocks and water, we still couldn’t live here. It has taken a long time to get it just right for the likes of us.”

Less than 5 percent of the ocean has been mapped, Earle points out. Even Jupiter is more well mapped. She challenges the common assumption that we humans can put whatever we wish into the ocean, and take out whatever we wish, and no harm will come. Current equipment, she says, makes it possible for humans to take 90 percent of life out of the sea—without even knowing what that life is.

We use the ocean as a dumpsite and a food source, Earle warns. As humans allow contaminants to be dumped into the ocean, chemicals gradually climb the food chain. Fish at the top of the food chain, such as tuna and swordfish, are laden with substances that humans then eat at the dinner table. Earle also raises ethical questions about consuming shrimp. She compares trawling (even by small boats) to plowing a field several times a year without planting a crop. The nets take everything, not just the shrimp; and the ocean cannot swiftly regenerate itself. As sustainable substitutes for wild fish and seafood in the human diet, Earle recommends locally farmed catfish, tilapia, and other fast-growing fish.

Earle espouses the creation of “hope spots” and other means of setting aside protected areas to preserve the ocean and permit it to regenerate itself. Not only oceans, but also coastlines need protection. Even people who live far inland should remember that the ocean keeps us all alive.

About Sylvia Earle

Sylvia Earle is a renowned marine biologist and explorer-in-residence at the National Geographic Society. She has pioneered research on marine ecosystems, led more than 70 expeditions, and holds numerous diving records, including the depth record for solo diving at 3,300 feet. Earle was the first female chief scientist of the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and has played a key role in establishing marine protected areas globally. She also is the author of more than 175 publications, including Ocean: An Illustrated Atlas (2008), and her newest book, The World is Blue: How Our Fate and the Ocean’s Are One. Named by Time magazine as the first “hero for the planet” in 1998, Earle has received more than 100 national and international awards and honors including the coveted 2009 TED Prize.