As mentioned in the video, the last two years have radically changed the way I see ocean conservation. Experience volunteering with Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust, going out with Greek fishermen who experience the stress of working in overfished waters, and learning from inspiring university lecturers has led to this. Now, I see coexisting with the oceans as an absolute necessity rather than just ‘taking the moral high ground’. Because the planet is interconnected in ways most of us would never have believed, it is vital that we protect it from the worst anthropogenic threats. Again, in my view, these are industrial fishing and climate change: more broadly, the actions of large, unregulated corporations. I think that fixing this crisis will need marine protected areas and slashing of CO2 emissions, which need cooperation across borders. If we fail to coexist with the oceans, existing economic and societal pains will be exacerbated, and the vast majority of humans (save for the ultra-rich) will be worse off. The agony is that this scenario is avoidable, it just needs us to stand up to powerful international lobbies.
