6 good news stories about the ocean

Brut America

There’s finally some good news about the oceans.   On UN World Oceans Day, we asked ocean experts to share the positive ocean stories that excite them the most.   UN World Oceans Day Oceanic Global United Nations

Transcript

00:00We're always focused on the bad news.

00:02It's nice to be able to find good news every once in a while when we talk about the ocean.

00:23So last year, the Biden administration recently restored

00:27the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument.

00:30So this is a large area in the North Atlantic that's home to a variety of corals

00:36and just really rich deep-sea ecosystem.

00:38Research has shown that we need at least 30% of the ocean to be medically protected by 2030

00:43in order to stop climate change and to address marine biodiversity loss.

00:48And so when we have these marine protected areas,

00:51these can be really effective tools for actually getting us to that sustainable future that we need.

00:58For today, the great news is that we can build a whole economy about living and thriving ocean,

01:06moving away from the extractive view of the ocean out of nature to a regenerative view of nature.

01:13And this is all new because the science is new.

01:15Science now is telling us how valuable is the ocean as a living and thriving system.

01:21Cities around the world are waking up to the protective benefits of ocean and sea infrastructure.

01:27A great example of sustainable coastal adaptation is happening right here in New York City.

01:33I'm involved in leading a project called Living Breakwaters,

01:37which is an over-one-mile necklace of breakwaters that is seeded with oysters,

01:43that brings educators to the shoreline,

01:45that reduces waves, reduces erosion, really brings a healthier ecosystem

01:50and more fun and social life back to the shoreline.

01:58One of the biggest issues with the deep sea is that it's hard to access,

02:02which means that a lot of the time the research being conducted has been done by higher income countries.

02:09So countries like the Seychelles, where I'm from, has been on the back end of being able to access the deep ocean.

02:17One of the best pieces of news to me is the fact that there are so many collaborators around the world

02:25working to be able to create technology that is accessible for everybody.

02:29And through partnerships we're able to democratize our deep ocean ecosystem

02:35Through partnerships we're able to democratize our deep ocean.

02:39If we can unlock new resources to allow people from coastal areas to do research within their own waters,

02:48that's when we will really see revitalization of our ocean.

02:52These few years, that was very warm in the water temperature,

02:57then it is very difficult for seaweed to survive.

03:01But this year, lots of fish are really pleased of the big harvest.

03:07So this is the current big news for us.

03:12Especially for the Japanese food culture, we consume a lot of various seafood.

03:19From nori, kombu, wakame, hijiki, and a lot more.

03:24So it is crucial to sustain our food culture and our lifestyle.

03:29In the global point of view, seaweed of course is very important and crucial for absorbing the carbon.

03:39As a carbon sink crucial for our life and for the planet.

03:50There are methods pioneered by scientists around the world,

03:54where we can grow corals up to 50 times faster, so months instead of decades.

03:58Where we can strengthen their resilience against things that are killing them like warming and acidifying oceans.

04:03And where we can see the populations of marine life, the beautiful colors and dazzling shapes,

04:09rebounding as we plant corals and restore their health.

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