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- [Host] The ocean makes
life on earth possible.
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Downloaded from
YTS.MX
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But this all-important resource
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is under extreme threat.
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- I looked around
me and I just saw
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Official YIFY movies site:
YTS.MX
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more plastic bags than fish.
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- [Host] Its delicate
balance is tipping
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towards destruction.
- If we lost our coral reef,
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that'll kill us.
- [Host] And somehow,
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because our very
existence depends on it,
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we must save the ocean.
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- [Lacomte] We only
have one ocean.
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- We can all be part
of this solution.
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(upbeat inspiring music)
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(people cheering)
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(inspiring music continues)
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- Let me ask you, what
is the greatest threat
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to the ocean today,
plastic pollution?
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Temperature increase?
Overfishing?
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Yes, these and other issues
are extremely serious,
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but the greatest threat of them
all is the lack of awareness
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of the vital importance of the
ocean for our very existence.
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There are so many examples,
but here's just one.
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Take in a deep breath. Now
breathe out. Do this twice.
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One of those breaths you
took came from the ocean.
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Marine organisms
produce over half
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of the oxygen that land
animals, including people,
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need to breathe.
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And as I said, this is just
one example of so many things
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that the ocean provides us with,
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something we can't live without.
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- [Host] The ocean is a
stunningly beautiful world
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that we are still exploring
and learning about.
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We do know that it covers about
71% of the earth's surface
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and contains an estimated
97% of the planet's water.
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We also know that the
ocean is in deep trouble
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and that presents an
existential threat to us all.
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2,400 miles away from Hawaii
in the central Pacific Ocean,
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lies the tiny
republic of Kiribati.
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For thousands of years, the
people of these remote islands
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have enjoyed a lifelong
relationship with the sea,
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but now the ocean seems
to be turning against them
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and may soon cause
this island nation
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its ultimate destruction.
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Kiribati is expected
to be the first country
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to be completely swallowed
up because of climate change.
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- In the year, I think the
land lost 1.5 meters.
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Every year.
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- [Host] The first nation
to actually disappear.
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Yes, scientists predict
that in the near future,
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Kiribati will be
totally underwater.
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American journalist Lulu DeBoer
has ancestors from Kiribati.
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One year ago, she began
an extended stay there.
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- The way, you
know, grandmas talk
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about their place growing up,
it sounded like a paradise.
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And so for me, I
was like, "Oh man,
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I have to go back there
before it's all gone."
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'Cause I want my kids
to have that sense
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of culture that I grew up with.
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And the only way I knew
how to pass that on
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was to come back here and
absorb as much as possible
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before it was all gone,
so that I could pass it on
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to the next generation.
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- [Host] In far too many ways,
the impending disaster faced
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by Kiribati is a microcosmic
example of the emergency facing
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the ocean and the entire planet.
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And it's not just the rising
water that presents a danger.
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In Kiribati, a much less
obvious threat exists
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inside the water, the fish
and even in the bodies
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of the people who live there.
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And like the rising sea
levels, it has the potential
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to affect millions of
people around the world.
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In 1907, Monaco's
Prince Albert I
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was making his fourth
and final expedition
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to study the Arctic Ocean.
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It is sadly ironic that at
the same time in New York,
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chemist Leo Baekeland
was inventing a material
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that would impact
the ocean forever.
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60 years later, the whole
world was thinking exactly
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what Mr. McGuire told
Benjamin in The Graduate.
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- Are you listening?
- Yes, I am.
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- Plastics.
- [Host] Yes,
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everyone had fallen
in love with plastic.
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Today, plastic is in everything,
from the clothes we wear
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to even the gum we chew.
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No one imagined that
this dream material
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would create this nightmare.
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(water bubbling)
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All over the ocean, there
are huge collections
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of mostly plastic
debris known as patches.
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These massive
accumulations are caused
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by complex interactions
of the Earth's spin
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and ocean currents, which
give the garbage patch
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the alternative
name, trash vortex.
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This is the biggest
patch of them all,
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located in the
north Pacific Ocean,
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the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.
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Because it is
partially submerged
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and always moving
with the water,
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it's hard to know
its size exactly,
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but common estimates are
twice the size of Texas
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and three times
the size of France.
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This long-distance swimmer
wanted to raise awareness
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of the global problem
by swimming through it.
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- For me, the vortex swim
is a way to shine the light
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on the garbage patch
and to bring people
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into that big discussion
of what plastic is
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and what it does to
the to the ocean.
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(water splashing)
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Well there is no
island of trash,
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what we find is a
high concentration
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of degrees of all sizes
but especially microfibers
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and the microplastic around.
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On this expedition, I was out
for two and a half months.
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Through my own eyes, I saw
the magnitude of the problem.
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- [Host] Ben definitely got the
attention of the world news.
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- One man's effort to bring
awareness to pollution,
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51 year old Ben Lacomte.
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- Is seeing firsthand
the true cost
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of plastic pollution
in our oceans.
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- [Host] For Ben, this is
also a research expedition.
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Working closely with
his scientific partners,
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he and his crew will
be collecting
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samples of microplastics
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and microfibers in the
water and recording the data
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for ocean scientists
to use later.
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- Kind of wears you down.
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It's just like would be
nice one day to pull it out
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and there not to be
any plastic in it.
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But you know, 50 days,
we do two a day,
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that's never happened,
yeah, it's pretty messed up
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when you stop to think about it.
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- [Lacomte] I swim every
day for about six hours
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with my face in
a sea of plastic.
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At its highest concentration,
it looked like a snow storm.
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It was very disgusting
and extremely disturbing.
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I had the amazing opportunity
to swim with two sperm whales
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and it was a wonderful moment
in the water with them.
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Unfortunately, right
after that event,
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I came back on board to find out
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that it was our highest
count of microplastic
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in the water so far, I can't
imagine the terrible impact
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all that plastic
has on their lives.
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- [Host] Ben Lacomte
swam 338 miles
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through the Great
Pacific Garbage Patch.
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This amazing
accomplishment earned him
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a Guinness World Record.
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But more importantly to
Ben, it sent out a message
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that rang out through the world,
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we need to solve the problem
of plastic in the ocean.
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- [Lacomte] We only
have one ocean.
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We need to all work
together to save it.
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- The future will certainly
bring many more inventions
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to replace plastic with
better alternatives.
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But why wait? You
can start right now.
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Here's something
you can do today
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to get off your
plastic addiction.
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Dish soap is a huge problem
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because of the plastic
containers it comes in.
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So try a dish block, a solid
block of earth-friendly soap.
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You just wet your sponge on it
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and get an instant
soapy lather to clean
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up the day's dishes.
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- Your typical kitchen
sponges are made
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of petroleum-based polyurethane,
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a big polluter for the ocean.
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So why not use a
loofah scrubber?
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Loofahs are the fruit
of a tropical vine plant
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in the cucumber family.
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They're so biodegradable
and eco-friendly
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that loofahs can actually be
eaten if they're harvested
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when the fruit is
young and tender.
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Plus, you can clean
them in the dishwasher
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or in your washing machine.
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(upbeat music)
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(upbeat music)
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- How much plastic
is there on earth?
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It's estimated that
over 10 billion tons
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of plastic have
been created by now
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and most of it is still here.
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- Plastic pollution is
decimating ocean animals
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and working its way
up in the food chain,
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even into our own bodies.
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In a disturbing recent study,
scientists found microplastics
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in four out of six human
placentas they studied.
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- [Host] Plastic
thrown away in the USA
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can end up as far
away as Antarctica.
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Garbage is pulled from
our coastal waters
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into wind-driven
circular ocean currents.
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Other currents carry the
trash across the ocean.
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There are no boundaries
in moving water.
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So in reality, it's
just one ocean.
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(dramatic music)
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(birds trilling)
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2000 miles away from
the nearest continent
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in one of the most isolated
places on the planet,
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Dr. Jennifer Lavers learned
firsthand the shocking amount
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of plastic that can exist
inside a dead albatross.
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00:10:33,733 --> 00:10:37,036
- [Lavers] To try and wrap
your mind around the condition
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of this animal and the
quality of its life
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really is quite an
overwhelming thing.
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I do have some pretty
rough days, have to go home
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and really wrap my mind around
where do we go from here?
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- [Host] Just on
this island alone,
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plastic is killing
seabirds by the thousands.
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But seabirds are not the
only animals being devastated
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by plastics in the ocean.
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00:11:03,195 --> 00:11:07,033
They are just the tip of
the iceberg of destruction.
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The bags, bottles and
all other discarded items
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you see floating near the
surface are broken down
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00:11:14,240 --> 00:11:18,911
by sunlight, waves and sea
animals until what's left
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00:11:18,944 --> 00:11:23,082
is like tiny bits of
confetti floating in a soup
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00:11:23,115 --> 00:11:25,284
and releasing any
toxic chemicals
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00:11:25,317 --> 00:11:28,220
that they might
contain into the water.
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Then these tiny particles
of plastic that will last
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00:11:31,424 --> 00:11:36,429
for hundreds of years disperse
with the winds and currents.
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00:11:37,663 --> 00:11:40,366
This deadly sea of
plastic particles,
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00:11:40,399 --> 00:11:43,269
from the big pieces
to the tiny ones,
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00:11:43,302 --> 00:11:46,872
make it into the bodies
of all marine life,
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including the largest
animals on earth.
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- Experts found
plastic in the stomach
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of a dead blue
whale washed ashore
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00:11:55,981 --> 00:11:58,084
in eastern Japan
earlier this month.
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They say it's an
example of the spread
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00:12:00,152 --> 00:12:02,822
of marine plastic contamination.
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00:12:02,855 --> 00:12:05,224
- [Host] And plastic
is also found
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in the tiniest
animals in the ocean.
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- Copepods are mini
beasts of the ocean.
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Small crustaceans, a
bit like tiny shrimps.
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00:12:14,800 --> 00:12:17,303
They belong to an
important group of animals,
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00:12:17,336 --> 00:12:20,106
known as zooplankton,
which drift and float
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00:12:20,139 --> 00:12:21,874
in the surface of our seas.
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00:12:23,042 --> 00:12:25,778
They may be small, a
single copepod could sit
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00:12:25,811 --> 00:12:28,848
on the head of a pin, but
they are very important
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00:12:28,881 --> 00:12:32,451
and play a vital role
in our ocean ecosystems.
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00:12:32,485 --> 00:12:36,088
- [Host] But as copepods
feed by sucking in water,
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00:12:36,122 --> 00:12:37,923
they have no way to discern
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00:12:37,957 --> 00:12:40,793
between the phytoplankton
they evolved to eat
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00:12:40,826 --> 00:12:44,630
and the microplastics that
now abound in the water.
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00:12:44,663 --> 00:12:49,301
So plastic has become a part
of their diet everywhere,
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00:12:49,335 --> 00:12:53,205
even in the most remote
waters of the planet.
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00:12:53,239 --> 00:12:55,040
These copepods were
filmed swimming
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00:12:55,074 --> 00:13:00,045
among fluorescent microplastics,
the results are striking.
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00:13:01,380 --> 00:13:03,549
Soon, the plastic is
seen within the body
246
00:13:03,582 --> 00:13:07,319
of the animals and it
flows up the food chain
247
00:13:07,353 --> 00:13:11,490
into all fish and other marine
animals that feed on them.
248
00:13:11,524 --> 00:13:15,361
And from the ocean creatures,
the plastic is transferred
249
00:13:15,394 --> 00:13:19,064
to the land animals that
eat them, including us.
250
00:13:20,366 --> 00:13:22,868
Researchers are finding
that most shellfish
251
00:13:22,902 --> 00:13:24,537
have plastic in them.
252
00:13:24,570 --> 00:13:28,474
- They're all sorts of different
colors, they're very small,
253
00:13:28,507 --> 00:13:33,012
all sorts of different shapes
and sizes, microplastics.
254
00:13:34,380 --> 00:13:36,515
- [Host] So when you
eat oysters and clams.
255
00:13:36,549 --> 00:13:38,217
- [Woman] You're
eating plastic as well.
256
00:13:38,250 --> 00:13:40,719
- [Host] And because it's
present throughout the food web,
257
00:13:40,753 --> 00:13:44,924
you are ingesting plastic
every time you eat any seafood,
258
00:13:44,957 --> 00:13:47,326
from shrimp to swordfish.
259
00:13:47,359 --> 00:13:49,895
So where is all this
microplastic coming from?
260
00:13:49,929 --> 00:13:53,199
Here is what ocean pollution
expert Dr. Peter Ross
261
00:13:53,232 --> 00:13:57,269
says about what he found in
samples he took in the Arctic.
262
00:13:57,303 --> 00:14:01,273
- 92% of the particles that
we encountered were fibers
263
00:14:01,307 --> 00:14:06,312
of different colors and 73%
of those were polyester.
264
00:14:07,613 --> 00:14:09,615
Well, the shocking thing
is that we found polyester
265
00:14:09,648 --> 00:14:12,418
in every single sample
of seawater we collected
266
00:14:12,451 --> 00:14:15,421
between Norway, the North Pole,
267
00:14:15,454 --> 00:14:17,389
the Canadian Arctic archipelago
268
00:14:17,423 --> 00:14:20,059
and throughout the Belfort Sea.
269
00:14:20,092 --> 00:14:22,761
- [Host] And what is the
source of all this polyester?
270
00:14:24,129 --> 00:14:25,631
You are wearing it.
271
00:14:25,664 --> 00:14:28,868
Much of our clothing now
contains plastic fibers.
272
00:14:28,901 --> 00:14:31,537
That means every time
you wash your clothes,
273
00:14:31,570 --> 00:14:34,440
fibers are loosened up and
go into the wash water.
274
00:14:34,473 --> 00:14:36,208
Depending on the
type of garment,
275
00:14:36,242 --> 00:14:40,946
a single wash could release
as much as 10 million fibers,
276
00:14:40,980 --> 00:14:45,985
then down the drain they go
and often end up in the ocean.
277
00:14:46,452 --> 00:14:48,487
Every day, we are learning
more about the risk
278
00:14:48,520 --> 00:14:50,656
that microplastics
in the ocean pose
279
00:14:50,689 --> 00:14:54,326
to the animals that are
eating them, including us.
280
00:14:54,360 --> 00:14:57,396
What is the best way
to reduce this risk?
281
00:14:57,429 --> 00:14:58,464
It's a simple answer.
282
00:14:59,531 --> 00:15:01,767
- Reduce our use of plastic.
283
00:15:01,800 --> 00:15:04,503
(upbeat music)
284
00:15:07,606 --> 00:15:10,342
(upbeat music)
285
00:15:11,844 --> 00:15:14,013
- Is there plastic
everywhere in the ocean?
286
00:15:14,046 --> 00:15:15,381
Unfortunately, yes.
287
00:15:15,414 --> 00:15:18,851
Plastic has been found
even at 36,000 feet deep
288
00:15:18,884 --> 00:15:21,854
in the Marianna Trench, the
deepest part of the ocean.
289
00:15:23,923 --> 00:15:26,859
- We know that plastic poses
an immense threat to the ocean.
290
00:15:26,892 --> 00:15:28,560
So what can we do
to turn the tide
291
00:15:28,594 --> 00:15:31,330
of ocean destruction to
one of ocean's survival?
292
00:15:32,498 --> 00:15:34,767
One of the tools we
have is our creativity
293
00:15:34,800 --> 00:15:37,503
and it will take a lot of
it from a lot of people,
294
00:15:37,536 --> 00:15:38,637
but it has begun.
295
00:15:40,339 --> 00:15:44,944
- [Host] In 2011, Dutch
teenager Boyan Slat
296
00:15:44,977 --> 00:15:48,013
made an alarming discovery
that would've a big impact
297
00:15:48,047 --> 00:15:50,616
on both his life and the ocean.
298
00:15:51,817 --> 00:15:54,486
- When I was 16 years
old, I went scuba diving
299
00:15:54,520 --> 00:15:56,989
on the family holiday and
I was expecting to see
300
00:15:57,022 --> 00:15:58,791
all these beautiful
things like you see
301
00:15:58,824 --> 00:16:00,693
in the nature documentaries.
302
00:16:00,726 --> 00:16:03,495
And then I looked
around me and I just saw
303
00:16:03,529 --> 00:16:05,431
more plastic bags than fish.
304
00:16:05,464 --> 00:16:07,933
I wondered, why can't
we just clean this up?
305
00:16:07,967 --> 00:16:11,036
- [Host] He made ocean
plastic pollution the subject
306
00:16:11,070 --> 00:16:14,473
of his high school project
and came up with the idea
307
00:16:14,506 --> 00:16:17,943
of building a passive
plastic catchment system,
308
00:16:17,977 --> 00:16:22,548
using circulating ocean currents
to capture plastic waste.
309
00:16:22,581 --> 00:16:27,586
In 2013, Slat founded the
Ocean Cleanup, and at 27,
310
00:16:28,754 --> 00:16:31,690
he began seeing his
dream come to fruition.
311
00:16:33,058 --> 00:16:34,493
- Yeah.
312
00:16:34,526 --> 00:16:36,695
Ah, what a great day.
313
00:16:36,729 --> 00:16:38,397
It's not going away by itself,
314
00:16:38,430 --> 00:16:41,200
so we have to go out
there unfortunately
315
00:16:41,233 --> 00:16:44,970
to go and clean it up, if you
were to simply skim the ocean
316
00:16:45,004 --> 00:16:48,173
for plastic, it
would take forever.
317
00:16:48,207 --> 00:16:50,009
It would be really expensive.
318
00:16:50,042 --> 00:16:51,877
So that's why we came
up with this idea
319
00:16:51,910 --> 00:16:55,881
to basically deploy
artificial coastlines
320
00:16:55,914 --> 00:16:58,217
where there are no coastline,
allowing the plastic
321
00:16:58,250 --> 00:17:01,186
to accumulate in
these cleanup systems,
322
00:17:01,220 --> 00:17:03,822
which means that with a boat,
we can then periodically
323
00:17:03,856 --> 00:17:06,892
take the plastic out of the
system and bring it to land.
324
00:17:06,925 --> 00:17:09,194
We had our ups and
downs, we had problems,
325
00:17:09,228 --> 00:17:12,898
we had structural failures,
but eventually we had a system
326
00:17:12,931 --> 00:17:16,001
that was successfully
catching plastic.
327
00:17:16,035 --> 00:17:18,504
Not just the big stuff,
but we were also catching
328
00:17:18,537 --> 00:17:20,372
the small pieces,
the microplastics,
329
00:17:20,406 --> 00:17:22,908
down to a millimeter in in size.
330
00:17:22,941 --> 00:17:26,845
Objective of this first
campaign wasn't to maximize
331
00:17:26,879 --> 00:17:30,449
our harvest, it was really
to prove, to validate
332
00:17:30,482 --> 00:17:33,786
the principles behind
the cleanup system.
333
00:17:33,819 --> 00:17:35,354
Yet we still collected
some plastics.
334
00:17:35,387 --> 00:17:38,924
We've collected roughly
60 cubic meters of trash,
335
00:17:38,957 --> 00:17:40,793
but still a small
amount compared to
336
00:17:40,826 --> 00:17:43,629
the hundred million kilos that
we still have to clean up.
337
00:17:45,164 --> 00:17:47,366
But on the other hand, it
does already constitute
338
00:17:47,399 --> 00:17:51,070
roughly 14,000 football
fields of ocean.
339
00:17:51,103 --> 00:17:56,041
- [Host] And in July,
2021, a new system, 002,
340
00:17:56,075 --> 00:17:58,777
was deployed to the Great
Pacific Garbage Patch
341
00:17:58,811 --> 00:18:02,381
and was soon sending ships
back loaded with plastic.
342
00:18:02,414 --> 00:18:06,752
And today, 002 is still
out there doing its job.
343
00:18:07,953 --> 00:18:10,389
But it's not only Boyan
Slat's organization
344
00:18:10,422 --> 00:18:13,725
that is attacking the Great
Pacific Garbage Patch.
345
00:18:13,759 --> 00:18:17,996
Ocean Voyages Institute
is utilizing a 140-foot
346
00:18:18,030 --> 00:18:20,232
sustainable sailing cargo vessel
347
00:18:20,265 --> 00:18:22,101
to tackle the cleanup as well.
348
00:18:22,134 --> 00:18:25,938
- My name is Mary Crowley
and I'm the founder
349
00:18:25,971 --> 00:18:29,441
of Ocean Voyages Institute
and I'm very excited
350
00:18:29,475 --> 00:18:34,113
to be here today seeing
off the sailing ship Kauai,
351
00:18:34,146 --> 00:18:36,982
who's going on a great mission.
352
00:18:37,015 --> 00:18:39,485
- [Host] Day after day
on the rolling ocean,
353
00:18:39,518 --> 00:18:42,821
the crew worked until
the ship was full.
354
00:18:46,959 --> 00:18:51,029
- This morning,
starting at around 6:30,
355
00:18:51,063 --> 00:18:54,800
the crew started
preparing the 103 tons
356
00:18:58,170 --> 00:19:01,540
of ghost nets,
derelict fishing gear
357
00:19:01,573 --> 00:19:06,578
and consumer plastics that
they just removed in 48 days
358
00:19:07,279 --> 00:19:11,383
from the North Pacific Gyre,
accomplishing the largest
359
00:19:12,217 --> 00:19:14,286
at-sea cleanup that's
ever been done.
360
00:19:16,722 --> 00:19:20,926
They'll be recycled
and repurposed.
361
00:19:20,959 --> 00:19:23,595
Nothing will end up in landfill.
362
00:19:23,629 --> 00:19:27,032
Nothing will ever go
back in the ocean.
363
00:19:27,065 --> 00:19:29,601
- I just can't think of any
better work to be doing.
364
00:19:29,635 --> 00:19:32,304
Feels wonderful, you get
tired at the end of the day
365
00:19:32,337 --> 00:19:34,740
after a good day,
but you really feel
366
00:19:34,773 --> 00:19:37,109
like you've
accomplished something.
367
00:19:37,142 --> 00:19:38,810
- [Host] But Mary
Crowley is not content
368
00:19:38,844 --> 00:19:42,114
with just one ship pulling
plastic out of the ocean.
369
00:19:42,147 --> 00:19:47,152
- We are intending to build
two sailing cargo ships
370
00:19:48,353 --> 00:19:52,291
with a cargo hold
of 200 to 250 tons,
371
00:19:54,193 --> 00:19:58,797
scaling up to address the
level of this problem.
372
00:19:58,830 --> 00:20:01,967
We will also be
scaling up globally
373
00:20:02,000 --> 00:20:04,203
our educational efforts.
374
00:20:05,337 --> 00:20:07,606
- [Host] Starting with only
the ideas of two people,
375
00:20:07,639 --> 00:20:10,676
Boyan Slat and Mary Crowley,
376
00:20:10,709 --> 00:20:13,478
their organizations have
grown to make a difference
377
00:20:13,512 --> 00:20:15,981
in the health of the ocean.
378
00:20:16,014 --> 00:20:18,450
But this is only the
tip of the iceberg.
379
00:20:18,483 --> 00:20:21,353
It will take the
efforts of so many more,
380
00:20:21,386 --> 00:20:22,921
and with this goal in mind,
381
00:20:22,955 --> 00:20:26,625
in Monaco's Ocean Week,
1000 policymakers,
382
00:20:26,658 --> 00:20:29,094
investors and
entrepreneurs came together
383
00:20:29,127 --> 00:20:33,031
for seven days to
share ideas, expertise,
384
00:20:33,065 --> 00:20:35,701
and hatch innovative solutions.
385
00:20:35,734 --> 00:20:39,004
While the world's superpower
countries still try to all get
386
00:20:39,037 --> 00:20:42,007
on the same page to
preserve the ocean,
387
00:20:42,040 --> 00:20:46,378
tiny Monaco has a long
history of leading the way.
388
00:20:46,411 --> 00:20:51,116
Over 100 years ago, the ruler
of Monaco, Prince Albert I,
389
00:20:51,149 --> 00:20:53,318
led groundbreaking,
scientific journeys
390
00:20:53,352 --> 00:20:56,021
with a total of 28 expeditions
391
00:20:56,054 --> 00:20:59,124
to the Atlantic Ocean
and the Mediterranean Sea
392
00:20:59,157 --> 00:21:00,559
to his credit.
393
00:21:00,592 --> 00:21:03,362
Ever since then, Monaco
has been at the forefront
394
00:21:03,395 --> 00:21:05,731
of advocacy for the planet.
395
00:21:05,764 --> 00:21:08,967
The prince's love of nature
was passed onto his son,
396
00:21:09,001 --> 00:21:12,471
Prince Rainier III, and
ultimately to his grandson,
397
00:21:12,504 --> 00:21:16,375
Prince Albert II, now the
sovereign ruler of Monaco.
398
00:21:16,408 --> 00:21:19,411
His Prince Albert II
of Monaco Foundation
399
00:21:19,444 --> 00:21:21,680
is one of the foremost
leaders in efforts
400
00:21:21,713 --> 00:21:24,116
to save the ocean
and the planet.
401
00:21:24,149 --> 00:21:27,452
He has led fact-finding
expeditions around the world
402
00:21:27,486 --> 00:21:30,489
to bring awareness to the
effects of climate change.
403
00:21:30,522 --> 00:21:34,993
And in 2006, he became the
first head of state in office
404
00:21:35,027 --> 00:21:36,161
to reach the North Pole.
405
00:21:37,262 --> 00:21:40,032
- Couldn't stop thinking
of Prince Albert I
406
00:21:42,167 --> 00:21:46,905
and his arctic travels
and he would've loved
407
00:21:47,839 --> 00:21:48,674
to have been here.
408
00:21:54,012 --> 00:21:56,415
(upbeat music)
409
00:22:00,052 --> 00:22:02,554
(upbeat music)
410
00:22:04,923 --> 00:22:08,193
- How much plastic is
going into the ocean?
411
00:22:08,226 --> 00:22:12,564
An estimated two garbage
truck loads a minute.
412
00:22:12,597 --> 00:22:16,435
In total, 11 million
tons more plastic flows
413
00:22:16,468 --> 00:22:18,870
into the ocean every year.
414
00:22:21,373 --> 00:22:23,608
- No matter how good we become
a cleaning up the ocean,
415
00:22:23,642 --> 00:22:25,677
it is like trying
to empty a bathtub
416
00:22:25,711 --> 00:22:27,612
without stopping the
flow of the water.
417
00:22:28,447 --> 00:22:30,282
So how does all the plastic get
418
00:22:30,315 --> 00:22:32,184
into the ocean in
the first place?
419
00:22:32,217 --> 00:22:34,453
And how do we stop the flow?
420
00:22:34,486 --> 00:22:37,055
- [Host] The answer is rivers.
421
00:22:37,089 --> 00:22:40,225
They are the primary source
of plastic in the ocean.
422
00:22:40,258 --> 00:22:42,928
And some rivers in less
developed countries
423
00:22:42,961 --> 00:22:44,963
are especially impactful.
424
00:22:46,131 --> 00:22:47,399
- In a lot of these
underdeveloped countries
425
00:22:47,432 --> 00:22:49,067
what happens is, is
there's a formula, right?
426
00:22:49,101 --> 00:22:51,103
There's a large amount
of single-use plastic.
427
00:22:51,136 --> 00:22:53,038
There's not a recycling
infrastructure
428
00:22:53,071 --> 00:22:55,307
and they don't have a very
good sanitation system.
429
00:22:55,340 --> 00:22:57,209
So what happens is,
a lot of the locals
430
00:22:57,242 --> 00:22:59,010
will throw their
plastic into the alleys,
431
00:22:59,044 --> 00:23:00,112
into the drains and everything,
432
00:23:00,145 --> 00:23:02,581
and in these mountainous
areas, whenever it rains,
433
00:23:02,614 --> 00:23:04,449
all that plastic
gets swept offshore.
434
00:23:04,483 --> 00:23:06,918
So over 85% of the
plastic that's entering
435
00:23:06,952 --> 00:23:10,422
the ocean today actually
comes from land-based sources.
436
00:23:10,455 --> 00:23:11,957
- [Host] But where
there's a problem,
437
00:23:11,990 --> 00:23:15,160
there's Boyan Slat again
with a new solution,
438
00:23:15,193 --> 00:23:18,130
to turn off the
faucet of plastic.
439
00:23:18,163 --> 00:23:21,433
- What if we could
intercept plastic
440
00:23:21,466 --> 00:23:25,070
in rivers before it
reaches the oceans?
441
00:23:26,004 --> 00:23:28,540
What we need is a product,
442
00:23:28,573 --> 00:23:31,476
one integrated system that
you can bring anywhere
443
00:23:31,510 --> 00:23:35,547
in the world, install within
days and that just works.
444
00:23:35,580 --> 00:23:40,519
And it doesn't
exist until today.
445
00:23:44,990 --> 00:23:48,126
- [Host] The Interceptor is
the world's first solar-powered
446
00:23:48,160 --> 00:23:52,898
floating robot, a 50 ton
monster that collects trash
447
00:23:54,166 --> 00:23:56,168
but leaves the fish alone.
448
00:23:56,201 --> 00:23:59,070
As garbage floats down the
river, it runs into a barrier
449
00:23:59,104 --> 00:24:01,406
on the surface of the
water, which funnels it
450
00:24:01,440 --> 00:24:03,842
into the mouth of
the Interceptor.
451
00:24:03,875 --> 00:24:05,977
Then it travels up
a conveyor belt,
452
00:24:06,011 --> 00:24:08,880
which drops it into
floating dumpsters.
453
00:24:08,914 --> 00:24:11,883
When they're full, the
Interceptor stays anchored
454
00:24:11,917 --> 00:24:14,920
in place while the dumpsters
are towed to the shore.
455
00:24:16,188 --> 00:24:19,090
There, whatever can be
recycled is processed
456
00:24:19,124 --> 00:24:21,993
and the rest goes
to the landfill.
457
00:24:22,027 --> 00:24:23,995
Okay, that's how it operates.
458
00:24:24,029 --> 00:24:26,031
But does it really work?
459
00:24:26,064 --> 00:24:28,433
Well, the numbers
speak for themselves.
460
00:24:28,467 --> 00:24:32,037
Since the unveiling of the
first one in October, 2019,
461
00:24:32,070 --> 00:24:35,273
eight more Interceptors have
been deployed in Indonesia,
462
00:24:35,307 --> 00:24:39,044
Vietnam, the Dominican
Republic, two in Malaysia,
463
00:24:39,077 --> 00:24:42,747
and three in Jamaica,
seven more are in the works
464
00:24:42,781 --> 00:24:45,283
for other areas,
including one planned soon
465
00:24:45,317 --> 00:24:48,520
for Ballona Creek in
Los Angeles, California.
466
00:24:48,553 --> 00:24:51,089
Up until now, the ocean
Interceptors combined
467
00:24:51,122 --> 00:24:53,058
with the cleanup out in
the ocean have removed
468
00:24:53,091 --> 00:24:55,961
over a million pounds of trash.
469
00:24:57,229 --> 00:25:00,232
According to UN estimates,
there are between 160
470
00:25:00,265 --> 00:25:04,536
and 440 billion pounds
of plastic left to go,
471
00:25:04,569 --> 00:25:06,638
but at least we are
seeing a beginning
472
00:25:06,671 --> 00:25:08,273
to the cleanup of the ocean.
473
00:25:08,306 --> 00:25:11,877
To finish the job, we will
all have to do our part.
474
00:25:11,910 --> 00:25:15,146
In the Bahamas, Kristal
Ambrose took it upon herself
475
00:25:15,180 --> 00:25:17,115
to do exactly that.
476
00:25:17,148 --> 00:25:18,750
- [Ambrose] We're so happy
to have you here today.
477
00:25:18,783 --> 00:25:20,418
You happy to be here? Scream.
478
00:25:20,452 --> 00:25:22,087
- [Crowd] Woo.
479
00:25:22,120 --> 00:25:25,056
- [Ambrose] Our Plastic
Camp has been so impactful.
480
00:25:25,090 --> 00:25:28,827
We've been doing the program
for over six years now.
481
00:25:28,860 --> 00:25:31,096
We've reached more
than 500 students
482
00:25:31,129 --> 00:25:33,231
on eight different
Bahamian Islands.
483
00:25:33,265 --> 00:25:35,800
- You'll be the solution
to plastic pollution.
484
00:25:35,834 --> 00:25:38,537
(crowd cheering)
485
00:25:40,639 --> 00:25:42,908
- So we built that stewardship
through our beach cleanups,
486
00:25:42,941 --> 00:25:45,243
through all of our
environmental work.
487
00:25:45,277 --> 00:25:47,979
And with the help of a
lawyer, we wrote a bill
488
00:25:48,013 --> 00:25:51,116
of what a single-use plastic ban
489
00:25:51,149 --> 00:25:53,018
would look like for the Bahamas.
490
00:25:53,051 --> 00:25:55,654
So we literally went in
there beating on the desk,
491
00:25:55,687 --> 00:25:57,989
"We are the change,
we're the solution.
492
00:25:58,023 --> 00:26:00,525
We can fix this
plastic pollution."
493
00:26:00,559 --> 00:26:03,094
And then we proceeded to tell
the Minister of Environment
494
00:26:03,128 --> 00:26:07,132
why we needed to act now
and ban single-use plastics.
495
00:26:07,165 --> 00:26:09,467
- In assembling her data
and doing her research,
496
00:26:09,501 --> 00:26:11,803
Kristal was able to
demonstrate that this problem
497
00:26:11,836 --> 00:26:13,638
isn't just out there,
it's actually right
498
00:26:13,672 --> 00:26:16,975
on our front doors,
and we need to act now.
499
00:26:17,008 --> 00:26:18,710
- [Host] Soon, the
bill that had begun
500
00:26:18,743 --> 00:26:21,513
as a school project
became a reality.
501
00:26:23,014 --> 00:26:24,382
- [Ambrose] This is my
planet, this is my ocean.
502
00:26:24,416 --> 00:26:28,320
I deserve to fight
and my voice matters.
503
00:26:30,188 --> 00:26:32,190
- Let's talk about
your toothbrush.
504
00:26:32,223 --> 00:26:34,993
You can find a lot of
these in the ocean.
505
00:26:35,026 --> 00:26:37,896
So, why not use a
bamboo toothbrush?
506
00:26:37,929 --> 00:26:41,032
Bamboo is biodegradable
and highly sustainable.
507
00:26:41,066 --> 00:26:43,168
In fact, it's one of the
fastest-growing plants
508
00:26:43,201 --> 00:26:44,869
in the world.
- Did you know
509
00:26:44,903 --> 00:26:47,238
that in the US we throw away one
510
00:26:47,272 --> 00:26:51,276
and a half billion plastic
toothpaste tubes every year?
511
00:26:51,309 --> 00:26:54,279
They're another huge
source of ocean pollution.
512
00:26:54,312 --> 00:26:57,549
But now, you can use
toothpaste tablets instead.
513
00:26:57,582 --> 00:26:59,784
You just pop one in
your mouth, chew it up
514
00:26:59,818 --> 00:27:01,353
and it becomes effervescent,
515
00:27:01,386 --> 00:27:03,555
then just brush
like you always do.
516
00:27:04,556 --> 00:27:07,058
(upbeat music)
517
00:27:10,161 --> 00:27:12,897
(upbeat music)
518
00:27:14,933 --> 00:27:17,435
- How many countries have
outlawed single-use plastics?
519
00:27:17,469 --> 00:27:20,905
Unfortunately, only a few
nations have an all-out ban
520
00:27:20,939 --> 00:27:23,108
and sadly, the United
States is not one of them.
521
00:27:23,141 --> 00:27:24,776
But recently, India announced
522
00:27:24,809 --> 00:27:26,911
they will ban
single-use plastics,
523
00:27:26,945 --> 00:27:28,279
a huge polluter in the ocean.
524
00:27:30,982 --> 00:27:32,250
- Cleaning up the
existing plastic
525
00:27:32,283 --> 00:27:33,818
from the ocean and
the rivers that flow
526
00:27:33,852 --> 00:27:37,122
into it is a huge step
in the right direction.
527
00:27:37,155 --> 00:27:39,824
But once it's all collected,
what do we do with it?
528
00:27:40,859 --> 00:27:43,061
Back in the fifties, the
long-lasting quality of plastic
529
00:27:43,094 --> 00:27:45,430
was it's biggest selling point.
530
00:27:45,463 --> 00:27:47,632
Now we know it is
actually a curse.
531
00:27:47,666 --> 00:27:51,436
How long does it take for
plastic items to decompose?
532
00:27:51,469 --> 00:27:53,772
You may be shocked
by the numbers.
533
00:27:53,805 --> 00:27:56,775
- [Host] Plastic
straws? 200 years.
534
00:27:56,808 --> 00:28:00,979
Six pack plastic rings? 400
years.
535
00:28:01,012 --> 00:28:03,948
Plastic
bottles, 450 years.
536
00:28:03,982 --> 00:28:06,785
Plastic cups, 450 years.
537
00:28:06,818 --> 00:28:09,854
Coffee pods, 500 years.
538
00:28:09,888 --> 00:28:12,924
Plastic toothbrushes, 500 years.
539
00:28:12,957 --> 00:28:15,860
Disposable diapers, 500 years.
540
00:28:16,728 --> 00:28:20,098
Fishing line, 600 years.
541
00:28:20,131 --> 00:28:22,667
Of course, reducing
our use of plastic
542
00:28:22,701 --> 00:28:25,203
and finding alternatives
is essential.
543
00:28:25,236 --> 00:28:27,839
But for all the plastic
that currently exists,
544
00:28:27,872 --> 00:28:30,675
we need something that
can decompose it rapidly.
545
00:28:31,876 --> 00:28:34,646
Maybe this scientist
found the answer.
546
00:28:34,679 --> 00:28:38,116
Her name is Federica
Bertocchini.
547
00:28:38,149 --> 00:28:40,552
- I noticed, basically cleaning
one of my beehives,
548
00:28:40,585 --> 00:28:41,786
that there was these worms.
549
00:28:41,820 --> 00:28:43,988
So basically I cleaned them,
I put them into a plastic bags,
550
00:28:44,022 --> 00:28:48,993
and usually what I used to
find was dead invertebrates.
551
00:28:49,928 --> 00:28:51,029
- [Dean] But these worms
552
00:28:51,062 --> 00:28:53,331
managed to eat their way
out of the plastic bag.
553
00:28:53,364 --> 00:28:57,168
- So, I said, "This is
something interesting."
554
00:28:57,202 --> 00:28:58,903
- [Dean] They're
called meal worms
555
00:28:58,937 --> 00:29:01,806
and you can actually
buy them online
556
00:29:01,840 --> 00:29:04,709
and watch them
become cute beetles
557
00:29:04,743 --> 00:29:07,846
by feeding them styrofoam.
558
00:29:07,879 --> 00:29:09,848
Now it's not the
meal worms themselves
559
00:29:09,881 --> 00:29:12,183
that are actually breaking
down the styrofoam.
560
00:29:12,217 --> 00:29:14,853
It's the enzymes
produced by bacteria
561
00:29:14,886 --> 00:29:18,523
the worms have inside them
that make the magic happen.
562
00:29:19,724 --> 00:29:21,359
- The secreted enzymes
are really interesting.
563
00:29:21,392 --> 00:29:22,927
Those are the tools
564
00:29:22,961 --> 00:29:24,829
that actually break the wall
down into little pieces.
565
00:29:24,863 --> 00:29:26,331
- [Dean] So scientists
are now spending
566
00:29:26,364 --> 00:29:30,401
a lot of time searching in
places like garbage dumps.
567
00:29:30,435 --> 00:29:33,538
Their goal is to find
new bugs and bacteria
568
00:29:33,571 --> 00:29:36,608
that can digest plastic,
isolate their enzymes,
569
00:29:36,641 --> 00:29:41,212
and then enhance and mass
produce them in bioreactors.
570
00:29:41,246 --> 00:29:44,282
Finding a way to deal with
our enormous plastic waste
571
00:29:44,315 --> 00:29:47,218
would be a huge step
in the right direction.
572
00:29:47,252 --> 00:29:49,954
But to really improve
the planet's health,
573
00:29:49,988 --> 00:29:53,625
we need to attack the ultimate
source of the problem.
574
00:29:53,658 --> 00:29:55,560
And that is the
world's
575
00:29:55,593 --> 00:29:58,396
insatiable consumption
of plastic.
576
00:29:58,429 --> 00:30:01,566
We need safe and
sustainable alternatives.
577
00:30:01,599 --> 00:30:02,867
It seems only fitting
578
00:30:02,901 --> 00:30:05,804
that one solution to plastic
pollution in the ocean
579
00:30:05,837 --> 00:30:08,973
might come from
the ocean itself.
580
00:30:09,007 --> 00:30:10,742
- We're developing new solutions
581
00:30:10,775 --> 00:30:12,977
that try to use seaweed
instead of plastic
582
00:30:13,011 --> 00:30:15,947
for a lot of
single-use applications
583
00:30:15,980 --> 00:30:17,615
- [Dean] They're
focusing on packaging
584
00:30:17,649 --> 00:30:19,751
for foods and other
everyday products,
585
00:30:19,784 --> 00:30:21,886
lots of things that
we consume quickly
586
00:30:21,920 --> 00:30:23,621
and throw the containers away.
587
00:30:23,655 --> 00:30:24,923
Their first creation
588
00:30:24,956 --> 00:30:27,759
was a space-aged,
edible bubble packet
589
00:30:27,792 --> 00:30:29,494
that can hold any liquid,
590
00:30:29,527 --> 00:30:32,430
like water, juice,
or sports drinks.
591
00:30:32,463 --> 00:30:34,165
For one thing, it's
a great way to avoid
592
00:30:34,199 --> 00:30:36,935
all those little cups left
over after a marathon.
593
00:30:36,968 --> 00:30:39,404
To tackle on even
bigger plastic problem,
594
00:30:39,437 --> 00:30:42,006
they developed an edible
packet for condiments
595
00:30:42,040 --> 00:30:45,844
so you can eat the container
right along with the ketchup.
596
00:30:45,877 --> 00:30:49,314
And they've continued to create
other packaging solutions.
597
00:30:49,347 --> 00:30:50,949
The company realized
that seaweed
598
00:30:50,982 --> 00:30:53,918
has great potential as
a sustainable resource.
599
00:30:53,952 --> 00:30:56,821
It's one of the fastest growing
organisms on the planet.
600
00:30:56,855 --> 00:31:00,925
Some seaweeds can grow
up to to a meter per day.
601
00:31:00,959 --> 00:31:03,862
These ocean plants also
have other advantages
602
00:31:03,895 --> 00:31:06,297
when compared to those
that grow on land.
603
00:31:06,331 --> 00:31:08,967
Seaweed doesn't
require fresh water.
604
00:31:09,000 --> 00:31:11,002
It needs no fertilizer.
605
00:31:11,035 --> 00:31:13,938
In fact, it's really
zero maintenance.
606
00:31:13,972 --> 00:31:15,907
You just let it grow.
607
00:31:17,141 --> 00:31:19,377
While one company is having
success with seaweed,
608
00:31:19,410 --> 00:31:22,547
another is looking to
create plastic alternatives
609
00:31:22,580 --> 00:31:24,349
from a different source.
610
00:31:24,382 --> 00:31:26,985
Mushrooms, or
more specifically
611
00:31:27,018 --> 00:31:31,055
their living root
structures, mycelium.
612
00:31:31,089 --> 00:31:33,691
The power of mushrooms
is nothing new.
613
00:31:33,725 --> 00:31:35,960
For thousands of years,
humans have known
614
00:31:35,994 --> 00:31:38,963
how to cultivate them
for food and medicines.
615
00:31:38,997 --> 00:31:42,066
This US company is harnessing
that age-old knowledge
616
00:31:42,100 --> 00:31:44,903
and applying 21st
century technology to it
617
00:31:44,936 --> 00:31:49,540
to give simple mushrooms
a new, Earth-saving role.
618
00:31:49,574 --> 00:31:51,876
This is how it all begins.
619
00:31:51,910 --> 00:31:55,246
They start with wood
chips, corn husks, or hemp
620
00:31:55,280 --> 00:31:57,982
that would otherwise be
thrown out by local farms.
621
00:31:58,016 --> 00:32:00,418
Then sprinkle in
some fungal spores,
622
00:32:00,451 --> 00:32:04,155
add water, and place them
in special growing chambers.
623
00:32:04,188 --> 00:32:05,924
It only takes a few weeks.
624
00:32:05,957 --> 00:32:08,259
After feeding on the
agricultural waste,
625
00:32:08,293 --> 00:32:11,396
the spores have transformed
into the base material
626
00:32:11,429 --> 00:32:14,165
for a wide array of products.
627
00:32:14,198 --> 00:32:15,566
Soon it will be used to make
628
00:32:15,600 --> 00:32:17,936
the company's
plastic-free foams,
629
00:32:17,969 --> 00:32:19,771
leather-like
textiles for fashion
630
00:32:19,804 --> 00:32:24,042
and other applications,
and even plant-based meats.
631
00:32:24,075 --> 00:32:26,678
Plus, in keeping with a
philosophy to work together
632
00:32:26,711 --> 00:32:28,246
for the good of the planet,
633
00:32:28,279 --> 00:32:31,082
their technology is open access,
634
00:32:31,115 --> 00:32:33,618
helping partner businesses
around the world
635
00:32:33,651 --> 00:32:36,721
make Earth-friendly
alternatives.
636
00:32:36,754 --> 00:32:39,557
- Here's another way to cut
down on plastic pollution,
637
00:32:39,590 --> 00:32:42,961
and it's one you might not
think of, dental floss.
638
00:32:42,994 --> 00:32:46,130
It's made of plastic and
often ends up in the ocean.
639
00:32:46,164 --> 00:32:48,533
And don't forget the plastic
container that it comes in
640
00:32:48,566 --> 00:32:51,536
that takes 500
years to decompose.
641
00:32:51,569 --> 00:32:54,539
But, you can switch to a
biodegradable dental floss.
642
00:32:54,572 --> 00:32:57,108
There are options
made from silk, corn,
643
00:32:57,141 --> 00:33:00,378
and bamboo fibers
available. And each comes in
644
00:33:00,411 --> 00:33:02,547
a biodegradable or
reusable container.
645
00:33:02,580 --> 00:33:04,048
When it comes to shampoo,
646
00:33:04,082 --> 00:33:06,884
the biggest problem is
the plastic container.
647
00:33:06,918 --> 00:33:09,620
So instead, try a shampoo bar.
648
00:33:09,654 --> 00:33:12,223
They come with or without
conditioner built in.
649
00:33:12,256 --> 00:33:15,126
You just lather them
up and scrub away.
650
00:33:15,159 --> 00:33:17,862
(exciting music)
651
00:33:20,298 --> 00:33:23,001
(exciting music)
652
00:33:25,103 --> 00:33:28,139
- Which countries burn
the most fossil fuels?
653
00:33:29,140 --> 00:33:30,641
China tops the list,
654
00:33:30,675 --> 00:33:32,944
burning almost twice
as much fossil fuel
655
00:33:32,977 --> 00:33:34,212
as the United States,
656
00:33:34,245 --> 00:33:37,815
with India, Russia,
and Japan close behind.
657
00:33:37,849 --> 00:33:40,718
But when it comes to the
amount burned per person,
658
00:33:40,752 --> 00:33:44,022
the United States uses
twice as much as China.
659
00:33:46,424 --> 00:33:48,426
- The Industrial Revolution
is considered to be
660
00:33:48,459 --> 00:33:51,095
one of the most significant
events in human history
661
00:33:51,129 --> 00:33:54,432
because of the sweeping changes
it made in people's lives.
662
00:33:54,465 --> 00:33:56,768
Only now, some 200 years later,
663
00:33:56,801 --> 00:33:58,603
are we beginning to
fully acknowledge
664
00:33:58,636 --> 00:34:01,639
the profound impact it
has had on our planet.
665
00:34:01,672 --> 00:34:03,174
(ethereal music)
666
00:34:03,207 --> 00:34:06,044
(water gurgles)
667
00:34:07,678 --> 00:34:09,747
- [Dean] It was the
burning of fossil fuels
668
00:34:09,781 --> 00:34:11,849
that provided us
the power to drive
669
00:34:11,883 --> 00:34:13,351
the Industrial Revolution.
670
00:34:13,384 --> 00:34:14,685
But at the same time,
671
00:34:14,719 --> 00:34:17,789
it caused us to release large
amounts of carbon dioxide
672
00:34:17,822 --> 00:34:19,323
into the atmosphere.
673
00:34:19,357 --> 00:34:21,292
This caused a greenhouse effect,
674
00:34:21,325 --> 00:34:23,227
a condition where
heat is trapped
675
00:34:23,261 --> 00:34:24,862
in the Earth's atmosphere.
676
00:34:24,896 --> 00:34:27,832
Plus, there are other
greenhouse gases like methane,
677
00:34:27,865 --> 00:34:29,801
which have increased
in recent years
678
00:34:29,834 --> 00:34:32,236
due to things like
livestock production,
679
00:34:32,270 --> 00:34:34,705
especially on crowded
factory farms,
680
00:34:34,739 --> 00:34:37,308
other types of agriculture,
sewage treatment,
681
00:34:37,341 --> 00:34:39,777
and natural gas and
oil distribution.
682
00:34:40,945 --> 00:34:42,713
What does this
mean for the Earth?
683
00:34:42,747 --> 00:34:44,382
The planet is trapping
684
00:34:44,415 --> 00:34:46,851
roughly double the amount
of heat in the atmosphere
685
00:34:46,884 --> 00:34:49,387
than it did 15 years ago.
686
00:34:49,420 --> 00:34:51,689
So the Earth is warming.
687
00:34:51,722 --> 00:34:53,858
Now to survive,
plants and animals
688
00:34:53,891 --> 00:34:55,526
that evolved for
millions of years
689
00:34:55,560 --> 00:34:57,895
to live at pre-industrial
temperatures
690
00:34:57,929 --> 00:35:01,666
are forced to adapt
to a warmer Earth.
691
00:35:01,699 --> 00:35:05,203
For many species, that
may be impossible.
692
00:35:05,236 --> 00:35:08,739
Corals evolved 500
million years ago.
693
00:35:08,773 --> 00:35:11,742
They are vitally important
to both the ocean
694
00:35:11,776 --> 00:35:13,878
and the world's
human population.
695
00:35:13,911 --> 00:35:15,379
But corals around the world
696
00:35:15,413 --> 00:35:16,714
are under threat,
697
00:35:16,747 --> 00:35:19,050
and that's true in
Kiribati as well.
698
00:35:19,083 --> 00:35:22,520
- For me, the biggest
scare is coral bleaching
699
00:35:22,553 --> 00:35:24,689
'cause our islands,
our entire subsistence,
700
00:35:24,722 --> 00:35:26,357
is off of our coral reef.
701
00:35:26,390 --> 00:35:27,792
It's where we get
all of our food.
702
00:35:27,825 --> 00:35:30,862
That's what keeps the
islands' ecosystems running.
703
00:35:30,895 --> 00:35:32,697
It's the coral.
704
00:35:32,730 --> 00:35:34,765
And coral's really fragile.
705
00:35:34,799 --> 00:35:36,968
And that's absolutely
terrifying to me.
706
00:35:37,001 --> 00:35:39,270
If we lost our coral
reef, that'll kill us.
707
00:35:39,303 --> 00:35:42,974
- [Dean] Coral is a
colonial marine animal.
708
00:35:43,007 --> 00:35:46,444
The individuals are dependent
on one another for survival.
709
00:35:46,477 --> 00:35:48,079
What we see as a coral structure
710
00:35:48,112 --> 00:35:50,481
is actually hundreds
to thousands
711
00:35:50,515 --> 00:35:54,452
of tiny individual organisms
called coral polyps
712
00:35:54,485 --> 00:35:56,320
living together in a colony.
713
00:35:56,354 --> 00:35:58,222
Each soft-bodied polyp
714
00:35:58,256 --> 00:36:01,492
secretes a hard outer
skeleton of calcium carbonate
715
00:36:01,526 --> 00:36:03,294
that attaches either to a rock
716
00:36:03,327 --> 00:36:06,831
or the dead skeletons
of other polyps.
717
00:36:06,864 --> 00:36:09,400
But the polyps live not
only with each other,
718
00:36:09,433 --> 00:36:13,771
but also with algae that lives
inside the coral's tissues.
719
00:36:13,804 --> 00:36:16,641
Like other plants,
algae use photosynthesis
720
00:36:16,674 --> 00:36:18,910
to produce nutrients
and pass many
721
00:36:18,943 --> 00:36:20,845
directly to the coral's cells.
722
00:36:20,878 --> 00:36:24,849
In return, the coral provides
a safe home for the algae.
723
00:36:24,882 --> 00:36:27,618
So a coral formation is
one of the natural world's
724
00:36:27,652 --> 00:36:30,922
perfect symbiotic relationships.
725
00:36:30,955 --> 00:36:33,658
But nature takes it
even one step further.
726
00:36:33,691 --> 00:36:37,094
By itself, the coral
skeleton is ghostly white.
727
00:36:37,128 --> 00:36:38,963
But the chlorophyll in the algae
728
00:36:38,996 --> 00:36:40,965
gives them a green-brown color.
729
00:36:40,998 --> 00:36:42,433
And on top of that,
730
00:36:42,466 --> 00:36:45,036
the algae produce a
variety of pigments
731
00:36:45,069 --> 00:36:49,173
which finally give the coral
formations their stunning hues.
732
00:36:49,207 --> 00:36:50,975
But when the algae
becomes stressed,
733
00:36:51,008 --> 00:36:54,612
they stop providing enough
nutrients to support the coral.
734
00:36:54,645 --> 00:36:57,682
And soon the starving
coral expel the algae
735
00:36:57,715 --> 00:37:00,551
and turn back into
their ghostly white,
736
00:37:00,585 --> 00:37:03,221
a condition called bleaching.
737
00:37:03,254 --> 00:37:05,556
If the situation
continues long enough,
738
00:37:05,590 --> 00:37:08,192
the coral weaken and die.
739
00:37:09,093 --> 00:37:10,394
What can stress the algae
740
00:37:10,428 --> 00:37:12,964
to begin this chain
of destruction?
741
00:37:12,997 --> 00:37:17,001
One thing is water
temperatures that are too warm.
742
00:37:17,034 --> 00:37:19,003
And as climate change
causes global temperatures
743
00:37:19,036 --> 00:37:20,538
to rise around the world,
744
00:37:20,571 --> 00:37:24,041
we are seeing coral bleaching
in the ocean everywhere,
745
00:37:24,075 --> 00:37:26,544
including the largest
system of coral structures
746
00:37:26,577 --> 00:37:27,411
in the world,
747
00:37:28,512 --> 00:37:30,948
Australia's Great Barrier Reef.
748
00:37:33,284 --> 00:37:37,989
This scientist is widely known
as the godfather of coral,
749
00:37:38,022 --> 00:37:40,925
and he has identified
more than 20%
750
00:37:40,958 --> 00:37:43,227
of all the world's
coral species.
751
00:37:44,695 --> 00:37:47,365
Back in the 1990s, he
started getting very worried
752
00:37:47,398 --> 00:37:50,601
as he began seeing
changes in the climate.
753
00:37:50,635 --> 00:37:52,770
And back then, 30 years ago,
754
00:37:52,803 --> 00:37:56,040
he made some pretty
scary predictions.
755
00:37:56,073 --> 00:37:59,010
- I predicted that by 2015,
756
00:37:59,043 --> 00:38:01,712
the carbon monoxide
levels would be so high
757
00:38:01,746 --> 00:38:04,915
that it would cause bleaching
practically every year.
758
00:38:06,484 --> 00:38:09,754
It's all happened and
the consequences of that
759
00:38:09,787 --> 00:38:12,990
have turned out to be much
worse than those predictions.
760
00:38:14,258 --> 00:38:16,560
It's exactly like me
761
00:38:16,594 --> 00:38:19,797
seeing my family slowly
dying or something.
762
00:38:21,265 --> 00:38:23,000
It's very grave-like.
763
00:38:24,302 --> 00:38:28,272
- Corals are really the
linchpin of the ecosystem.
764
00:38:30,975 --> 00:38:33,277
When you go out there and
you say, in the ocean,
765
00:38:33,311 --> 00:38:36,113
how many species of fish live
in and around coral reefs?
766
00:38:36,147 --> 00:38:38,082
The answer is about a quarter.
767
00:38:38,115 --> 00:38:39,750
- [Dean] Yes
although coral reefs
768
00:38:39,784 --> 00:38:42,253
cover less than 1%
of the ocean floor,
769
00:38:42,286 --> 00:38:47,058
they provide a home for
25% of the ocean's species
770
00:38:47,091 --> 00:38:48,526
that we know of today.
771
00:38:48,559 --> 00:38:51,696
And in more human
terms, 60% of the fish
772
00:38:51,729 --> 00:38:53,698
the world depends on for food
773
00:38:53,731 --> 00:38:56,434
depend on healthy
coral for survival.
774
00:38:56,467 --> 00:38:59,904
But the value of coral to
human beings goes even further.
775
00:38:59,937 --> 00:39:02,973
As one of the most biodiverse
ecosystems on Earth,
776
00:39:03,007 --> 00:39:05,710
there may be millions
of undiscovered species
777
00:39:05,743 --> 00:39:07,712
of organisms living there.
778
00:39:07,745 --> 00:39:10,081
Many scientists believe
that these reefs
779
00:39:10,114 --> 00:39:14,618
hold the key to finding new
medicines for the 21st century.
780
00:39:14,652 --> 00:39:17,088
Medical researchers are
now developing new drugs
781
00:39:17,121 --> 00:39:19,156
from coral reef
animals and plants
782
00:39:19,190 --> 00:39:22,993
as possible cures for
arthritis, viruses,
783
00:39:23,027 --> 00:39:25,029
cancer, and other diseases.
784
00:39:26,297 --> 00:39:28,499
(waves crash)
785
00:39:28,532 --> 00:39:30,101
- The other thing
that is very important
786
00:39:30,134 --> 00:39:33,270
is coral is protecting
us from the waves.
787
00:39:33,304 --> 00:39:36,073
- [Dean] Coral reefs help
prevent the loss of life,
788
00:39:36,107 --> 00:39:37,975
property damage, and erosion
789
00:39:38,008 --> 00:39:40,911
as they buffer
shorelines against 97%
790
00:39:40,945 --> 00:39:44,315
of the energy from waves,
storms, and floods.
791
00:39:44,348 --> 00:39:46,350
- If the coral is
dying, then we won't
792
00:39:46,384 --> 00:39:49,553
have this protection
against a storm surge,
793
00:39:49,587 --> 00:39:51,489
especially in the area
where we've got cyclones
794
00:39:51,522 --> 00:39:54,892
and huge storm surge is
coming up from cyclones,
795
00:39:54,925 --> 00:39:57,361
so the coral reef can
protect against this.
796
00:39:57,395 --> 00:39:59,597
- [Dean] If this natural
barrier was gone,
797
00:39:59,630 --> 00:40:00,865
millions of people
798
00:40:00,898 --> 00:40:04,101
who live on the ocean's
shores would suffer.
799
00:40:04,135 --> 00:40:05,569
And from an economic standpoint,
800
00:40:05,603 --> 00:40:08,539
besides all the industries
surrounding fishing,
801
00:40:08,572 --> 00:40:12,076
corals have great importance
for another human activity
802
00:40:12,109 --> 00:40:14,912
that is extremely valuable
to many countries.
803
00:40:14,945 --> 00:40:17,715
- Tourism, five to
6 billion dollars
804
00:40:17,748 --> 00:40:20,518
worth of tourist revenue
coming into our country
805
00:40:20,551 --> 00:40:23,254
because we have this
pristine, beautiful structure.
806
00:40:24,488 --> 00:40:27,558
- If you see something
you really love dying,
807
00:40:27,591 --> 00:40:29,693
of course it has a huge impact.
808
00:40:29,727 --> 00:40:34,732
It's very hard to continue
when so many people think,
809
00:40:35,566 --> 00:40:37,034
oh, there's nothing wrong.
810
00:40:37,067 --> 00:40:40,638
And that makes me angry because
this is utter stupidity.
811
00:40:40,671 --> 00:40:42,807
- [Dean] But corals are
not just being damaged
812
00:40:42,840 --> 00:40:44,475
by rising temperatures.
813
00:40:44,508 --> 00:40:46,644
They are also being
attacked by another problem,
814
00:40:46,677 --> 00:40:50,448
a major change in the actual
chemistry of the ocean.
815
00:40:50,481 --> 00:40:52,616
- Ocean acidification,
816
00:40:52,650 --> 00:40:55,719
which we talk much less
about, at least in the media.
817
00:40:55,753 --> 00:40:57,421
- [Dean] It is yet another issue
818
00:40:57,455 --> 00:41:00,224
caused by the burning
of fossil fuels.
819
00:41:00,257 --> 00:41:02,626
Like a sponge,
the ocean soaks up
820
00:41:02,660 --> 00:41:04,628
the added carbon
dioxide in the air.
821
00:41:04,662 --> 00:41:06,564
- We know that today the oceans
822
00:41:06,597 --> 00:41:10,401
pump about one half
of the excess carbon
823
00:41:10,434 --> 00:41:13,137
that humans are putting
into the atmosphere,
824
00:41:13,170 --> 00:41:14,472
which means that
825
00:41:14,505 --> 00:41:16,674
they're already taking
out of the atmosphere
826
00:41:16,707 --> 00:41:19,477
huge amounts of carbon
that would otherwise
827
00:41:19,510 --> 00:41:22,246
be heating the
atmosphere even more.
828
00:41:22,279 --> 00:41:23,981
- [Dean] But as that
helps the atmosphere,
829
00:41:24,014 --> 00:41:25,649
it hurts the ocean.
830
00:41:25,683 --> 00:41:29,753
This added CO2 dissolves
and becomes carbonic acid.
831
00:41:29,787 --> 00:41:33,290
As a result, seawater
has become more acidic.
832
00:41:33,324 --> 00:41:34,425
A lot more.
833
00:41:34,458 --> 00:41:36,760
Acidity is 30% higher
834
00:41:36,794 --> 00:41:38,596
than before the
Industrial Revolution.
835
00:41:38,629 --> 00:41:40,798
This inhibits the
coral's ability
836
00:41:40,831 --> 00:41:43,767
to build its calcium
carbonate skeleton.
837
00:41:43,801 --> 00:41:46,604
The effect is similar
to osteoporosis,
838
00:41:46,637 --> 00:41:50,007
slowing growth and
making corals weaker.
839
00:41:50,040 --> 00:41:52,009
- There's huge
parts of the world
840
00:41:52,042 --> 00:41:54,945
where you can swim
over a coral reef,
841
00:41:54,979 --> 00:41:57,882
and you just see individual
corals here and there.
842
00:41:57,915 --> 00:41:59,817
It really is decimated.
843
00:41:59,850 --> 00:42:03,621
At least 30% of all the
coral of this planet is gone.
844
00:42:03,654 --> 00:42:06,824
If we continue
business as usual,
845
00:42:06,857 --> 00:42:08,993
the only hope for a
coral reef is that humans
846
00:42:09,026 --> 00:42:12,029
will destroy their own capacity
to make carbon dioxide.
847
00:42:13,731 --> 00:42:16,800
- There is a real chance
that ocean acidification,
848
00:42:16,834 --> 00:42:19,470
if it continues on the
track that it is now,
849
00:42:19,503 --> 00:42:21,338
that coral-dominated
reef systems
850
00:42:21,372 --> 00:42:25,242
like the Great Barrier
Reef will soon disappear.
851
00:42:25,276 --> 00:42:27,845
And of course, if
the reef disappears,
852
00:42:27,878 --> 00:42:30,548
then the habitat for
over a million species
853
00:42:30,581 --> 00:42:32,516
will also disappear as well.
854
00:42:32,550 --> 00:42:35,886
At a global scale, losing
coral reefs has implications
855
00:42:35,920 --> 00:42:38,355
for over 500 million people
856
00:42:38,389 --> 00:42:40,324
who depend on coral
reefs each day
857
00:42:40,357 --> 00:42:41,759
for their food and income.
858
00:42:42,960 --> 00:42:45,563
- Coral reefs are saying,
"We are in trouble."
859
00:42:45,596 --> 00:42:47,731
And when coral reefs
are in trouble,
860
00:42:47,765 --> 00:42:49,300
then the oceans are in trouble.
861
00:42:50,901 --> 00:42:52,169
- [Dean] Some scientists
862
00:42:52,202 --> 00:42:54,004
predict that all
the world's corals
863
00:42:54,038 --> 00:42:56,941
could be wiped out by the
middle of the century.
864
00:42:56,974 --> 00:43:00,210
But corals are not the only
sea life being threatened
865
00:43:00,244 --> 00:43:02,746
by ocean acidification.
866
00:43:02,780 --> 00:43:05,883
Other sea creatures and
plants are also in danger.
867
00:43:05,916 --> 00:43:07,718
The acidity of the ocean
868
00:43:07,751 --> 00:43:10,287
can disrupt the
delicate natural balance
869
00:43:10,321 --> 00:43:13,524
between predator and
prey populations.
870
00:43:13,557 --> 00:43:17,595
In many important ways, fish
rely on their sense of smell.
871
00:43:17,628 --> 00:43:21,532
One scent in particular is
essential for their survival.
872
00:43:21,565 --> 00:43:23,400
- The smell of chewed up fish.
873
00:43:23,434 --> 00:43:25,135
Yeah, the smell
of chewed up fish.
874
00:43:25,169 --> 00:43:27,905
- [Dean] This is the odor
that fish would recognize
875
00:43:27,938 --> 00:43:30,274
if a predator was
attacking their group.
876
00:43:30,307 --> 00:43:31,809
- [Scientist] This
is the alarm cue.
877
00:43:31,842 --> 00:43:34,612
So if their sense of
smell is working properly,
878
00:43:34,645 --> 00:43:37,414
then this is the smell
that they should identify
879
00:43:37,448 --> 00:43:38,782
and want to run away from.
880
00:43:38,816 --> 00:43:40,884
- [Dean] But in water
of a higher acidity,
881
00:43:40,918 --> 00:43:44,088
the fish's ability to
detect odors is disrupted.
882
00:43:44,121 --> 00:43:45,322
- And it's important because
883
00:43:45,356 --> 00:43:47,791
once they lose their
sense of smell,
884
00:43:47,825 --> 00:43:50,060
they have inability
to detect and respond
885
00:43:50,094 --> 00:43:52,229
or avoid predators,
886
00:43:52,262 --> 00:43:55,766
pick up chemical cues
associated with finding food,
887
00:43:55,799 --> 00:44:00,104
or in the case of salmon,
honing to their native streams.
888
00:44:00,137 --> 00:44:02,306
- [Dean] But fish are not
the only sea life affected
889
00:44:02,339 --> 00:44:04,408
by ocean acidification.
890
00:44:04,441 --> 00:44:07,945
It especially impacts
any animals with a shell.
891
00:44:07,978 --> 00:44:09,980
- The ocean is so acidic
892
00:44:10,014 --> 00:44:13,484
that it is dissolving the
shell of our baby oysters.
893
00:44:13,517 --> 00:44:18,155
Our farm is what has kept
this family together.
894
00:44:18,188 --> 00:44:20,824
It's our glue and it
would be devastating
895
00:44:20,858 --> 00:44:25,429
to lose that, such a big
part of our history.
896
00:44:25,462 --> 00:44:27,798
What we're experiencing
here in the Puget Sound
897
00:44:27,831 --> 00:44:30,534
is what other people
will be experiencing
898
00:44:30,567 --> 00:44:31,969
not too long in the future.
899
00:44:34,638 --> 00:44:35,773
- [Dean] While the damage caused
900
00:44:35,806 --> 00:44:37,174
by the acidification
of the ocean
901
00:44:37,207 --> 00:44:40,611
may be most evident in
coral and shellfish,
902
00:44:40,644 --> 00:44:42,012
there is a less visible,
903
00:44:42,046 --> 00:44:45,716
but perhaps even more
destructive problem.
904
00:44:45,749 --> 00:44:48,385
- There are also alarming
signs of plankton,
905
00:44:48,419 --> 00:44:51,722
that is responsible for 50%
of the oxygen we breathe.
906
00:44:51,755 --> 00:44:54,858
And for the vast food
chains in our polar oceans,
907
00:44:54,892 --> 00:44:56,393
are beginning to struggle
908
00:44:56,427 --> 00:44:58,562
to make their delicate
calcium carbonate skeletons.
909
00:44:58,595 --> 00:45:00,898
- Our study has found
that phytoplankton levels
910
00:45:00,931 --> 00:45:05,002
have diminished by up to
40% over the last 50 years,
911
00:45:05,035 --> 00:45:06,370
so since 1950.
912
00:45:06,403 --> 00:45:07,705
Phytoplankton is important
913
00:45:07,738 --> 00:45:09,339
because it's the base of
everything in the ocean
914
00:45:09,373 --> 00:45:12,076
and the ocean is the base
for everything on the planet.
915
00:45:12,109 --> 00:45:15,379
- If we start losing the
plankton of the southern oceans,
916
00:45:15,412 --> 00:45:18,182
we start losing the capacity
of the southern oceans
917
00:45:18,215 --> 00:45:20,884
to support just about
all their marine life.
918
00:45:20,918 --> 00:45:23,654
- It can completely
change ocean ecosystems,
919
00:45:23,687 --> 00:45:26,490
starting with the
ocean microorganisms
920
00:45:26,523 --> 00:45:29,359
in the ocean surface waters,
921
00:45:29,393 --> 00:45:31,161
which are those
that are actually
922
00:45:31,195 --> 00:45:33,197
pumping carbon
from the atmosphere
923
00:45:33,230 --> 00:45:35,766
into the oceans
through photosynthesis.
924
00:45:35,799 --> 00:45:40,370
If the oceans were to go beyond
a certain level of acidity,
925
00:45:40,404 --> 00:45:41,939
well paradoxically,
926
00:45:41,972 --> 00:45:43,941
they could actually destroy
some of these organisms
927
00:45:43,974 --> 00:45:47,244
that are actually helping
us to keep carbon levels
928
00:45:47,277 --> 00:45:50,781
in the atmosphere lower than
they would otherwise be.
929
00:45:52,816 --> 00:45:54,885
- The only thing we can do,
930
00:45:54,918 --> 00:45:57,855
which will control
ocean acidification,
931
00:45:57,888 --> 00:46:00,557
is to stop burning fossil.
932
00:46:02,092 --> 00:46:04,995
(exciting music)
933
00:46:07,498 --> 00:46:10,167
(exciting music)
934
00:46:12,603 --> 00:46:14,471
- Besides plastics,
935
00:46:14,505 --> 00:46:17,141
what else is
polluting the ocean?
936
00:46:17,174 --> 00:46:19,910
Some other major sources
of pollution are:
937
00:46:19,943 --> 00:46:23,080
toxic metals, like
mercury from mining,
938
00:46:23,113 --> 00:46:25,883
fertilizers and
herbicides in farm runoff,
939
00:46:25,916 --> 00:46:27,818
and oil.
940
00:46:30,821 --> 00:46:32,089
- Oil spills
941
00:46:32,122 --> 00:46:34,424
are one of the most visible
threats to the ocean.
942
00:46:34,458 --> 00:46:36,326
Who has not seen the
gut-wrenching pictures
943
00:46:36,360 --> 00:46:37,661
of helpless seabirds
944
00:46:37,694 --> 00:46:39,863
stuck in the deadly
mess of spilled oil?
945
00:46:40,697 --> 00:46:42,332
However, below the surface,
946
00:46:42,366 --> 00:46:45,502
there is even more
destruction going on.
947
00:46:45,536 --> 00:46:46,436
- [Dean] A spill that happens
948
00:46:46,470 --> 00:46:48,238
in a matter of hours or days
949
00:46:48,272 --> 00:46:51,975
can devastate the fragile
ocean ecosystem for years.
950
00:46:52,009 --> 00:46:53,911
According to the US
Department of Energy,
951
00:46:53,944 --> 00:46:56,446
1.3 million gallons of oil
952
00:46:56,480 --> 00:46:58,949
are spilled into US waters alone
953
00:46:58,982 --> 00:47:01,985
from vessels, pipelines,
and drilling rigs
954
00:47:02,019 --> 00:47:03,754
in a typical year.
955
00:47:03,787 --> 00:47:06,223
(rig explodes)
956
00:47:09,126 --> 00:47:10,994
- On April 20th, 2010,
957
00:47:11,028 --> 00:47:13,430
41 miles off the
Louisiana coast,
958
00:47:13,463 --> 00:47:15,632
the Deepwater
Horizon drilling rig
959
00:47:15,666 --> 00:47:18,001
exploded in the Gulf of Mexico.
960
00:47:18,969 --> 00:47:20,370
There were months
of cleanup efforts,
961
00:47:20,404 --> 00:47:22,840
but still, it turned
into one of the largest
962
00:47:22,873 --> 00:47:26,276
environmental catastrophes
in US history.
963
00:47:26,310 --> 00:47:29,012
To keep the oil from moving
to fragile coastlines,
964
00:47:29,046 --> 00:47:31,048
air crews sprayed the oil slick
965
00:47:31,081 --> 00:47:35,052
with over 1 million
gallons of dispersants.
966
00:47:35,085 --> 00:47:36,653
Unfortunately, dispersants
967
00:47:36,687 --> 00:47:39,223
do not remove the
oil from the water.
968
00:47:39,256 --> 00:47:41,358
They just break the
huge oil slicks down
969
00:47:41,391 --> 00:47:43,460
into small droplets.
970
00:47:43,493 --> 00:47:45,062
Floating plankton and algae
971
00:47:45,095 --> 00:47:47,164
were so stressed
by the dispersants
972
00:47:47,197 --> 00:47:51,034
that they released streams of
sticky mucus into the water.
973
00:47:51,068 --> 00:47:54,171
This sticky mixture of
the oil, dispersants,
974
00:47:54,204 --> 00:47:56,006
dead plankton, and
other particles
975
00:47:56,039 --> 00:47:59,376
sunk from the surface all
the way to the bottom,
976
00:47:59,409 --> 00:48:01,011
covering the ocean floor
977
00:48:01,044 --> 00:48:04,581
in what has become known
as a dirty blizzard.
978
00:48:04,615 --> 00:48:08,318
Organisms that couldn't
escape its path suffocated.
979
00:48:08,352 --> 00:48:11,154
When researchers returned
to the site 10 years later,
980
00:48:11,188 --> 00:48:13,991
they were shocked by the
devastation that still remained.
981
00:48:14,024 --> 00:48:17,160
- The oil and the dispersants
are a toxic mixture, right?
982
00:48:17,194 --> 00:48:21,265
And so by having all that oil
deposited on the sea bottom,
983
00:48:21,298 --> 00:48:23,233
it's going to interact
with all the creatures
984
00:48:23,267 --> 00:48:25,435
that live at the
surface of the sediment
985
00:48:25,469 --> 00:48:28,038
and also the creatures
that live in the sediment.
986
00:48:28,071 --> 00:48:30,874
And so that created
a lot of mortality.
987
00:48:32,075 --> 00:48:33,577
- [Dean] Clearly we
need a better way
988
00:48:33,610 --> 00:48:36,947
to respond to the inevitable
spills that will occur
989
00:48:36,980 --> 00:48:40,183
as long as oil is a part
of our global economy.
990
00:48:40,217 --> 00:48:42,052
One company has a creative idea,
991
00:48:42,085 --> 00:48:44,187
using not only their brains,
992
00:48:44,221 --> 00:48:46,423
but something else from
their bodies as well.
993
00:48:47,758 --> 00:48:49,960
- So Clean Wave is our program.
994
00:48:49,993 --> 00:48:51,728
We've been doing it
for over 20 years
995
00:48:51,762 --> 00:48:55,232
and it's where you take
hair from hair salons,
996
00:48:55,265 --> 00:48:58,468
hair clippings, fur
clippings from pet groomers,
997
00:48:58,502 --> 00:49:02,072
waste fleece and fiber
from alpaca farms
998
00:49:02,105 --> 00:49:05,242
and sheep farms and buffalo
herds and everything.
999
00:49:05,275 --> 00:49:07,244
And you can take
all of this fiber,
1000
00:49:07,277 --> 00:49:09,279
which would normally
go to a landfill,
1001
00:49:09,313 --> 00:49:12,983
and we felt it into mats
that soak up oil spills.
1002
00:49:13,016 --> 00:49:15,085
And we do that because
hair collects oil.
1003
00:49:15,118 --> 00:49:17,120
- [Dean] A pound
of hair can soak up
1004
00:49:17,154 --> 00:49:19,856
around five times
its weight in oil.
1005
00:49:21,191 --> 00:49:24,094
The finished product could
be mistaken for a doormat.
1006
00:49:24,127 --> 00:49:27,731
Hair is acquired from
salons in over 30 countries.
1007
00:49:27,764 --> 00:49:30,968
- And so it's one way to
use a renewable resource
1008
00:49:31,001 --> 00:49:34,237
to suck up oil spills and
everybody who gets a haircut
1009
00:49:34,271 --> 00:49:36,239
can participate in this.
1010
00:49:36,273 --> 00:49:37,474
And it's free
1011
00:49:37,507 --> 00:49:39,276
and just you mail in the hair.
1012
00:49:39,309 --> 00:49:40,477
So it's the cost of a
postage stamp or whatever,
1013
00:49:40,510 --> 00:49:41,845
and it helps us.
1014
00:49:41,878 --> 00:49:45,415
And so that's a way
everybody can help.
1015
00:49:45,449 --> 00:49:48,151
- [Dean] Oil spills are
just one of the great costs
1016
00:49:48,185 --> 00:49:51,288
of our dependence on
fossil fuels for energy.
1017
00:49:51,321 --> 00:49:54,157
To support our growing
world population,
1018
00:49:54,191 --> 00:49:57,828
other things we need come with
their own costs to the ocean.
1019
00:49:57,861 --> 00:50:00,430
One is probably something
that may surprise you.
1020
00:50:00,464 --> 00:50:03,467
It's the second-most
consumed natural resource
1021
00:50:03,500 --> 00:50:04,368
on the planet.
1022
00:50:04,401 --> 00:50:06,670
Only water is used more.
1023
00:50:06,703 --> 00:50:08,005
It's sand.
1024
00:50:08,038 --> 00:50:10,140
- We are using a
huge amount of sand.
1025
00:50:10,173 --> 00:50:13,443
In fact, our entire
development is based on sand.
1026
00:50:13,477 --> 00:50:15,312
- [Dean] Yes, sand.
1027
00:50:15,345 --> 00:50:18,682
- We are using 50 billion
tons of sand per year.
1028
00:50:18,715 --> 00:50:21,284
And that's just to
give a rough idea.
1029
00:50:21,318 --> 00:50:24,054
This is the equivalent of
the wall of 27 meter high,
1030
00:50:24,087 --> 00:50:27,157
27 meter wide, or around
planet Earth every year.
1031
00:50:27,190 --> 00:50:28,859
That's the amount of
sand we are using.
1032
00:50:28,892 --> 00:50:30,627
We need sand for construction,
1033
00:50:30,660 --> 00:50:32,396
we need sand for
land reclamation,
1034
00:50:32,429 --> 00:50:33,964
we need sand for windows.
1035
00:50:33,997 --> 00:50:35,332
Glass is made of sand.
1036
00:50:35,365 --> 00:50:38,835
Even computer screen and
chips are made of sand.
1037
00:50:38,869 --> 00:50:40,203
- [Dean] Now, it would seem
1038
00:50:40,237 --> 00:50:42,339
with vast deserts around
the world filled with it,
1039
00:50:42,372 --> 00:50:44,741
there would be no
shortage of sand.
1040
00:50:44,775 --> 00:50:48,345
The problem is that desert
sand caused by wind erosion
1041
00:50:48,378 --> 00:50:50,647
is almost useless to us.
1042
00:50:50,680 --> 00:50:53,417
It's too smooth for what
most sand is used for,
1043
00:50:53,450 --> 00:50:55,018
concrete production.
1044
00:50:55,052 --> 00:50:57,921
That requires sand
grains eroded by water
1045
00:50:57,954 --> 00:51:00,390
with sharper edges
that can lock together
1046
00:51:00,424 --> 00:51:02,359
to form stable concrete.
1047
00:51:02,392 --> 00:51:05,362
This sand is found in
riverbeds and beaches.
1048
00:51:05,395 --> 00:51:07,531
But those resources have
been tapped to the point
1049
00:51:07,564 --> 00:51:11,168
where fierce competition has
pushed even criminal gangs
1050
00:51:11,201 --> 00:51:13,236
to traffic in sand.
1051
00:51:13,270 --> 00:51:15,172
Now some companies are looking
1052
00:51:15,205 --> 00:51:18,075
to a new area for
sand extraction.
1053
00:51:18,108 --> 00:51:21,211
- One big thing that is
happening now is dredging sand.
1054
00:51:21,244 --> 00:51:23,847
Imagine a giant vacuum cleaner
1055
00:51:23,880 --> 00:51:25,248
that goes at the
bottom of the sea
1056
00:51:25,282 --> 00:51:26,883
and suck all the sand
1057
00:51:26,917 --> 00:51:29,186
and then all the
microorganisms that live there
1058
00:51:29,219 --> 00:51:30,754
get basically destroyed.
1059
00:51:30,787 --> 00:51:33,223
And it change the
turbidity of the water.
1060
00:51:33,256 --> 00:51:36,560
That has an impact on
biodiversity and on fisheries.
1061
00:51:36,593 --> 00:51:37,928
- [Dean] What is the solution
1062
00:51:37,961 --> 00:51:40,430
to our growing sand problem?
1063
00:51:40,464 --> 00:51:42,199
A number of scientists
are working on ways
1064
00:51:42,232 --> 00:51:45,569
to replace sand in concrete
with other materials,
1065
00:51:45,602 --> 00:51:49,172
including shredded plastic,
crushed palm shells,
1066
00:51:49,206 --> 00:51:50,373
and rice husks.
1067
00:51:50,407 --> 00:51:54,111
Others are trying to
recycle old concrete.
1068
00:51:54,144 --> 00:51:56,880
Sand highlights the fact
that almost anything we do
1069
00:51:56,913 --> 00:51:59,116
comes with a cost
to the environment
1070
00:51:59,149 --> 00:52:01,384
that we need to recognize
and account for.
1071
00:52:01,418 --> 00:52:04,588
Even as we address the issue
of fossil fuel dependence
1072
00:52:04,621 --> 00:52:08,225
and carbon emissions by
moving to electric vehicles,
1073
00:52:08,258 --> 00:52:10,193
it comes with
costs to the planet
1074
00:52:10,227 --> 00:52:12,262
we must carefully consider.
1075
00:52:12,295 --> 00:52:16,099
- We need a lot more of
cobalt as well as lithium
1076
00:52:16,133 --> 00:52:20,103
and other metals to make
batteries for electric vehicles.
1077
00:52:20,137 --> 00:52:21,972
- [Dean] To supply
the growing demand,
1078
00:52:22,005 --> 00:52:24,641
mining companies are
moving to new technology
1079
00:52:24,674 --> 00:52:28,245
that is of special concern
to ocean scientists.
1080
00:52:28,278 --> 00:52:30,714
- These mining
companies are gearing up
1081
00:52:30,747 --> 00:52:33,783
to put huge machines
on the seabed floor
1082
00:52:33,817 --> 00:52:35,585
and rip up the seabed floor.
1083
00:52:35,619 --> 00:52:37,988
- When we look at
the deep sea mining,
1084
00:52:38,021 --> 00:52:40,590
the problem is we have
to be extremely careful
1085
00:52:40,624 --> 00:52:43,660
when we are taking material
from this environment.
1086
00:52:43,693 --> 00:52:45,662
- The stakes are so high.
1087
00:52:45,695 --> 00:52:47,164
When you've ruined the ocean,
1088
00:52:47,197 --> 00:52:49,566
you've ruined life
on earth effectively.
1089
00:52:49,599 --> 00:52:51,134
We've already pushed the ocean
1090
00:52:51,168 --> 00:52:53,670
to the absolute brink
through over-exploitation.
1091
00:52:53,703 --> 00:52:55,172
We're now gonna feed in
1092
00:52:55,205 --> 00:52:58,008
an industrial activity
under the water
1093
00:52:58,041 --> 00:53:01,411
and it may just be the thing
that pushes the ocean over.
1094
00:53:01,444 --> 00:53:04,014
It may be that straw that
breaks the camel's back.
1095
00:53:04,047 --> 00:53:07,117
- So there's gonna be a
ship at the sea surface.
1096
00:53:07,150 --> 00:53:11,121
That ship is going to lower a
machine down onto the seabed.
1097
00:53:11,154 --> 00:53:13,190
These are huge machines
1098
00:53:13,223 --> 00:53:14,591
with traction wheels
1099
00:53:14,624 --> 00:53:16,193
that are going to
move along the seabed.
1100
00:53:16,226 --> 00:53:18,495
- Basically sterilizing
the bottom of the sea
1101
00:53:18,528 --> 00:53:20,263
and it's creating a plume.
1102
00:53:20,297 --> 00:53:22,265
- So there'll be a continuous,
1103
00:53:22,299 --> 00:53:25,702
non-stop plume of
sediment particles
1104
00:53:25,735 --> 00:53:27,170
being released for up to, say,
1105
00:53:27,204 --> 00:53:30,140
30 years per mining operation.
1106
00:53:30,173 --> 00:53:32,509
These little particles
are really destructive
1107
00:53:32,542 --> 00:53:34,277
to a lot of marine species.
1108
00:53:34,311 --> 00:53:35,979
They get into their gills,
1109
00:53:36,012 --> 00:53:38,515
get into basically what
is their way of breathing.
1110
00:53:38,548 --> 00:53:43,119
These plumes get suspended
into the water column
1111
00:53:43,153 --> 00:53:45,021
and there are currents
in the water column
1112
00:53:45,055 --> 00:53:46,856
which will take these plumes,
1113
00:53:46,890 --> 00:53:49,459
they're thinking up to a
hundred kilometers out.
1114
00:53:49,492 --> 00:53:50,961
- [Dean] Deep sea
mining companies
1115
00:53:50,994 --> 00:53:53,964
have often proclaimed
themselves to be eco-warriors
1116
00:53:53,997 --> 00:53:56,166
because the materials
they plan to mine
1117
00:53:56,199 --> 00:53:58,668
can be used in electric
vehicle batteries.
1118
00:53:58,702 --> 00:54:00,203
But this type of mining
1119
00:54:00,237 --> 00:54:03,373
could actually be
catastrophic for the climate.
1120
00:54:03,406 --> 00:54:07,377
The largest active carbon
sink on Earth is the deep sea.
1121
00:54:07,410 --> 00:54:10,413
Carbon will be released
back into the environment
1122
00:54:10,447 --> 00:54:13,850
if the sediment on the
ocean floor is stirred up.
1123
00:54:13,883 --> 00:54:16,519
The deep ocean's ability
to sequester carbon
1124
00:54:16,553 --> 00:54:18,255
could be severely damaged
1125
00:54:18,288 --> 00:54:22,158
and cause seawater to
become even more acidic.
1126
00:54:22,192 --> 00:54:24,194
Yes, we need electric vehicles,
1127
00:54:24,227 --> 00:54:26,396
but to build them
we must avoid using
1128
00:54:26,429 --> 00:54:29,733
what might be the easiest or
most profitable technology
1129
00:54:29,766 --> 00:54:32,902
in favor of what's
best for the planet.
1130
00:54:32,936 --> 00:54:35,939
Unfortunately, a closer look
at the land-based sources
1131
00:54:35,972 --> 00:54:40,277
for one metal needed for clean
vehicle batteries, cobalt,
1132
00:54:40,310 --> 00:54:42,212
exposes a dirty secret.
1133
00:54:42,245 --> 00:54:45,181
Most of it comes from the
Democratic Republic of the
1134
00:54:45,215 --> 00:54:47,384
Congo, where mines
have been linked
1135
00:54:47,417 --> 00:54:49,853
to a long list of
environmental damage,
1136
00:54:49,886 --> 00:54:52,422
safety issues, and
human rights abuses
1137
00:54:52,455 --> 00:54:56,559
involving child laborers
as young as six years old.
1138
00:54:56,593 --> 00:54:58,461
The good news is
that some companies
1139
00:54:58,495 --> 00:55:01,698
have vowed to stop using
cobalt-based batteries,
1140
00:55:01,731 --> 00:55:03,133
sending manufacturers
1141
00:55:03,166 --> 00:55:06,236
racing to develop
cleaner alternatives.
1142
00:55:06,269 --> 00:55:10,707
Batteries using manganese,
iron, and boron hold promise.
1143
00:55:10,740 --> 00:55:13,376
But most recently,
in September 2022,
1144
00:55:13,410 --> 00:55:17,414
an even more sustainable and
biodegradable battery component
1145
00:55:17,447 --> 00:55:18,615
was unveiled.
1146
00:55:18,648 --> 00:55:23,219
And it comes from a
surprising source, shellfish.
1147
00:55:23,253 --> 00:55:26,089
Yes, as outlined in
the journal Matter,
1148
00:55:26,122 --> 00:55:29,492
a University of Maryland
scientist created a battery
1149
00:55:29,526 --> 00:55:33,330
using chitosan, a
derivative of chiton,
1150
00:55:33,363 --> 00:55:34,731
as the electrolyte.
1151
00:55:34,764 --> 00:55:37,334
The most abundant
source of chiton?
1152
00:55:37,367 --> 00:55:39,569
The exoskeletons of crustaceans,
1153
00:55:39,602 --> 00:55:42,739
including crabs,
shrimps, and lobsters,
1154
00:55:42,772 --> 00:55:45,842
which can easily be
obtained from seafood waste.
1155
00:55:45,875 --> 00:55:49,446
Yes, once again, a solution
for a human problem
1156
00:55:49,479 --> 00:55:51,815
comes from the ocean.
1157
00:55:51,848 --> 00:55:53,416
Undoubtedly, the future holds
1158
00:55:53,450 --> 00:55:55,985
even better and cleaner
battery advancements.
1159
00:55:56,019 --> 00:55:57,354
But right now,
1160
00:55:57,387 --> 00:56:01,091
many ocean scientists say we
need to stop deep sea mining
1161
00:56:01,124 --> 00:56:03,326
in its tracks
before it's too late.
1162
00:56:03,360 --> 00:56:06,529
- If there was ever a future
problem that we can stop now,
1163
00:56:06,563 --> 00:56:07,764
it's this.
1164
00:56:07,797 --> 00:56:09,432
We don't need to deep-sea mine.
1165
00:56:09,466 --> 00:56:10,834
We shouldn't be doing it.
1166
00:56:10,867 --> 00:56:13,336
Let's stop it before it happens.
1167
00:56:13,370 --> 00:56:17,374
That would be, that would be a
genuine win for humanity.
1168
00:56:17,407 --> 00:56:20,910
It would be a win on a par
with saving the Amazon.
1169
00:56:22,712 --> 00:56:26,049
(instrumental fanfare)
1170
00:56:28,485 --> 00:56:31,688
(instrumental fanfare)
1171
00:56:31,721 --> 00:56:33,490
- How many people in
the world depend on fish
1172
00:56:33,523 --> 00:56:35,291
as a food source?
1173
00:56:35,325 --> 00:56:38,695
For 2.6 billion
people, a major part
1174
00:56:38,728 --> 00:56:40,997
of the protein in their
diet comes from fish.
1175
00:56:43,366 --> 00:56:45,668
- Today, overfishing
and illegal fishing
1176
00:56:45,702 --> 00:56:48,238
are threatening the
world's food supply.
1177
00:56:48,271 --> 00:56:50,173
By disrupting the
delicate balance
1178
00:56:50,206 --> 00:56:51,708
of its fragile ecosystems,
1179
00:56:51,741 --> 00:56:53,843
they also threaten
the ocean itself.
1180
00:56:53,877 --> 00:56:56,346
- [Narrator] Since the beginning
of our time on the planet,
1181
00:56:56,379 --> 00:56:59,416
fish have been a major
food source for humans.
1182
00:56:59,449 --> 00:57:02,252
But now with our exploding
global population
1183
00:57:02,285 --> 00:57:04,521
approaching eight
billion people, we are
1184
00:57:04,554 --> 00:57:07,223
in danger of depleting
that important resource
1185
00:57:07,257 --> 00:57:09,526
beyond the point of recovery.
1186
00:57:09,559 --> 00:57:12,395
- So, over-fishing is when
you are taking more fishes
1187
00:57:12,429 --> 00:57:13,897
than they can
reproduce themselves.
1188
00:57:13,930 --> 00:57:16,533
Once your population
start to decrease,
1189
00:57:16,566 --> 00:57:19,235
the entire supply of
fish is going to go down.
1190
00:57:19,269 --> 00:57:21,337
So at one stage, if the
entire fishes collapse,
1191
00:57:21,371 --> 00:57:24,541
and we saw that happening
in several places already,
1192
00:57:24,574 --> 00:57:25,575
you have no more fishes.
1193
00:57:25,608 --> 00:57:27,076
- [Narrator] All
across the earth,
1194
00:57:27,110 --> 00:57:30,180
fish populations are threatened
by not only overfishing
1195
00:57:30,213 --> 00:57:33,550
but also what's
called IUU fishing,
1196
00:57:33,583 --> 00:57:36,753
illegal, unreported
and unregulated.
1197
00:57:36,786 --> 00:57:39,589
Of the world's 17
main fisheries,
1198
00:57:39,622 --> 00:57:42,292
13 are facing serious decline.
1199
00:57:42,325 --> 00:57:45,862
The Mediterranean, the
North Sea, the Grand Banks,
1200
00:57:45,895 --> 00:57:48,731
the Baltic, the ocean
around Australia,
1201
00:57:48,765 --> 00:57:52,602
the Gulf of Thailand, and
the waters of Southeast Asia
1202
00:57:52,635 --> 00:57:54,537
are all in a critical state.
1203
00:57:54,571 --> 00:57:56,773
If fishing is not
effectively regulated,
1204
00:57:56,806 --> 00:57:59,409
scientists warn that
many fish populations
1205
00:57:59,442 --> 00:58:01,778
may never recover.
1206
00:58:01,811 --> 00:58:05,615
Seychelles is well known as
a place to enjoy the sun,
1207
00:58:05,648 --> 00:58:09,319
crystal clear turquoise
waters, and beautiful beaches,
1208
00:58:09,352 --> 00:58:11,321
but there's something
else going on here.
1209
00:58:11,354 --> 00:58:14,123
It's a battle between
David and Goliath.
1210
00:58:16,359 --> 00:58:18,428
These huge industrial
fishing vessels
1211
00:58:18,461 --> 00:58:23,166
can hold 280 tons
of tuna at one time.
1212
00:58:23,199 --> 00:58:24,501
- We used to go
fishing for a day
1213
00:58:24,534 --> 00:58:27,770
and we'd catch enough fish
to sell at the market.
1214
00:58:27,804 --> 00:58:31,741
But nowadays, we're lucky if
we can bring in one or two.
1215
00:58:31,774 --> 00:58:33,109
How can I call
myself a fisherman
1216
00:58:33,142 --> 00:58:34,377
if there's no fish to catch?
1217
00:58:35,879 --> 00:58:39,616
You know, it's clear that
the stock is depleting
1218
00:58:39,649 --> 00:58:42,485
and it's mainly because
of these vessels,
1219
00:58:42,519 --> 00:58:47,023
these industrial vessels
that you see around me.
1220
00:58:47,056 --> 00:58:49,092
- [Narrator] They are
constantly unloading
1221
00:58:49,125 --> 00:58:53,696
and can haul in 2,000 tons
of the fish in a year.
1222
00:58:53,730 --> 00:58:56,833
From here, the tuna goes
to Seychelles' cannery.
1223
00:58:56,866 --> 00:58:58,868
It's one of the
biggest in the world,
1224
00:58:58,902 --> 00:59:02,872
producing 1.5 million
cans of tuna per day.
1225
00:59:04,040 --> 00:59:06,109
The global demand for
tuna has now risen
1226
00:59:06,142 --> 00:59:08,945
to over $40 billion per year.
1227
00:59:08,978 --> 00:59:11,014
Most of the tuna
caught around the world
1228
00:59:11,047 --> 00:59:13,383
is eaten far away
from its source,
1229
00:59:13,416 --> 00:59:17,086
with the European
Union, the USA and Japan
1230
00:59:17,120 --> 00:59:18,888
the biggest importers.
1231
00:59:18,922 --> 00:59:21,758
Thousands of miles
away from Seychelles
1232
00:59:21,791 --> 00:59:23,793
is General Santos City,
1233
00:59:23,826 --> 00:59:27,130
known as the tuna capital
of the Philippines.
1234
00:59:27,163 --> 00:59:30,233
Here, local fishermen
are also seeing a decline
1235
00:59:30,266 --> 00:59:32,035
in tuna catches.
1236
00:59:32,068 --> 00:59:34,103
The fish are getting
harder to catch
1237
00:59:34,137 --> 00:59:36,439
and everyone here
is affected by it.
1238
00:59:36,472 --> 00:59:37,807
- There's a nice fish.
1239
00:59:37,840 --> 00:59:40,910
This will be good
enough to ship directly
1240
00:59:40,944 --> 00:59:43,146
to the United States today.
1241
00:59:43,179 --> 00:59:44,547
- [Narrator] In
less than 48 hours,
1242
00:59:44,581 --> 00:59:47,717
this tuna will be in a
fashionable sushi restaurant
1243
00:59:47,750 --> 00:59:49,152
in the USA.
1244
00:59:49,185 --> 00:59:51,120
John has noticed a
concerning trend.
1245
00:59:51,154 --> 00:59:53,756
It is apparent that
the fish just can't
1246
00:59:53,790 --> 00:59:56,893
reproduce fast enough to
keep up with the demand.
1247
00:59:56,926 --> 00:59:58,962
Scientists say that
in our lifetime,
1248
00:59:58,995 --> 01:00:02,165
some tuna populations are
in danger of extinction.
1249
01:00:02,198 --> 01:00:05,168
John puts the problem
in perspective, simply.
1250
01:00:05,201 --> 01:00:08,504
- Too many people, too many
boats catching the fish.
1251
01:00:08,538 --> 01:00:11,341
- [Narrator] General
Santos City is located
1252
01:00:11,374 --> 01:00:13,109
in a part of the
world where the ocean
1253
01:00:13,142 --> 01:00:15,979
is especially rich
in marine life.
1254
01:00:16,012 --> 01:00:19,015
It lies in what is known
as the Coral Triangle,
1255
01:00:19,048 --> 01:00:21,918
located between the
Pacific and Indian Oceans
1256
01:00:21,951 --> 01:00:25,822
and spanning a 2.3
million square mile area
1257
01:00:25,855 --> 01:00:28,458
from Indonesia to
the Solomon Islands.
1258
01:00:28,491 --> 01:00:31,294
This is the most diverse
marine region on earth,
1259
01:00:31,327 --> 01:00:34,998
home to 75% of the
world's coral species
1260
01:00:35,031 --> 01:00:37,800
and some 3,000 species of fish.
1261
01:00:37,834 --> 01:00:41,204
Across the Coral Triangle, fish
populations are under threat
1262
01:00:41,237 --> 01:00:43,473
and not just because
of their value
1263
01:00:43,506 --> 01:00:46,109
when packed in ice and shipped.
1264
01:00:46,142 --> 01:00:48,211
Fish bring a price
many times higher
1265
01:00:48,244 --> 01:00:50,713
per pound when
they're sold live.
1266
01:00:50,747 --> 01:00:54,117
This started 40 years ago
as a new demand emerged
1267
01:00:54,150 --> 01:00:57,854
providing live reef fish to
restaurants in Singapore,
1268
01:00:57,887 --> 01:01:01,391
Hong Kong and more
recently, mainland China.
1269
01:01:01,424 --> 01:01:04,727
Driven by the high prices
and unending demand,
1270
01:01:04,761 --> 01:01:08,164
poor fishermen have not
abided by any laws or quotas.
1271
01:01:08,197 --> 01:01:13,169
Their tool of choice:
usually, cyanide.
1272
01:01:13,202 --> 01:01:16,039
It can take all day
to catch a fish or two
1273
01:01:16,072 --> 01:01:19,075
with a hook and line, but
by crushing a cyanide tablet
1274
01:01:19,108 --> 01:01:21,644
in a squeeze bottle and
squirting it at the fish,
1275
01:01:21,678 --> 01:01:26,082
you can capture dozens of the
stunned but still live fish
1276
01:01:26,115 --> 01:01:27,383
in a few hours.
1277
01:01:27,417 --> 01:01:30,086
- Normally, if you export
fish from Indonesia,
1278
01:01:30,119 --> 01:01:31,888
you should report how
much you take out,
1279
01:01:31,921 --> 01:01:35,858
where you're taking it to,
and also where it's come from.
1280
01:01:35,892 --> 01:01:37,326
So there's these
Hong Kong boats,
1281
01:01:37,360 --> 01:01:40,997
they come here every month
and they come into this place,
1282
01:01:41,030 --> 01:01:43,166
take all the fish
and leave from here.
1283
01:01:43,199 --> 01:01:44,500
And that's illegal.
1284
01:01:45,902 --> 01:01:48,671
So if you look at this fish,
1285
01:01:48,705 --> 01:01:50,606
you actually see a
lot of the evidence
1286
01:01:50,640 --> 01:01:53,042
that this was
caught with cyanide.
1287
01:01:53,076 --> 01:01:55,011
Start with the eye.
1288
01:01:55,044 --> 01:01:57,213
It's completely damaged.
1289
01:01:57,246 --> 01:01:58,681
It is, this is a milky eye.
1290
01:01:58,715 --> 01:02:01,017
You can't see anything
with that anymore.
1291
01:02:01,050 --> 01:02:03,186
And then if you
look real carefully,
1292
01:02:03,219 --> 01:02:07,790
you see that the skin is sort
of scarred like it was burned.
1293
01:02:07,824 --> 01:02:11,260
For every fish that
makes it to Hong Kong,
1294
01:02:11,294 --> 01:02:15,198
there's a lot of
dead fish and reefs.
1295
01:02:15,231 --> 01:02:17,734
You know, corals are are
dead from the cyanides
1296
01:02:17,767 --> 01:02:19,135
that stay behind.
1297
01:02:19,168 --> 01:02:23,539
So the impact of this industry
is actually really large.
1298
01:02:23,573 --> 01:02:25,208
- [Narrator] The live
fish market has grown
1299
01:02:25,241 --> 01:02:27,143
to billions of
dollars worldwide.
1300
01:02:27,176 --> 01:02:29,278
Although Asian
restaurants demand most
1301
01:02:29,312 --> 01:02:32,415
of the edible live fish,
the largest percent
1302
01:02:32,448 --> 01:02:37,420
of ornamental fish
go to U.S. aquariums.
1303
01:02:37,453 --> 01:02:39,555
In a warehouse, Lida is shocked
1304
01:02:39,589 --> 01:02:40,456
by the magnitude of the trade.
1305
01:02:40,490 --> 01:02:42,325
- Wow, that's a lot of fish.
1306
01:02:42,358 --> 01:02:43,593
I hadn't seen that before.
1307
01:02:44,994 --> 01:02:47,230
So, many of these bags
have just one fish
1308
01:02:47,263 --> 01:02:51,601
but some of the bigger
bags have at least 10.
1309
01:02:51,634 --> 01:02:52,935
You can see them from here.
1310
01:02:52,969 --> 01:02:56,005
I see so many fish that are
going out here tomorrow.
1311
01:02:56,038 --> 01:02:58,975
Probably many more from
the companies next door.
1312
01:02:59,008 --> 01:03:00,610
Sure looks like a lot of fish.
1313
01:03:02,211 --> 01:03:04,647
- [Narrator] Our understanding
of the ocean's ecosystems
1314
01:03:04,680 --> 01:03:07,984
makes clear the potential
for great harm that can come
1315
01:03:08,017 --> 01:03:11,020
from overfishing
and illegal fishing,
1316
01:03:11,053 --> 01:03:12,989
but there is one
marine ecosystem
1317
01:03:13,022 --> 01:03:15,291
we know almost nothing about
1318
01:03:15,324 --> 01:03:18,161
and that may make it even
more urgent to protect it
1319
01:03:18,194 --> 01:03:20,863
before it's too late.
1320
01:03:20,897 --> 01:03:23,166
It is called the midwater layer
1321
01:03:23,199 --> 01:03:26,435
and also known as
the twilight zone,
1322
01:03:26,469 --> 01:03:29,205
the ocean's last frontier.
1323
01:03:29,238 --> 01:03:32,542
It is an entire layer
that starts 200 meters
1324
01:03:32,575 --> 01:03:36,145
below the surface
down to 1,000 meters.
1325
01:03:36,179 --> 01:03:39,182
Only recently have researchers
been able to explore
1326
01:03:39,215 --> 01:03:41,017
this deep in the ocean.
1327
01:03:41,050 --> 01:03:42,485
- You're in the pitch black
1328
01:03:42,518 --> 01:03:44,387
in the middle of the
ocean twilight zone.
1329
01:03:44,420 --> 01:03:47,123
The sub lights come
on and what you see
1330
01:03:47,156 --> 01:03:49,826
looks like a blizzard of snow.
1331
01:03:49,859 --> 01:03:52,361
When you look even closer,
you can see there are
1332
01:03:52,395 --> 01:03:54,664
tiny microscopic
plankton jumping
1333
01:03:54,697 --> 01:03:56,866
from one particle to another.
1334
01:03:56,899 --> 01:04:00,536
- [Narrator] Here, animals
have adapted in amazing ways
1335
01:04:00,570 --> 01:04:04,473
such as huge eyes to
capture scarce light
1336
01:04:04,507 --> 01:04:07,410
and bioluminescence
to attract prey.
1337
01:04:07,443 --> 01:04:09,679
This ocean layer actually
holds the largest
1338
01:04:09,712 --> 01:04:13,549
and least understood ecosystem
on the entire planet,
1339
01:04:14,750 --> 01:04:18,020
with more species and biomass
than anywhere on earth.
1340
01:04:18,054 --> 01:04:20,590
In fact, it might
contain more fish
1341
01:04:20,623 --> 01:04:22,558
than the rest of
the ocean combined.
1342
01:04:22,592 --> 01:04:25,561
Also, we are now beginning to
understand that the animals
1343
01:04:25,595 --> 01:04:28,731
of the midwater twilight
zone play an important role
1344
01:04:28,764 --> 01:04:30,766
in the ocean's
ability to pull carbon
1345
01:04:30,800 --> 01:04:35,705
out of our atmosphere by eating
carbon-filled phytoplankton.
1346
01:04:35,738 --> 01:04:38,174
Eventually, when
the animals die,
1347
01:04:38,207 --> 01:04:41,544
they sink to the bottom and
safely store the carbon there
1348
01:04:41,577 --> 01:04:44,080
where it cannot contribute
to global warming.
1349
01:04:46,616 --> 01:04:49,051
But a serious threat
looms that has scientists
1350
01:04:49,085 --> 01:04:51,053
racing against time.
1351
01:04:51,087 --> 01:04:53,256
- The more we learn about
the ocean twilight zone,
1352
01:04:53,289 --> 01:04:56,025
the more important we are
finding it seems to be
1353
01:04:56,058 --> 01:04:58,427
for the whole ocean ecosystem.
1354
01:04:58,461 --> 01:05:00,096
- The animals that live
in the twilight zone
1355
01:05:00,129 --> 01:05:02,732
almost certainly
play a major role
1356
01:05:02,765 --> 01:05:04,734
in regulating our
planet's climate.
1357
01:05:04,767 --> 01:05:07,370
- And if we took all
of the marine life
1358
01:05:07,403 --> 01:05:09,972
out of the twilight zone,
that would have huge impacts
1359
01:05:10,006 --> 01:05:12,642
on the ocean's ability
to sequester carbon.
1360
01:05:12,675 --> 01:05:15,945
- It will be a critical
piece of how humans
1361
01:05:15,978 --> 01:05:20,149
both sustain and hopefully
thrive in the following century.
1362
01:05:22,351 --> 01:05:25,688
(instrumental fanfare)
1363
01:05:27,823 --> 01:05:31,093
(instrumental fanfare)
1364
01:05:31,127 --> 01:05:33,763
- Is there life in the
deepest parts of the ocean?
1365
01:05:33,796 --> 01:05:35,631
Yes, it's amazing.
1366
01:05:35,665 --> 01:05:37,133
Even though the pressures
down there can be
1367
01:05:37,166 --> 01:05:40,303
up to 15,000 pounds
per square inch,
1368
01:05:40,336 --> 01:05:42,071
scientists have
found small organisms
1369
01:05:42,104 --> 01:05:44,674
in the mud at the very
bottom of the ocean.
1370
01:05:47,777 --> 01:05:50,746
- So far, scientists have
identified over 240,000
1371
01:05:50,780 --> 01:05:53,616
different species of plants
and animals in the ocean.
1372
01:05:53,649 --> 01:05:57,453
(dramatic instrumental music)
1373
01:06:00,790 --> 01:06:02,758
- [Narrator] And while
that is a huge number,
1374
01:06:02,792 --> 01:06:07,797
it may only be 10% of
those that actually exist
1375
01:06:08,798 --> 01:06:09,999
since there is so
much of the ocean
1376
01:06:10,032 --> 01:06:11,534
we have not yet been
able to explore.
1377
01:06:15,671 --> 01:06:18,307
Of the incredible array of
diverse plants and animals
1378
01:06:18,341 --> 01:06:20,843
found in the ocean,
there are certain ones
1379
01:06:20,876 --> 01:06:22,878
that have been singled
out by scientists
1380
01:06:22,912 --> 01:06:26,782
as keystone species,
organisms that are essential
1381
01:06:26,816 --> 01:06:30,353
to the health of the
entire marine ecosystem.
1382
01:06:31,187 --> 01:06:33,856
(water burbling)
1383
01:06:38,160 --> 01:06:40,162
- Sharks, by feeding themselves,
1384
01:06:40,196 --> 01:06:41,697
they are feeding on big fishes
1385
01:06:41,731 --> 01:06:45,368
that are themselves
fishing other small fishes.
1386
01:06:45,401 --> 01:06:48,337
And so by maintaining that
population of predators,
1387
01:06:48,371 --> 01:06:51,040
they can maintain a bigger
population of the fishes.
1388
01:06:51,073 --> 01:06:53,042
If you remove the shark,
if there are no more
1389
01:06:53,075 --> 01:06:56,312
sharks the one,
the level just below
1390
01:06:56,345 --> 01:06:59,015
will multiply and they
will eat more fishes
1391
01:06:59,048 --> 01:07:01,384
and they will, could
potentially come to
1392
01:07:01,417 --> 01:07:03,252
a collapse of the
fish population.
1393
01:07:03,285 --> 01:07:07,590
So the shark has been
hunted a lot for their fins.
1394
01:07:07,623 --> 01:07:09,725
Traditional food
that is taking fins
1395
01:07:09,759 --> 01:07:13,229
and makes fin soup,
and it's very popular.
1396
01:07:13,262 --> 01:07:17,900
They basically cut it off and
just leave the shark dying.
1397
01:07:17,933 --> 01:07:20,102
The shark population
is also declining
1398
01:07:20,136 --> 01:07:22,004
because we are
taking more fishes
1399
01:07:22,038 --> 01:07:24,540
than they can
reproduce themselves.
1400
01:07:24,573 --> 01:07:26,175
We tend to be afraid of shark,
1401
01:07:26,208 --> 01:07:29,278
but sharks are very
important in the ecosystem.
1402
01:07:29,311 --> 01:07:31,881
- [Narrator] Montel Williams
hosted a groundbreaking event
1403
01:07:31,914 --> 01:07:34,784
in the Bahamas to
educate a special envoy
1404
01:07:34,817 --> 01:07:36,886
of United Nations
representatives
1405
01:07:36,919 --> 01:07:38,921
about this essential
ocean animal.
1406
01:07:38,954 --> 01:07:40,723
- Jaws came out.
1407
01:07:40,756 --> 01:07:44,126
We take the top of the
food chain, vilify it
1408
01:07:44,160 --> 01:07:46,395
and then think that the
rest of the food chain
1409
01:07:46,429 --> 01:07:47,763
will sustain itself.
1410
01:07:47,797 --> 01:07:49,231
And we want you to
have an experience
1411
01:07:49,265 --> 01:07:51,434
over the next couple days
that's gonna blow you away
1412
01:07:51,467 --> 01:07:53,569
and make you go back
to the halls of the UN
1413
01:07:53,602 --> 01:07:56,872
and say, you know, they're
doing something here, guys.
1414
01:07:56,906 --> 01:07:58,741
In 2011, The Bahamas became
1415
01:07:58,774 --> 01:08:00,743
only the fourth
country in the world
1416
01:08:00,776 --> 01:08:02,311
to establish a shark sanctuary
1417
01:08:02,344 --> 01:08:04,947
prohibiting the commercial
fishing of sharks,
1418
01:08:04,980 --> 01:08:07,416
thus protecting the
more than 40 species
1419
01:08:07,450 --> 01:08:09,785
of the animal found
in its waters.
1420
01:08:09,819 --> 01:08:12,888
A much needed measure since
sharks face extinction
1421
01:08:12,922 --> 01:08:16,358
primarily due to overfishing
and illegal shark finning.
1422
01:08:18,260 --> 01:08:20,096
But sharks know no boundaries
1423
01:08:20,129 --> 01:08:21,964
and the need to protect them
1424
01:08:21,997 --> 01:08:24,900
goes far beyond Bahamian waters.
1425
01:08:24,934 --> 01:08:28,003
So throughout the week, the
UN delegates learned firsthand
1426
01:08:28,037 --> 01:08:30,306
about the importance
of shark preservation,
1427
01:08:30,339 --> 01:08:31,774
a win for the sharks
1428
01:08:31,807 --> 01:08:34,310
and for the countries
that protect them.
1429
01:08:34,343 --> 01:08:37,947
- A shark life can bring
a huge, huge income
1430
01:08:37,980 --> 01:08:39,815
for the economy of a country.
1431
01:08:39,849 --> 01:08:42,918
- In The Bahamas
alone, shark tourism
1432
01:08:42,952 --> 01:08:47,957
and research adds some $80
million U.S. dollars annually
1433
01:08:48,858 --> 01:08:52,128
to the national economy.
1434
01:08:52,161 --> 01:08:54,130
- [Montel] Led by Bahamas
ambassador to the UN
1435
01:08:54,163 --> 01:08:55,531
and chair of the
Shark Coalition,
1436
01:08:55,564 --> 01:08:58,167
Dr. Elliston Rahming,
delegates listened
1437
01:08:58,200 --> 01:09:01,504
as experts at the Island
School in Cape Eleuthera
1438
01:09:01,537 --> 01:09:04,173
debunked myths of the
misunderstood shark,
1439
01:09:04,206 --> 01:09:07,343
including the notion
that sharks hunt humans.
1440
01:09:07,376 --> 01:09:10,946
- You've been diving for
certain number of years?
1441
01:09:10,980 --> 01:09:12,214
- [Woman] Yes, I have.
1442
01:09:12,248 --> 01:09:13,315
- And sharks have
been all around you
1443
01:09:13,349 --> 01:09:14,950
and you've never
had an incident.
1444
01:09:14,984 --> 01:09:17,520
- They're just curious
more than anything else,
1445
01:09:17,553 --> 01:09:18,888
so they might bump you.
1446
01:09:18,921 --> 01:09:21,724
- [Montel] The truth is, shark
attacks are extremely rare,
1447
01:09:21,757 --> 01:09:24,126
yet the role the shark
plays in the ocean is vital,
1448
01:09:24,160 --> 01:09:26,362
from controlling
fish populations
1449
01:09:26,395 --> 01:09:28,497
to maintaining healthy reefs,
1450
01:09:28,531 --> 01:09:30,900
a lesson ambassadors
took to heart.
1451
01:09:30,933 --> 01:09:34,170
- Preserving the shark
preserves the ocean.
1452
01:09:35,704 --> 01:09:39,675
So the same care we take,
you know, for our land,
1453
01:09:39,708 --> 01:09:41,810
we have to become aware
1454
01:09:41,844 --> 01:09:44,380
that we must do
likewise for our seas.
1455
01:09:44,413 --> 01:09:48,017
- Protection of oceans is one
of the most important subject
1456
01:09:48,050 --> 01:09:49,518
United Nations is debating.
1457
01:09:49,552 --> 01:09:51,086
It's extremely important for us
1458
01:09:51,120 --> 01:09:52,721
actually to be well-educated.
1459
01:09:52,755 --> 01:09:54,356
- [Montel] And for these
delegates, the education
1460
01:09:54,390 --> 01:09:56,959
goes beyond the classroom
and into the ocean.
1461
01:10:00,029 --> 01:10:02,231
Next, delegates were able
to enrich their knowledge
1462
01:10:02,264 --> 01:10:04,600
by diving or snorkeling
and observing
1463
01:10:04,633 --> 01:10:07,870
the magnificent creature
in the deep water.
1464
01:10:07,903 --> 01:10:09,872
- [Woman] How was it
looking at the sharks?
1465
01:10:09,905 --> 01:10:11,440
- Really extraordinary.
1466
01:10:13,375 --> 01:10:15,778
Oh, it's wonderful,
you get addicted to it.
1467
01:10:15,811 --> 01:10:16,912
I didn't wanna come out.
1468
01:10:16,946 --> 01:10:18,113
- Great experience.
1469
01:10:18,147 --> 01:10:20,049
I did it. I jumped in the water.
1470
01:10:20,082 --> 01:10:22,017
- I went down there
with the sharks
1471
01:10:22,051 --> 01:10:25,087
because I want my
country to protect them.
1472
01:10:25,120 --> 01:10:26,455
- While there is much to learn
1473
01:10:26,488 --> 01:10:29,225
as we work to understand the
bewildering shark species,
1474
01:10:29,258 --> 01:10:32,628
what is clear is that we
must move beyond our fears
1475
01:10:32,661 --> 01:10:35,431
and learn to coexist with
this incredible creature
1476
01:10:35,464 --> 01:10:37,766
to ensure the future
of our oceans.
1477
01:10:39,668 --> 01:10:43,005
(instrumental fanfare)
1478
01:10:45,007 --> 01:10:48,978
(instrumental fanfare)
1479
01:10:49,011 --> 01:10:51,146
How fast is the ocean rising?
1480
01:10:51,180 --> 01:10:52,982
It's hard to know
for sure because the
1481
01:10:53,015 --> 01:10:54,149
rate is accelerating,
1482
01:10:54,183 --> 01:10:56,819
but current estimates
are, by 2050,
1483
01:10:56,852 --> 01:10:59,421
sea levels will rise from
three feet to six feet.
1484
01:11:02,157 --> 01:11:03,959
- There are many potentially
devastating effects
1485
01:11:03,993 --> 01:11:05,794
of rising sea levels.
1486
01:11:05,828 --> 01:11:09,064
To put it in perspective,
according to a recent study,
1487
01:11:09,098 --> 01:11:11,100
a two meter or six
foot sea level rise
1488
01:11:11,133 --> 01:11:14,403
could displace over
187 million people
1489
01:11:14,436 --> 01:11:16,972
and destroy more than half
a million square miles
1490
01:11:17,006 --> 01:11:18,941
of essential farmland.
1491
01:11:18,974 --> 01:11:21,277
- [Narrator] In the tiny
island nation of Kiribas,
1492
01:11:21,310 --> 01:11:23,579
the residents are
facing rising sea levels
1493
01:11:23,612 --> 01:11:26,148
never experienced
by their ancestors.
1494
01:11:26,181 --> 01:11:28,284
- My first house
is in the water.
1495
01:11:28,317 --> 01:11:32,321
My second house is
also in the water.
1496
01:11:32,354 --> 01:11:37,359
And then my last house was
here, just on the beach here.
1497
01:11:39,995 --> 01:11:41,530
- [Man] Where do you live now?
1498
01:11:41,563 --> 01:11:46,568
- Now I live inland,
1499
01:11:47,803 --> 01:11:49,171
just to move away
from the ocean side.
1500
01:11:52,574 --> 01:11:53,876
- I'm afraid.
1501
01:11:53,909 --> 01:11:56,145
What about our future,
even our children?
1502
01:11:56,178 --> 01:12:00,516
What is the future of our
children, our grandchildren?
1503
01:12:01,717 --> 01:12:02,551
So sad.
1504
01:12:04,186 --> 01:12:07,156
- [Narrator] Why is Kiribas
being swallowed up by the ocean?
1505
01:12:07,189 --> 01:12:09,491
Again, it's all because
of global warming
1506
01:12:09,525 --> 01:12:12,061
caused by the burning
of fossil fuels.
1507
01:12:12,094 --> 01:12:15,331
As the ocean's temperature goes
up, the warmer water expands
1508
01:12:15,364 --> 01:12:18,567
and takes up more space, and
the polar ice is melting,
1509
01:12:18,600 --> 01:12:20,436
adding more water to the ocean.
1510
01:12:22,004 --> 01:12:26,408
This is Antarctica, containing
over 90% of the world's ice,
1511
01:12:26,442 --> 01:12:30,045
but the ice has gotten
thinner over the last 25 years
1512
01:12:30,079 --> 01:12:33,148
and all that added water
has brought up sea levels,
1513
01:12:33,182 --> 01:12:35,084
and the melting is accelerating
1514
01:12:35,117 --> 01:12:37,019
and could become even faster.
1515
01:12:37,052 --> 01:12:39,054
One of the most
important tipping points
1516
01:12:39,088 --> 01:12:41,990
is the leading edge of
the Thwaites Glacier,
1517
01:12:42,024 --> 01:12:44,993
a giant ice formation with
a frightening nickname,
1518
01:12:45,027 --> 01:12:46,628
the Doomsday Glacier
1519
01:12:48,130 --> 01:12:51,900
- Thwaites is called the
Doomsday Glacier because
1520
01:12:51,934 --> 01:12:55,170
if this glacier
completely retreats,
1521
01:12:55,204 --> 01:12:59,375
the world's oceans go up
by 60 centimeters at least.
1522
01:12:59,408 --> 01:13:03,045
But if this system
really does collapse,
1523
01:13:03,078 --> 01:13:06,115
we're more likely gonna
look at a couple of meters
1524
01:13:06,148 --> 01:13:09,385
of sea level rise,
and that's scary.
1525
01:13:11,420 --> 01:13:13,055
- [Narrator] While
that specific scenario
1526
01:13:13,088 --> 01:13:14,423
sounds frightening enough,
1527
01:13:14,456 --> 01:13:17,426
what seems to concern
many scientists the most
1528
01:13:17,459 --> 01:13:19,628
is three degrees.
1529
01:13:19,661 --> 01:13:22,398
Now that might sound
insignificant, but it's not.
1530
01:13:22,431 --> 01:13:24,400
It is the three degrees Celsius
1531
01:13:24,433 --> 01:13:26,201
average global temperature rise
1532
01:13:26,235 --> 01:13:30,038
we're on track to hit
unless we do something fast.
1533
01:13:30,072 --> 01:13:32,875
- If you have three degrees more
1534
01:13:32,908 --> 01:13:34,943
as compared to
preindustrial level,
1535
01:13:34,977 --> 01:13:37,079
we are heading to, that's
where we are heading to
1536
01:13:37,112 --> 01:13:39,081
if we don't make more efforts.
1537
01:13:39,114 --> 01:13:41,250
Then, we are talking
about seven meters more.
1538
01:13:41,283 --> 01:13:44,853
Imagine New York, imagine Miami.
1539
01:13:46,188 --> 01:13:48,557
Imagine all the
small islands states
1540
01:13:48,590 --> 01:13:52,161
where some of the point is at
1.4 meters above sea level.
1541
01:13:52,194 --> 01:13:53,495
That's all gone.
1542
01:13:53,529 --> 01:13:55,097
- [Narrator] It's not
just the ice in AntArctica
1543
01:13:55,130 --> 01:13:56,165
that we have to worry about.
1544
01:13:56,198 --> 01:13:57,399
On the other side of the earth,
1545
01:13:57,433 --> 01:14:00,235
the Arctic is also
in a critical state.
1546
01:14:00,269 --> 01:14:03,472
Monaco's Prince Albert II
has been sounding the alarm
1547
01:14:03,505 --> 01:14:04,773
for years.
1548
01:14:04,807 --> 01:14:07,676
Back in 2005, he led an
expedition to document
1549
01:14:07,709 --> 01:14:09,611
the rapid loss of Arctic ice.
1550
01:14:09,645 --> 01:14:12,247
He returned to the exact
spot where his grandfather
1551
01:14:12,281 --> 01:14:15,017
had stood 100 years before.
1552
01:14:15,050 --> 01:14:17,286
Using a photo taken on
his grandfather's visit,
1553
01:14:17,319 --> 01:14:18,987
the scientists were shocked
1554
01:14:19,021 --> 01:14:22,257
by the graphic proof they
saw with their own eyes.
1555
01:14:22,291 --> 01:14:24,159
- Exactly. And right
now, it looks like
1556
01:14:24,193 --> 01:14:26,195
it's more like 30,
40 meters height.
1557
01:14:26,228 --> 01:14:27,029
- Yeah.
1558
01:14:29,164 --> 01:14:32,167
- So that is significant there.
1559
01:14:32,201 --> 01:14:34,670
- The glacier has
receded, you know,
1560
01:14:34,703 --> 01:14:39,308
anywhere from three
to six kilometers.
1561
01:14:39,341 --> 01:14:41,977
It's just mind boggling.
1562
01:14:42,010 --> 01:14:44,179
And the picture from
a hundred years ago
1563
01:14:44,213 --> 01:14:48,383
is extremely clear
and some specialists
1564
01:14:48,417 --> 01:14:50,886
even here in Norway had
never seen that picture.
1565
01:14:50,919 --> 01:14:55,524
And to be able to use
that, first of all,
1566
01:14:55,557 --> 01:14:56,692
makes me very proud.
1567
01:14:57,860 --> 01:14:59,328
- [Narrator] Since
then, the loss of ice
1568
01:14:59,361 --> 01:15:01,230
has even accelerated.
1569
01:15:01,263 --> 01:15:04,633
This NASA graphic shows
the shrinking Arctic ice
1570
01:15:04,666 --> 01:15:08,403
over from 1984 to 2018.
1571
01:15:08,437 --> 01:15:10,339
The difference is striking.
1572
01:15:10,372 --> 01:15:14,409
By 2050, Arctic sea ice
may disappear altogether
1573
01:15:14,443 --> 01:15:16,044
during the summer months.
1574
01:15:16,078 --> 01:15:18,847
Many animals depend
directly on sea ice.
1575
01:15:18,881 --> 01:15:21,750
Polar bears for instance,
hunt seals from the ice
1576
01:15:21,783 --> 01:15:24,186
and gain most of their
weight in winter,
1577
01:15:24,219 --> 01:15:26,889
but with the ice declining
and breaking up earlier,
1578
01:15:26,922 --> 01:15:28,657
bears have less time to hunt.
1579
01:15:28,690 --> 01:15:30,325
Because their
habitat is melting,
1580
01:15:30,359 --> 01:15:32,227
polar bears and
other Arctic life
1581
01:15:32,261 --> 01:15:35,230
are in danger of extinction
in the near future.
1582
01:15:35,264 --> 01:15:40,269
The melting of the Arctic ice
also adds to sea level rise.
1583
01:15:40,302 --> 01:15:42,704
- The iceberg and
the floating sea ice
1584
01:15:42,738 --> 01:15:46,408
is not contributing
directly to the increase
1585
01:15:46,441 --> 01:15:50,178
of sea level rise, but
indirectly it is so
1586
01:15:50,212 --> 01:15:53,448
because the whiteness
of the Arctic sea ice
1587
01:15:53,482 --> 01:15:55,684
is reflecting the sunrise.
1588
01:15:55,717 --> 01:15:57,786
When you remove
the Arctic sea ice,
1589
01:15:57,819 --> 01:16:00,355
the water is absorbing the heat.
1590
01:16:00,389 --> 01:16:02,090
And then through
thermal expansion,
1591
01:16:02,124 --> 01:16:03,759
you are back to this
thermal expansion,
1592
01:16:03,792 --> 01:16:06,061
so indirectly, it is
still contributing.
1593
01:16:06,094 --> 01:16:07,696
- [Narrator] The Arctic
is actually warming
1594
01:16:07,729 --> 01:16:10,566
four times as fast as
the rest of the planet.
1595
01:16:10,599 --> 01:16:12,034
On the other end of the earth,
1596
01:16:12,067 --> 01:16:15,771
Antarctica is also experiencing
accelerating warming.
1597
01:16:15,804 --> 01:16:18,874
The higher temperatures at the
poles and in the polar oceans
1598
01:16:18,907 --> 01:16:21,610
spell big problems for
the rest of the planet,
1599
01:16:21,643 --> 01:16:24,780
and not only because they
are raising sea levels.
1600
01:16:24,813 --> 01:16:27,616
- The ocean is probably
the most important element
1601
01:16:27,649 --> 01:16:29,117
of the climate system.
1602
01:16:29,151 --> 01:16:32,654
In fact, the ocean is basically
the planet's thermostat.
1603
01:16:32,688 --> 01:16:34,823
- [Narrator] The ocean can
perform this essential role
1604
01:16:34,856 --> 01:16:38,126
because rather than being
a still body of water,
1605
01:16:38,160 --> 01:16:40,762
it is a constantly
moving system.
1606
01:16:40,796 --> 01:16:42,798
In much the same way
that heat is transferred
1607
01:16:42,831 --> 01:16:45,434
around your home
through pipes or ducts,
1608
01:16:45,467 --> 01:16:46,935
the ocean moves heat around
1609
01:16:46,969 --> 01:16:49,338
using a system of
ocean currents.
1610
01:16:49,371 --> 01:16:52,441
It's known as the
ocean conveyor.
1611
01:16:52,474 --> 01:16:53,642
In a home heating system,
1612
01:16:53,675 --> 01:16:56,778
the circulation is accomplished
by a fan or a pump.
1613
01:16:56,812 --> 01:16:59,081
Ocean currents are
driven by two things:
1614
01:16:59,114 --> 01:17:01,450
temperature and salinity.
1615
01:17:01,483 --> 01:17:02,951
The concept is simple.
1616
01:17:02,985 --> 01:17:05,120
Denser water sinks.
1617
01:17:05,153 --> 01:17:07,789
The colder the water is
and the saltier it is,
1618
01:17:07,823 --> 01:17:09,992
the more dense it becomes.
1619
01:17:10,025 --> 01:17:12,361
Denser waters from
the polar oceans sink
1620
01:17:12,394 --> 01:17:15,364
and flow southward
toward the equator.
1621
01:17:15,397 --> 01:17:18,600
Warm surface waters from the
tropics are drawn northward
1622
01:17:18,634 --> 01:17:20,969
and keep the conveyor moving.
1623
01:17:22,170 --> 01:17:24,373
The problem is that
now at the poles,
1624
01:17:24,406 --> 01:17:27,442
the seawater is warming
and the polar ice
1625
01:17:27,476 --> 01:17:31,146
made of freshwater is melting
and mixing into the ocean,
1626
01:17:31,179 --> 01:17:33,382
causing it to be less salty.
1627
01:17:33,415 --> 01:17:36,351
These two things are reducing
the ability of the conveyor
1628
01:17:36,385 --> 01:17:38,787
to drive the ocean currents.
1629
01:17:38,820 --> 01:17:42,457
One well-known current
within the ocean conveyor
1630
01:17:42,491 --> 01:17:44,826
is called the Gulf Stream.
1631
01:17:44,860 --> 01:17:47,629
- The Gulf Stream, it
starts in the Gulf of Mexico
1632
01:17:47,663 --> 01:17:49,831
and there's a place where
we've got lots of heat,
1633
01:17:49,865 --> 01:17:54,803
and that current is
migrating north eastward
1634
01:17:54,836 --> 01:17:58,373
up to England and way higher.
1635
01:17:58,407 --> 01:18:02,711
And then the water is going
down because it's getting colder
1636
01:18:02,744 --> 01:18:05,313
close to the Greenland
and then sinking.
1637
01:18:05,347 --> 01:18:07,883
And that sinking is
enabling that circulation.
1638
01:18:07,916 --> 01:18:12,254
- Which actually explains
why this northernmost part
1639
01:18:12,287 --> 01:18:15,924
of Europe remains ice free even
in the middle of the winter.
1640
01:18:15,957 --> 01:18:17,826
- [Narrator] Now as
the Arctic is warming,
1641
01:18:17,859 --> 01:18:20,362
the Earth's temperature
differential becomes less.
1642
01:18:20,395 --> 01:18:22,531
- Because the poles
have become warmer
1643
01:18:22,564 --> 01:18:24,866
and even moreso
than the tropics.
1644
01:18:24,900 --> 01:18:27,569
So you need to
transfer less heat
1645
01:18:27,602 --> 01:18:29,504
to balance these two systems.
1646
01:18:29,538 --> 01:18:32,007
And of course, this
means that ultimately,
1647
01:18:32,040 --> 01:18:33,375
the Gulf Stream in
the North Atlantic
1648
01:18:33,408 --> 01:18:37,446
and the other ocean currents
can start slowing down.
1649
01:18:37,479 --> 01:18:40,382
- It means that it will be
warmer in the United States
1650
01:18:40,415 --> 01:18:43,118
and cooler in Europe,
but way cooler.
1651
01:18:43,151 --> 01:18:45,353
- [Narrator] The Gulf Stream
is part of what is called
1652
01:18:45,387 --> 01:18:49,858
the Atlantic Meridional
Overturning Circulation, AMOC.
1653
01:18:49,891 --> 01:18:53,528
And we now believe it may be
approaching a tipping point.
1654
01:18:53,562 --> 01:18:56,465
- I mean, there's this, I
guess by now famous saying
1655
01:18:56,498 --> 01:19:00,402
that climate has always
changed for the earth
1656
01:19:00,435 --> 01:19:02,404
or on Earth, and that is true.
1657
01:19:02,437 --> 01:19:06,708
But the AMOC has been stable
for a very, very long time.
1658
01:19:06,742 --> 01:19:09,711
And in that sense, we
humans are adapted to it
1659
01:19:09,745 --> 01:19:13,448
but not what just we humans,
like the whole marine ecosystem
1660
01:19:13,482 --> 01:19:17,619
of the Atlantic is adapted
to the current being there.
1661
01:19:17,652 --> 01:19:20,088
We know if it gets weaker,
1662
01:19:20,122 --> 01:19:23,091
this could enhance
the sea level rise
1663
01:19:23,125 --> 01:19:27,262
at U.S. East Coast cities
like New York or Boston.
1664
01:19:27,295 --> 01:19:30,398
A weaker AMOC is linked
to enhanced storminess
1665
01:19:30,432 --> 01:19:31,733
over the North Atlantic,
1666
01:19:31,767 --> 01:19:36,004
so this could worsen winter
storms for Northwestern Europe.
1667
01:19:36,037 --> 01:19:39,141
There also seem to
be links to the AMOC
1668
01:19:39,174 --> 01:19:41,443
and the position
of weather patterns
1669
01:19:41,476 --> 01:19:43,111
in the northern hemisphere.
1670
01:19:43,145 --> 01:19:45,080
Once we cross this
tipping point,
1671
01:19:45,113 --> 01:19:48,583
there is no going back for
a very, very long time.
1672
01:19:48,617 --> 01:19:51,953
(instrumental fanfare)
1673
01:19:54,389 --> 01:19:57,459
(instrumental fanfare)
1674
01:19:58,693 --> 01:20:00,962
- How is the ocean
able to produce
1675
01:20:00,996 --> 01:20:04,633
over half of the
oxygen we breathe?
1676
01:20:04,666 --> 01:20:07,936
Well, the answer lies in
marine photosynthesis.
1677
01:20:07,969 --> 01:20:11,940
From long kelp strands
down to microscopic algae
1678
01:20:11,973 --> 01:20:15,277
and even some bacteria
that can photosynthesize,
1679
01:20:15,310 --> 01:20:20,215
the ocean is full of life that
creates life giving oxygen.
1680
01:20:20,248 --> 01:20:23,418
So with every breath you
take, thank the ocean.
1681
01:20:26,488 --> 01:20:28,690
- As I said at the
beginning of this program,
1682
01:20:28,723 --> 01:20:29,958
the greatest threat to the ocean
1683
01:20:29,991 --> 01:20:32,627
is the lack of awareness
of its vital importance.
1684
01:20:32,661 --> 01:20:36,164
The only way we can fight
that is through education.
1685
01:20:37,699 --> 01:20:40,068
- People here, they have
a big gap of information.
1686
01:20:40,101 --> 01:20:42,070
They don't know much
about climate change.
1687
01:20:42,103 --> 01:20:45,874
- The question now is, who
believe in climate change?
1688
01:20:45,907 --> 01:20:47,576
Hands up, high, high, high.
1689
01:20:47,609 --> 01:20:49,511
Hands up, hands up.
1690
01:20:49,544 --> 01:20:53,081
- If you try to explain to
someone here who's, you know,
1691
01:20:53,114 --> 01:20:55,317
like, lived in this
environment their whole life
1692
01:20:55,350 --> 01:20:59,221
that giant icebergs are melting,
1693
01:20:59,254 --> 01:21:01,756
it's not something
they can really picture
1694
01:21:01,790 --> 01:21:04,526
because, you know,
it's an iceberg.
1695
01:21:04,559 --> 01:21:05,861
There's no icebergs here
1696
01:21:05,894 --> 01:21:08,396
and it's hard to imagine
the magnitude of an iceberg
1697
01:21:08,430 --> 01:21:10,899
when you're on an
island that's so small.
1698
01:21:10,932 --> 01:21:12,701
- [Narrator] First of
all, we must realize
1699
01:21:12,734 --> 01:21:14,336
that every one of
us on the planet
1700
01:21:14,369 --> 01:21:16,771
will suffer the consequences
of this problem.
1701
01:21:19,474 --> 01:21:21,276
- I think what the world
has got to understand
1702
01:21:21,309 --> 01:21:23,678
is we would be the
first of the people
1703
01:21:23,712 --> 01:21:26,081
who would be
dislocated as a result
1704
01:21:26,114 --> 01:21:28,049
of what is happening
on climate change.
1705
01:21:28,083 --> 01:21:30,685
But I can guarantee you,
we will not be the last.
1706
01:21:30,719 --> 01:21:34,589
- Then we must recognize that
it will take every one of us
1707
01:21:34,623 --> 01:21:35,590
to solve it.
1708
01:21:36,558 --> 01:21:39,761
Like Mary, Boyan, Ben, Crystal
1709
01:21:39,794 --> 01:21:41,897
and so many others
in this program,
1710
01:21:41,930 --> 01:21:44,432
we should do what
we can on our own
1711
01:21:44,466 --> 01:21:47,068
and let our words,
actions and energy
1712
01:21:47,102 --> 01:21:49,704
build the momentum
for change we need
1713
01:21:49,738 --> 01:21:52,440
throughout our communities
and governments,
1714
01:21:52,474 --> 01:21:55,710
in our own country and
throughout the world.
1715
01:21:55,744 --> 01:21:57,145
- We know the solutions.
1716
01:21:57,178 --> 01:21:59,214
We have a set of
solutions that are there.
1717
01:21:59,247 --> 01:22:02,617
It's not that we are going
to go back in caveman time.
1718
01:22:02,651 --> 01:22:06,788
It just takes a transformation
of our industry.
1719
01:22:06,821 --> 01:22:07,923
We should, for example,
1720
01:22:07,956 --> 01:22:10,659
stop subsidizing
the fishing industry
1721
01:22:10,692 --> 01:22:13,762
so that the fleet
will be reduced.
1722
01:22:13,795 --> 01:22:16,765
We should, of course, reduce
our consumption of fishes
1723
01:22:16,798 --> 01:22:20,268
and get more protein
from vegetables.
1724
01:22:20,302 --> 01:22:23,738
We should move into
renewable energies.
1725
01:22:23,772 --> 01:22:26,341
Business could take
on those solutions
1726
01:22:26,374 --> 01:22:28,476
and make a profitable economy.
1727
01:22:28,510 --> 01:22:31,646
But what is needed is this
transition from this old economy
1728
01:22:31,680 --> 01:22:35,150
that has invested so
much on fossil fuel
1729
01:22:35,183 --> 01:22:36,584
and do not want to change,
1730
01:22:36,618 --> 01:22:39,354
into this new era
of renewable energy.
1731
01:22:39,387 --> 01:22:41,356
- [Narrator] Education
will be the driving force
1732
01:22:41,389 --> 01:22:43,858
that moves the world
to that new economy
1733
01:22:43,892 --> 01:22:46,661
and the new paradigm
of protecting the ocean
1734
01:22:46,695 --> 01:22:48,797
instead of just taking from it.
1735
01:22:48,830 --> 01:22:52,767
And the facts are clear.
We must do it now.
1736
01:22:52,801 --> 01:22:56,171
It was the uniquely human
capability for problem solving
1737
01:22:56,204 --> 01:22:59,507
that brought us from cave
dwellers to where we are today,
1738
01:22:59,541 --> 01:23:02,310
and that is what we
must rely on to solve
1739
01:23:02,344 --> 01:23:05,814
the massive environmental
challenges that we now face.
1740
01:23:05,847 --> 01:23:07,682
- The solution is
in our hands, right?
1741
01:23:07,716 --> 01:23:09,985
We need to change
our habit on land.
1742
01:23:10,018 --> 01:23:11,786
We need to change our behavior
1743
01:23:11,820 --> 01:23:15,890
because that impacts directly
the state of the ocean.
1744
01:23:15,924 --> 01:23:20,061
- I remain optimistic
because of the success
1745
01:23:20,095 --> 01:23:25,100
of our efforts and because
of all the wonderful people
1746
01:23:26,701 --> 01:23:30,672
and the joy that they get by
being part of this solution.
1747
01:23:31,740 --> 01:23:32,807
- [Boyan] Now, we can do this.
1748
01:23:32,841 --> 01:23:34,175
We have the technologies
to solve it.
1749
01:23:34,209 --> 01:23:36,277
I'm pretty sure that
it's going to happen.
1750
01:23:41,349 --> 01:23:43,752
- As human beings, we are
fortunate to have inherited
1751
01:23:43,785 --> 01:23:46,688
this amazing planet
with its wondrous ocean.
1752
01:23:46,721 --> 01:23:49,157
We must act now
before it is too late
1753
01:23:49,190 --> 01:23:51,726
and put all our
energy and creativity
1754
01:23:51,760 --> 01:23:54,763
toward preserving it for
ourselves and our future.
1755
01:23:55,897 --> 01:23:57,232
Thank you for joining us.
1756
01:23:58,733 --> 01:24:02,537
(dramatic instrumental music)
133598
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