To protect the ocean—the lifeblood of our planet—we must educate, empower and emulate young people … [+]
Photo Courtesy of Sruthi Gurudev
Stop what you’re doing for a moment and take three deep breaths. (Doesn’t that feel good?) The oxygen in two of those deep breaths is courtesy of a perhaps surprising but fundamentally important source: the ocean.
Your life depends on the ocean, even if you live nowhere near it. The world’s largest ecosystem provides the majority of your oxygen, holds 97% of the Earth’s water and is the top source of protein for more than a billion people. It helps regulate the climate, absorbs carbon dioxide, and shapes weather patterns. It’s the source of millions of jobs, innovative medicines, and a treasure trove of biodiversity. In short, the ocean makes our Earth habitable.
Sadly, this critical part of our planet is in crisis. “Ocean life has been declining worldwide because of overfishing, habitat destruction and climate change. Yet only 7% of the ocean is currently under some kind of protection,” said ocean researcher and explorer Enric Sala.
Earth Day (April 22) offers an opportunity for all of us to reflect on the ocean, what it does for us, and what we can do to protect it. So where do we start? Adults can learn a lot from young people, who tend to be more aware of ocean-related issues and more likely to modify their behaviors and take action to conserve this natural wonder.
So, let me introduce you to one such young person: 22-year-old Sruthi Gurudev, who is innately curious about the ocean. She is an eco-journalist and editor-in-chief of An Hour in the Deep, an e-magazine that celebrates the ocean and aims to inspire other young people to protect it. Below, Sruthi shares, in her own words, how young people like her can be empowered to find solutions to the immense challenges that face the ocean and our planet.
By Sruthi Gurudev
The hardships we face as human beings—most recently a global pandemic, mass shootings and racial inequities—are rightfully consuming and seemingly constant. It can be easy to forget about the issues affecting other forms of life that exist in the mostly-unknown expanses beyond our coasts.
There is a misconception that life underwater is separate from our dizzying lives on land. However, the ocean is changing irrevocably, and the degradation of this environment goes hand in hand with the degradation of human society. When we are complicit with the destruction of the natural world, we enable the downfall of our own kind.
This idea can be traumatizing for young people like me. We’ve grown up hearing that we’re inheriting a planet that is doomed by rising temperatures, food shortages and the loss of biodiversity. While research shows that protecting our ocean can help alleviate these issues, it still seems like a daunting task. How can younger people—who have far less control over political, economic and business decisions that affect the ocean—possibly have an impact on our ocean’s severe crises?
Each of us—and especially young people—has the power to build a better world, and the first step is caring enough to start doing it. Educators can encourage students to consider environmental issues on par with societal issues, because building empathy for the ocean should be a part of every young person’s education. If they develop empathy for organisms existing at the micro level, then we’re more likely to have empathy for our fellow human beings. And if young people can learn to focus on what’s happening at the granular level—movements, efforts, organizations, even personal narratives—then the huge challenges our Earth is facing won’t seem as insurmountable.
Rather than feeling a sense of hopelessness about the future of our planet, I’ve refocused and shifted my attention to the variety of ways I can help. By working with my peers on passion-driven projects, a sense of purpose and collaboration has eclipsed the bombardment of disheartening environmental news we all endure. Starting my e-magazine, An Hour in the Deep, was one such passion project; it helped me contend with the changing planet. The magazine combines the voices, knowledge and experiences of young people around the world, who all experience the ocean and its gifts differently.
I find it inspiring to draw parallels between my life and the miniscule life-forms underwater. For example, chemosynthetic organisms in the abyssal zone harvest energy from underwater thermal vents. These plants are then consumed by other deep-sea organisms. These are processes we don’t easily see, but it’s undeniable that they contribute so much to the overall functioning of the ocean. Similarly, our work above ground, with people, above ground to protect the ocean can mirror an underwater “ecosystem.” The work I’m doing with other young people at the grassroots level is not always widely recognized but it is capable of inspiring change at the policymaking level. Our work to find solutions can have tangible impacts by protecting marine areas. The impacts can also be intangible, by changing how others think about the ocean.
As my generation—and the generations after mine—learn about our planet, it’s critical we harness our power to change it for the better. We aren’t doomed; we’re ready to make change. If we choose to listen to nature’s quiet voice over the cacophony made by the human world, we can turn our future around for the better. Like our ocean, young people are sometimes overlooked—but we’re powerful, and we’re vital to our world’s future.
