All language subtitles for Ocean.Emergency.Currents.Of.Hope.2022.720p.WEBRip.x264.AAC-[YTS.MX]

- [Host] The ocean makes
life on earth possible.

Downloaded from
YTS.MX

But this all-important resource

is under extreme threat.

- I looked around
me and I just saw

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more plastic bags than fish.

- [Host] Its delicate
balance is tipping

towards destruction.
- If we lost our coral reef,

that'll kill us.
- [Host] And somehow,

because our very
existence depends on it,

we must save the ocean.

- [Lacomte] We only
have one ocean.

- We can all be part
of this solution.

(upbeat inspiring music)

(people cheering)

(inspiring music continues)

- Let me ask you, what
is the greatest threat

to the ocean today,
plastic pollution?

Temperature increase?
Overfishing?

Yes, these and other issues
are extremely serious,

but the greatest threat of them
all is the lack of awareness

of the vital importance of the
ocean for our very existence.

There are so many examples,
but here's just one.

Take in a deep breath. Now
breathe out. Do this twice.

One of those breaths you
took came from the ocean.

Marine organisms
produce over half

of the oxygen that land
animals, including people,

need to breathe.

And as I said, this is just
one example of so many things

that the ocean provides us with,

something we can't live without.

- [Host] The ocean is a
stunningly beautiful world

that we are still exploring
and learning about.

We do know that it covers about
71% of the earth's surface

and contains an estimated
97% of the planet's water.

We also know that the
ocean is in deep trouble

and that presents an
existential threat to us all.

2,400 miles away from Hawaii
in the central Pacific Ocean,

lies the tiny
republic of Kiribati.

For thousands of years, the
people of these remote islands

have enjoyed a lifelong
relationship with the sea,

but now the ocean seems
to be turning against them

and may soon cause
this island nation

its ultimate destruction.

Kiribati is expected
to be the first country

to be completely swallowed
up because of climate change.

- In the year, I think the
land lost 1.5 meters.

Every year.

- [Host] The first nation
to actually disappear.

Yes, scientists predict
that in the near future,

Kiribati will be
totally underwater.

American journalist Lulu DeBoer
has ancestors from Kiribati.

One year ago, she began
an extended stay there.

- The way, you
know, grandmas talk

about their place growing up,
it sounded like a paradise.

And so for me, I
was like, "Oh man,

I have to go back there
before it's all gone."

'Cause I want my kids
to have that sense

of culture that I grew up with.

And the only way I knew
how to pass that on

was to come back here and
absorb as much as possible

before it was all gone,
so that I could pass it on

to the next generation.

- [Host] In far too many ways,
the impending disaster faced

by Kiribati is a microcosmic
example of the emergency facing

the ocean and the entire planet.

And it's not just the rising
water that presents a danger.

In Kiribati, a much less
obvious threat exists

inside the water, the fish
and even in the bodies

of the people who live there.

And like the rising sea
levels, it has the potential

to affect millions of
people around the world.

In 1907, Monaco's
Prince Albert I

was making his fourth
and final expedition

to study the Arctic Ocean.

It is sadly ironic that at
the same time in New York,

chemist Leo Baekeland
was inventing a material

that would impact
the ocean forever.

60 years later, the whole
world was thinking exactly

what Mr. McGuire told
Benjamin in The Graduate.

- Are you listening?
- Yes, I am.

- Plastics.
- [Host] Yes,

everyone had fallen
in love with plastic.

Today, plastic is in everything,
from the clothes we wear

to even the gum we chew.

No one imagined that
this dream material

would create this nightmare.

(water bubbling)

All over the ocean, there
are huge collections

of mostly plastic
debris known as patches.

These massive
accumulations are caused

by complex interactions
of the Earth's spin

and ocean currents, which
give the garbage patch

the alternative
name, trash vortex.

This is the biggest
patch of them all,

located in the
north Pacific Ocean,

the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.

Because it is
partially submerged

and always moving
with the water,

it's hard to know
its size exactly,

but common estimates are
twice the size of Texas

and three times
the size of France.

This long-distance swimmer
wanted to raise awareness

of the global problem
by swimming through it.

- For me, the vortex swim
is a way to shine the light

on the garbage patch
and to bring people

into that big discussion
of what plastic is

and what it does to
the to the ocean.

(water splashing)

Well there is no
island of trash,

what we find is a
high concentration

of degrees of all sizes
but especially microfibers

and the microplastic around.

On this expedition, I was out
for two and a half months.

Through my own eyes, I saw
the magnitude of the problem.

- [Host] Ben definitely got the
attention of the world news.

- One man's effort to bring
awareness to pollution,

51 year old Ben Lacomte.

- Is seeing firsthand
the true cost

of plastic pollution
in our oceans.

- [Host] For Ben, this is
also a research expedition.

Working closely with
his scientific partners,

he and his crew will
be collecting

samples of microplastics

and microfibers in the
water and recording the data

for ocean scientists
to use later.

- Kind of wears you down.

It's just like would be
nice one day to pull it out

and there not to be
any plastic in it.

But you know, 50 days,
we do two a day,

that's never happened,
yeah, it's pretty messed up

when you stop to think about it.

- [Lacomte] I swim every
day for about six hours

with my face in
a sea of plastic.

At its highest concentration,
it looked like a snow storm.

It was very disgusting
and extremely disturbing.

I had the amazing opportunity
to swim with two sperm whales

and it was a wonderful moment
in the water with them.

Unfortunately, right
after that event,

I came back on board to find out

that it was our highest
count of microplastic

in the water so far, I can't
imagine the terrible impact

all that plastic
has on their lives.

- [Host] Ben Lacomte
swam 338 miles

through the Great
Pacific Garbage Patch.

This amazing
accomplishment earned him

a Guinness World Record.

But more importantly to
Ben, it sent out a message

that rang out through the world,

we need to solve the problem
of plastic in the ocean.

- [Lacomte] We only
have one ocean.

We need to all work
together to save it.

- The future will certainly
bring many more inventions

to replace plastic with
better alternatives.

But why wait? You
can start right now.

Here's something
you can do today

to get off your
plastic addiction.

Dish soap is a huge problem

because of the plastic
containers it comes in.

So try a dish block, a solid
block of earth-friendly soap.

You just wet your sponge on it

and get an instant
soapy lather to clean

up the day's dishes.

- Your typical kitchen
sponges are made

of petroleum-based polyurethane,

a big polluter for the ocean.

So why not use a
loofah scrubber?

Loofahs are the fruit
of a tropical vine plant

in the cucumber family.

They're so biodegradable
and eco-friendly

that loofahs can actually be
eaten if they're harvested

when the fruit is
young and tender.

Plus, you can clean
them in the dishwasher

or in your washing machine.

(upbeat music)

(upbeat music)

- How much plastic
is there on earth?

It's estimated that
over 10 billion tons

of plastic have
been created by now

and most of it is still here.

- Plastic pollution is
decimating ocean animals

and working its way
up in the food chain,

even into our own bodies.

In a disturbing recent study,
scientists found microplastics

in four out of six human
placentas they studied.

- [Host] Plastic
thrown away in the USA

can end up as far
away as Antarctica.

Garbage is pulled from
our coastal waters

into wind-driven
circular ocean currents.

Other currents carry the
trash across the ocean.

There are no boundaries
in moving water.

So in reality, it's
just one ocean.

(dramatic music)

(birds trilling)

2000 miles away from
the nearest continent

in one of the most isolated
places on the planet,

Dr. Jennifer Lavers learned
firsthand the shocking amount

of plastic that can exist
inside a dead albatross.

- [Lavers] To try and wrap
your mind around the condition

of this animal and the
quality of its life

really is quite an
overwhelming thing.

I do have some pretty
rough days, have to go home

and really wrap my mind around
where do we go from here?

- [Host] Just on
this island alone,

plastic is killing
seabirds by the thousands.

But seabirds are not the
only animals being devastated

by plastics in the ocean.

They are just the tip of
the iceberg of destruction.

The bags, bottles and
all other discarded items

you see floating near the
surface are broken down

by sunlight, waves and sea
animals until what's left

is like tiny bits of
confetti floating in a soup

and releasing any
toxic chemicals

that they might
contain into the water.

Then these tiny particles
of plastic that will last

for hundreds of years disperse
with the winds and currents.

This deadly sea of
plastic particles,

from the big pieces
to the tiny ones,

make it into the bodies
of all marine life,

including the largest
animals on earth.

- Experts found
plastic in the stomach

of a dead blue
whale washed ashore

in eastern Japan
earlier this month.

They say it's an
example of the spread

of marine plastic contamination.

- [Host] And plastic
is also found

in the tiniest
animals in the ocean.

- Copepods are mini
beasts of the ocean.

Small crustaceans, a
bit like tiny shrimps.

They belong to an
important group of animals,

known as zooplankton,
which drift and float

in the surface of our seas.

They may be small, a
single copepod could sit

on the head of a pin, but
they are very important

and play a vital role
in our ocean ecosystems.

- [Host] But as copepods
feed by sucking in water,

they have no way to discern

between the phytoplankton
they evolved to eat

and the microplastics that
now abound in the water.

So plastic has become a part
of their diet everywhere,

even in the most remote
waters of the planet.

These copepods were
filmed swimming

among fluorescent microplastics,
the results are striking.

Soon, the plastic is
seen within the body

of the animals and it
flows up the food chain

into all fish and other marine
animals that feed on them.

And from the ocean creatures,
the plastic is transferred

to the land animals that
eat them, including us.

Researchers are finding
that most shellfish

have plastic in them.

- They're all sorts of different
colors, they're very small,

all sorts of different shapes
and sizes, microplastics.

- [Host] So when you
eat oysters and clams.

- [Woman] You're
eating plastic as well.

- [Host] And because it's
present throughout the food web,

you are ingesting plastic
every time you eat any seafood,

from shrimp to swordfish.

So where is all this
microplastic coming from?

Here is what ocean pollution
expert Dr. Peter Ross

says about what he found in
samples he took in the Arctic.

- 92% of the particles that
we encountered were fibers

of different colors and 73%
of those were polyester.

Well, the shocking thing
is that we found polyester

in every single sample
of seawater we collected

between Norway, the North Pole,

the Canadian Arctic archipelago

and throughout the Belfort Sea.

- [Host] And what is the
source of all this polyester?

You are wearing it.

Much of our clothing now
contains plastic fibers.

That means every time
you wash your clothes,

fibers are loosened up and
go into the wash water.

Depending on the
type of garment,

a single wash could release
as much as 10 million fibers,

then down the drain they go
and often end up in the ocean.

Every day, we are learning
more about the risk

that microplastics
in the ocean pose

to the animals that are
eating them, including us.

What is the best way
to reduce this risk?

It's a simple answer.

- Reduce our use of plastic.

(upbeat music)

(upbeat music)

- Is there plastic
everywhere in the ocean?

Unfortunately, yes.

Plastic has been found
even at 36,000 feet deep

in the Marianna Trench, the
deepest part of the ocean.

- We know that plastic poses
an immense threat to the ocean.

So what can we do
to turn the tide

of ocean destruction to
one of ocean's survival?

One of the tools we
have is our creativity

and it will take a lot of
it from a lot of people,

but it has begun.

- [Host] In 2011, Dutch
teenager Boyan Slat

made an alarming discovery
that would've a big impact

on both his life and the ocean.

- When I was 16 years
old, I went scuba diving

on the family holiday and
I was expecting to see

all these beautiful
things like you see

in the nature documentaries.

And then I looked
around me and I just saw

more plastic bags than fish.

I wondered, why can't
we just clean this up?

- [Host] He made ocean
plastic pollution the subject

of his high school project
and came up with the idea

of building a passive
plastic catchment system,

using circulating ocean currents
to capture plastic waste.

In 2013, Slat founded the
Ocean Cleanup, and at 27,

he began seeing his
dream come to fruition.

- Yeah.

Ah, what a great day.

It's not going away by itself,

so we have to go out
there unfortunately

to go and clean it up, if you
were to simply skim the ocean

for plastic, it
would take forever.

It would be really expensive.

So that's why we came
up with this idea

to basically deploy
artificial coastlines

where there are no coastline,
allowing the plastic

to accumulate in
these cleanup systems,

which means that with a boat,
we can then periodically

take the plastic out of the
system and bring it to land.

We had our ups and
downs, we had problems,

we had structural failures,
but eventually we had a system

that was successfully
catching plastic.

Not just the big stuff,
but we were also catching

the small pieces,
the microplastics,

down to a millimeter in in size.

Objective of this first
campaign wasn't to maximize

our harvest, it was really
to prove, to validate

the principles behind
the cleanup system.

Yet we still collected
some plastics.

We've collected roughly
60 cubic meters of trash,

but still a small
amount compared to

the hundred million kilos that
we still have to clean up.

But on the other hand, it
does already constitute

roughly 14,000 football
fields of ocean.

- [Host] And in July,
2021, a new system, 002,

was deployed to the Great
Pacific Garbage Patch

and was soon sending ships
back loaded with plastic.

And today, 002 is still
out there doing its job.

But it's not only Boyan
Slat's organization

that is attacking the Great
Pacific Garbage Patch.

Ocean Voyages Institute
is utilizing a 140-foot

sustainable sailing cargo vessel

to tackle the cleanup as well.

- My name is Mary Crowley
and I'm the founder

of Ocean Voyages Institute
and I'm very excited

to be here today seeing
off the sailing ship Kauai,

who's going on a great mission.

- [Host] Day after day
on the rolling ocean,

the crew worked until
the ship was full.

- This morning,
starting at around 6:30,

the crew started
preparing the 103 tons

of ghost nets,
derelict fishing gear

and consumer plastics that
they just removed in 48 days

from the North Pacific Gyre,
accomplishing the largest

at-sea cleanup that's
ever been done.

They'll be recycled
and repurposed.

Nothing will end up in landfill.

Nothing will ever go
back in the ocean.

- I just can't think of any
better work to be doing.

Feels wonderful, you get
tired at the end of the day

after a good day,
but you really feel

like you've
accomplished something.

- [Host] But Mary
Crowley is not content

with just one ship pulling
plastic out of the ocean.

- We are intending to build
two sailing cargo ships

with a cargo hold
of 200 to 250 tons,

scaling up to address the
level of this problem.

We will also be
scaling up globally

our educational efforts.

- [Host] Starting with only
the ideas of two people,

Boyan Slat and Mary Crowley,

their organizations have
grown to make a difference

in the health of the ocean.

But this is only the
tip of the iceberg.

It will take the
efforts of so many more,

and with this goal in mind,

in Monaco's Ocean Week,
1000 policymakers,

investors and
entrepreneurs came together

for seven days to
share ideas, expertise,

and hatch innovative solutions.

While the world's superpower
countries still try to all get

on the same page to
preserve the ocean,

tiny Monaco has a long
history of leading the way.

Over 100 years ago, the ruler
of Monaco, Prince Albert I,

led groundbreaking,
scientific journeys

with a total of 28 expeditions

to the Atlantic Ocean
and the Mediterranean Sea

to his credit.

Ever since then, Monaco
has been at the forefront

of advocacy for the planet.

The prince's love of nature
was passed onto his son,

Prince Rainier III, and
ultimately to his grandson,

Prince Albert II, now the
sovereign ruler of Monaco.

His Prince Albert II
of Monaco Foundation

is one of the foremost
leaders in efforts

to save the ocean
and the planet.

He has led fact-finding
expeditions around the world

to bring awareness to the
effects of climate change.

And in 2006, he became the
first head of state in office

to reach the North Pole.

- Couldn't stop thinking
of Prince Albert I

and his arctic travels
and he would've loved

to have been here.

(upbeat music)

(upbeat music)

- How much plastic is
going into the ocean?

An estimated two garbage
truck loads a minute.

In total, 11 million
tons more plastic flows

into the ocean every year.

- No matter how good we become
a cleaning up the ocean,

it is like trying
to empty a bathtub

without stopping the
flow of the water.

So how does all the plastic get

into the ocean in
the first place?

And how do we stop the flow?

- [Host] The answer is rivers.

They are the primary source
of plastic in the ocean.

And some rivers in less
developed countries

are especially impactful.

- In a lot of these
underdeveloped countries

what happens is, is
there's a formula, right?

There's a large amount
of single-use plastic.

There's not a recycling
infrastructure

and they don't have a very
good sanitation system.

So what happens is,
a lot of the locals

will throw their
plastic into the alleys,

into the drains and everything,

and in these mountainous
areas, whenever it rains,

all that plastic
gets swept offshore.

So over 85% of the
plastic that's entering

the ocean today actually
comes from land-based sources.

- [Host] But where
there's a problem,

there's Boyan Slat again
with a new solution,

to turn off the
faucet of plastic.

- What if we could
intercept plastic

in rivers before it
reaches the oceans?

What we need is a product,

one integrated system that
you can bring anywhere

in the world, install within
days and that just works.

And it doesn't
exist until today.

- [Host] The Interceptor is
the world's first solar-powered

floating robot, a 50 ton
monster that collects trash

but leaves the fish alone.

As garbage floats down the
river, it runs into a barrier

on the surface of the
water, which funnels it

into the mouth of
the Interceptor.

Then it travels up
a conveyor belt,

which drops it into
floating dumpsters.

When they're full, the
Interceptor stays anchored

in place while the dumpsters
are towed to the shore.

There, whatever can be
recycled is processed

and the rest goes
to the landfill.

Okay, that's how it operates.

But does it really work?

Well, the numbers
speak for themselves.

Since the unveiling of the
first one in October, 2019,

eight more Interceptors have
been deployed in Indonesia,

Vietnam, the Dominican
Republic, two in Malaysia,

and three in Jamaica,
seven more are in the works

for other areas,
including one planned soon

for Ballona Creek in
Los Angeles, California.

Up until now, the ocean
Interceptors combined

with the cleanup out in
the ocean have removed

over a million pounds of trash.

According to UN estimates,
there are between 160

and 440 billion pounds
of plastic left to go,

but at least we are
seeing a beginning

to the cleanup of the ocean.

To finish the job, we will
all have to do our part.

In the Bahamas, Kristal
Ambrose took it upon herself

to do exactly that.

- [Ambrose] We're so happy
to have you here today.

You happy to be here? Scream.

- [Crowd] Woo.

- [Ambrose] Our Plastic
Camp has been so impactful.

We've been doing the program
for over six years now.

We've reached more
than 500 students

on eight different
Bahamian Islands.

- You'll be the solution
to plastic pollution.

(crowd cheering)

- So we built that stewardship
through our beach cleanups,

through all of our
environmental work.

And with the help of a
lawyer, we wrote a bill

of what a single-use plastic ban

would look like for the Bahamas.

So we literally went in
there beating on the desk,

"We are the change,
we're the solution.

We can fix this
plastic pollution."

And then we proceeded to tell
the Minister of Environment

why we needed to act now
and ban single-use plastics.

- In assembling her data
and doing her research,

Kristal was able to
demonstrate that this problem

isn't just out there,
it's actually right

on our front doors,
and we need to act now.

- [Host] Soon, the
bill that had begun

as a school project
became a reality.

- [Ambrose] This is my
planet, this is my ocean.

I deserve to fight
and my voice matters.

- Let's talk about
your toothbrush.

You can find a lot of
these in the ocean.

So, why not use a
bamboo toothbrush?

Bamboo is biodegradable
and highly sustainable.

In fact, it's one of the
fastest-growing plants

in the world.
- Did you know

that in the US we throw away one

and a half billion plastic
toothpaste tubes every year?

They're another huge
source of ocean pollution.

But now, you can use
toothpaste tablets instead.

You just pop one in
your mouth, chew it up

and it becomes effervescent,

then just brush
like you always do.

(upbeat music)

(upbeat music)

- How many countries have
outlawed single-use plastics?

Unfortunately, only a few
nations have an all-out ban

and sadly, the United
States is not one of them.

But recently, India announced

they will ban
single-use plastics,

a huge polluter in the ocean.

- Cleaning up the
existing plastic

from the ocean and
the rivers that flow

into it is a huge step
in the right direction.

But once it's all collected,
what do we do with it?

Back in the fifties, the
long-lasting quality of plastic

was it's biggest selling point.

Now we know it is
actually a curse.

How long does it take for
plastic items to decompose?

You may be shocked
by the numbers.

- [Host] Plastic
straws? 200 years.

Six pack plastic rings? 400
years.

Plastic
bottles, 450 years.

Plastic cups, 450 years.

Coffee pods, 500 years.

Plastic toothbrushes, 500 years.

Disposable diapers, 500 years.

Fishing line, 600 years.

Of course, reducing
our use of plastic

and finding alternatives
is essential.

But for all the plastic
that currently exists,

we need something that
can decompose it rapidly.

Maybe this scientist
found the answer.

Her name is Federica
Bertocchini.

- I noticed, basically cleaning
one of my beehives,

that there was these worms.

So basically I cleaned them,
I put them into a plastic bags,

and usually what I used to
find was dead invertebrates.

- [Dean] But these worms

managed to eat their way
out of the plastic bag.

- So, I said, "This is
something interesting."

- [Dean] They're
called meal worms

and you can actually
buy them online

and watch them
become cute beetles

by feeding them styrofoam.

Now it's not the
meal worms themselves

that are actually breaking
down the styrofoam.

It's the enzymes
produced by bacteria

the worms have inside them
that make the magic happen.

- The secreted enzymes
are really interesting.

Those are the tools

that actually break the wall
down into little pieces.

- [Dean] So scientists
are now spending

a lot of time searching in
places like garbage dumps.

Their goal is to find
new bugs and bacteria

that can digest plastic,
isolate their enzymes,

and then enhance and mass
produce them in bioreactors.

Finding a way to deal with
our enormous plastic waste

would be a huge step
in the right direction.

But to really improve
the planet's health,

we need to attack the ultimate
source of the problem.

And that is the
world's

insatiable consumption
of plastic.

We need safe and
sustainable alternatives.

It seems only fitting

that one solution to plastic
pollution in the ocean

might come from
the ocean itself.

- We're developing new solutions

that try to use seaweed
instead of plastic

for a lot of
single-use applications

- [Dean] They're
focusing on packaging

for foods and other
everyday products,

lots of things that
we consume quickly

and throw the containers away.

Their first creation

was a space-aged,
edible bubble packet

that can hold any liquid,

like water, juice,
or sports drinks.

For one thing, it's
a great way to avoid

all those little cups left
over after a marathon.

To tackle on even
bigger plastic problem,

they developed an edible
packet for condiments

so you can eat the container
right along with the ketchup.

And they've continued to create
other packaging solutions.

The company realized
that seaweed

has great potential as
a sustainable resource.

It's one of the fastest growing
organisms on the planet.

Some seaweeds can grow
up to to a meter per day.

These ocean plants also
have other advantages

when compared to those
that grow on land.

Seaweed doesn't
require fresh water.

It needs no fertilizer.

In fact, it's really
zero maintenance.

You just let it grow.

While one company is having
success with seaweed,

another is looking to
create plastic alternatives

from a different source.

Mushrooms, or
more specifically

their living root
structures, mycelium.

The power of mushrooms
is nothing new.

For thousands of years,
humans have known

how to cultivate them
for food and medicines.

This US company is harnessing
that age-old knowledge

and applying 21st
century technology to it

to give simple mushrooms
a new, Earth-saving role.

This is how it all begins.

They start with wood
chips, corn husks, or hemp

that would otherwise be
thrown out by local farms.

Then sprinkle in
some fungal spores,

add water, and place them
in special growing chambers.

It only takes a few weeks.

After feeding on the
agricultural waste,

the spores have transformed
into the base material

for a wide array of products.

Soon it will be used to make

the company's
plastic-free foams,

leather-like
textiles for fashion

and other applications,
and even plant-based meats.

Plus, in keeping with a
philosophy to work together

for the good of the planet,

their technology is open access,

helping partner businesses
around the world

make Earth-friendly
alternatives.

- Here's another way to cut
down on plastic pollution,

and it's one you might not
think of, dental floss.

It's made of plastic and
often ends up in the ocean.

And don't forget the plastic
container that it comes in

that takes 500
years to decompose.

But, you can switch to a
biodegradable dental floss.

There are options
made from silk, corn,

and bamboo fibers
available. And each comes in

a biodegradable or
reusable container.

When it comes to shampoo,

the biggest problem is
the plastic container.

So instead, try a shampoo bar.

They come with or without
conditioner built in.

You just lather them
up and scrub away.

(exciting music)

(exciting music)

- Which countries burn
the most fossil fuels?

China tops the list,

burning almost twice
as much fossil fuel

as the United States,

with India, Russia,
and Japan close behind.

But when it comes to the
amount burned per person,

the United States uses
twice as much as China.

- The Industrial Revolution
is considered to be

one of the most significant
events in human history

because of the sweeping changes
it made in people's lives.

Only now, some 200 years later,

are we beginning to
fully acknowledge

the profound impact it
has had on our planet.

(ethereal music)

(water gurgles)

- [Dean] It was the
burning of fossil fuels

that provided us
the power to drive

the Industrial Revolution.

But at the same time,

it caused us to release large
amounts of carbon dioxide

into the atmosphere.

This caused a greenhouse effect,

a condition where
heat is trapped

in the Earth's atmosphere.

Plus, there are other
greenhouse gases like methane,

which have increased
in recent years

due to things like
livestock production,

especially on crowded
factory farms,

other types of agriculture,
sewage treatment,

and natural gas and
oil distribution.

What does this
mean for the Earth?

The planet is trapping

roughly double the amount
of heat in the atmosphere

than it did 15 years ago.

So the Earth is warming.

Now to survive,
plants and animals

that evolved for
millions of years

to live at pre-industrial
temperatures

are forced to adapt
to a warmer Earth.

For many species, that
may be impossible.

Corals evolved 500
million years ago.

They are vitally important
to both the ocean

and the world's
human population.

But corals around the world

are under threat,

and that's true in
Kiribati as well.

- For me, the biggest
scare is coral bleaching

'cause our islands,
our entire subsistence,

is off of our coral reef.

It's where we get
all of our food.

That's what keeps the
islands' ecosystems running.

It's the coral.

And coral's really fragile.

And that's absolutely
terrifying to me.

If we lost our coral
reef, that'll kill us.

- [Dean] Coral is a
colonial marine animal.

The individuals are dependent
on one another for survival.

What we see as a coral structure

is actually hundreds
to thousands

of tiny individual organisms
called coral polyps

living together in a colony.

Each soft-bodied polyp

secretes a hard outer
skeleton of calcium carbonate

that attaches either to a rock

or the dead skeletons
of other polyps.

But the polyps live not
only with each other,

but also with algae that lives
inside the coral's tissues.

Like other plants,
algae use photosynthesis

to produce nutrients
and pass many

directly to the coral's cells.

In return, the coral provides
a safe home for the algae.

So a coral formation is
one of the natural world's

perfect symbiotic relationships.

But nature takes it
even one step further.

By itself, the coral
skeleton is ghostly white.

But the chlorophyll in the algae

gives them a green-brown color.

And on top of that,

the algae produce a
variety of pigments

which finally give the coral
formations their stunning hues.

But when the algae
becomes stressed,

they stop providing enough
nutrients to support the coral.

And soon the starving
coral expel the algae

and turn back into
their ghostly white,

a condition called bleaching.

If the situation
continues long enough,

the coral weaken and die.

What can stress the algae

to begin this chain
of destruction?

One thing is water
temperatures that are too warm.

And as climate change
causes global temperatures

to rise around the world,

we are seeing coral bleaching
in the ocean everywhere,

including the largest
system of coral structures

in the world,

Australia's Great Barrier Reef.

This scientist is widely known
as the godfather of coral,

and he has identified
more than 20%

of all the world's
coral species.

Back in the 1990s, he
started getting very worried

as he began seeing
changes in the climate.

And back then, 30 years ago,

he made some pretty
scary predictions.

- I predicted that by 2015,

the carbon monoxide
levels would be so high

that it would cause bleaching
practically every year.

It's all happened and
the consequences of that

have turned out to be much
worse than those predictions.

It's exactly like me

seeing my family slowly
dying or something.

It's very grave-like.

- Corals are really the
linchpin of the ecosystem.

When you go out there and
you say, in the ocean,

how many species of fish live
in and around coral reefs?

The answer is about a quarter.

- [Dean] Yes
although coral reefs

cover less than 1%
of the ocean floor,

they provide a home for
25% of the ocean's species

that we know of today.

And in more human
terms, 60% of the fish

the world depends on for food

depend on healthy
coral for survival.

But the value of coral to
human beings goes even further.

As one of the most biodiverse
ecosystems on Earth,

there may be millions
of undiscovered species

of organisms living there.

Many scientists believe
that these reefs

hold the key to finding new
medicines for the 21st century.

Medical researchers are
now developing new drugs

from coral reef
animals and plants

as possible cures for
arthritis, viruses,

cancer, and other diseases.

(waves crash)

- The other thing
that is very important

is coral is protecting
us from the waves.

- [Dean] Coral reefs help
prevent the loss of life,

property damage, and erosion

as they buffer
shorelines against 97%

of the energy from waves,
storms, and floods.

- If the coral is
dying, then we won't

have this protection
against a storm surge,

especially in the area
where we've got cyclones

and huge storm surge is
coming up from cyclones,

so the coral reef can
protect against this.

- [Dean] If this natural
barrier was gone,

millions of people

who live on the ocean's
shores would suffer.

And from an economic standpoint,

besides all the industries
surrounding fishing,

corals have great importance
for another human activity

that is extremely valuable
to many countries.

- Tourism, five to
6 billion dollars

worth of tourist revenue
coming into our country

because we have this
pristine, beautiful structure.

- If you see something
you really love dying,

of course it has a huge impact.

It's very hard to continue
when so many people think,

oh, there's nothing wrong.

And that makes me angry because
this is utter stupidity.

- [Dean] But corals are
not just being damaged

by rising temperatures.

They are also being
attacked by another problem,

a major change in the actual
chemistry of the ocean.

- Ocean acidification,

which we talk much less
about, at least in the media.

- [Dean] It is yet another issue

caused by the burning
of fossil fuels.

Like a sponge,
the ocean soaks up

the added carbon
dioxide in the air.

- We know that today the oceans

pump about one half
of the excess carbon

that humans are putting
into the atmosphere,

which means that

they're already taking
out of the atmosphere

huge amounts of carbon
that would otherwise

be heating the
atmosphere even more.

- [Dean] But as that
helps the atmosphere,

it hurts the ocean.

This added CO2 dissolves
and becomes carbonic acid.

As a result, seawater
has become more acidic.

A lot more.

Acidity is 30% higher

than before the
Industrial Revolution.

This inhibits the
coral's ability

to build its calcium
carbonate skeleton.

The effect is similar
to osteoporosis,

slowing growth and
making corals weaker.

- There's huge
parts of the world

where you can swim
over a coral reef,

and you just see individual
corals here and there.

It really is decimated.

At least 30% of all the
coral of this planet is gone.

If we continue
business as usual,

the only hope for a
coral reef is that humans

will destroy their own capacity
to make carbon dioxide.

- There is a real chance
that ocean acidification,

if it continues on the
track that it is now,

that coral-dominated
reef systems

like the Great Barrier
Reef will soon disappear.

And of course, if
the reef disappears,

then the habitat for
over a million species

will also disappear as well.

At a global scale, losing
coral reefs has implications

for over 500 million people

who depend on coral
reefs each day

for their food and income.

- Coral reefs are saying,
"We are in trouble."

And when coral reefs
are in trouble,

then the oceans are in trouble.

- [Dean] Some scientists

predict that all
the world's corals

could be wiped out by the
middle of the century.

But corals are not the only
sea life being threatened

by ocean acidification.

Other sea creatures and
plants are also in danger.

The acidity of the ocean

can disrupt the
delicate natural balance

between predator and
prey populations.

In many important ways, fish
rely on their sense of smell.

One scent in particular is
essential for their survival.

- The smell of chewed up fish.

Yeah, the smell
of chewed up fish.

- [Dean] This is the odor
that fish would recognize

if a predator was
attacking their group.

- [Scientist] This
is the alarm cue.

So if their sense of
smell is working properly,

then this is the smell
that they should identify

and want to run away from.

- [Dean] But in water
of a higher acidity,

the fish's ability to
detect odors is disrupted.

- And it's important because

once they lose their
sense of smell,

they have inability
to detect and respond

or avoid predators,

pick up chemical cues
associated with finding food,

or in the case of salmon,
honing to their native streams.

- [Dean] But fish are not
the only sea life affected

by ocean acidification.

It especially impacts
any animals with a shell.

- The ocean is so acidic

that it is dissolving the
shell of our baby oysters.

Our farm is what has kept
this family together.

It's our glue and it
would be devastating

to lose that, such a big
part of our history.

What we're experiencing
here in the Puget Sound

is what other people
will be experiencing

not too long in the future.

- [Dean] While the damage caused

by the acidification
of the ocean

may be most evident in
coral and shellfish,

there is a less visible,

but perhaps even more
destructive problem.

- There are also alarming
signs of plankton,

that is responsible for 50%
of the oxygen we breathe.

And for the vast food
chains in our polar oceans,

are beginning to struggle

to make their delicate
calcium carbonate skeletons.

- Our study has found
that phytoplankton levels

have diminished by up to
40% over the last 50 years,

so since 1950.

Phytoplankton is important

because it's the base of
everything in the ocean

and the ocean is the base
for everything on the planet.

- If we start losing the
plankton of the southern oceans,

we start losing the capacity
of the southern oceans

to support just about
all their marine life.

- It can completely
change ocean ecosystems,

starting with the
ocean microorganisms

in the ocean surface waters,

which are those
that are actually

pumping carbon
from the atmosphere

into the oceans
through photosynthesis.

If the oceans were to go beyond
a certain level of acidity,

well paradoxically,

they could actually destroy
some of these organisms

that are actually helping
us to keep carbon levels

in the atmosphere lower than
they would otherwise be.

- The only thing we can do,

which will control
ocean acidification,

is to stop burning fossil.

(exciting music)

(exciting music)

- Besides plastics,

what else is
polluting the ocean?

Some other major sources
of pollution are:

toxic metals, like
mercury from mining,

fertilizers and
herbicides in farm runoff,

and oil.

- Oil spills

are one of the most visible
threats to the ocean.

Who has not seen the
gut-wrenching pictures

of helpless seabirds

stuck in the deadly
mess of spilled oil?

However, below the surface,

there is even more
destruction going on.

- [Dean] A spill that happens

in a matter of hours or days

can devastate the fragile
ocean ecosystem for years.

According to the US
Department of Energy,

1.3 million gallons of oil

are spilled into US waters alone

from vessels, pipelines,
and drilling rigs

in a typical year.

(rig explodes)

- On April 20th, 2010,

41 miles off the
Louisiana coast,

the Deepwater
Horizon drilling rig

exploded in the Gulf of Mexico.

There were months
of cleanup efforts,

but still, it turned
into one of the largest

environmental catastrophes
in US history.

To keep the oil from moving
to fragile coastlines,

air crews sprayed the oil slick

with over 1 million
gallons of dispersants.

Unfortunately, dispersants

do not remove the
oil from the water.

They just break the
huge oil slicks down

into small droplets.

Floating plankton and algae

were so stressed
by the dispersants

that they released streams of
sticky mucus into the water.

This sticky mixture of
the oil, dispersants,

dead plankton, and
other particles

sunk from the surface all
the way to the bottom,

covering the ocean floor

in what has become known
as a dirty blizzard.

Organisms that couldn't
escape its path suffocated.

When researchers returned
to the site 10 years later,

they were shocked by the
devastation that still remained.

- The oil and the dispersants
are a toxic mixture, right?

And so by having all that oil
deposited on the sea bottom,

it's going to interact
with all the creatures

that live at the
surface of the sediment

and also the creatures
that live in the sediment.

And so that created
a lot of mortality.

- [Dean] Clearly we
need a better way

to respond to the inevitable
spills that will occur

as long as oil is a part
of our global economy.

One company has a creative idea,

using not only their brains,

but something else from
their bodies as well.

- So Clean Wave is our program.

We've been doing it
for over 20 years

and it's where you take
hair from hair salons,

hair clippings, fur
clippings from pet groomers,

waste fleece and fiber
from alpaca farms

and sheep farms and buffalo
herds and everything.

And you can take
all of this fiber,

which would normally
go to a landfill,

and we felt it into mats
that soak up oil spills.

And we do that because
hair collects oil.

- [Dean] A pound
of hair can soak up

around five times
its weight in oil.

The finished product could
be mistaken for a doormat.

Hair is acquired from
salons in over 30 countries.

- And so it's one way to
use a renewable resource

to suck up oil spills and
everybody who gets a haircut

can participate in this.

And it's free

and just you mail in the hair.

So it's the cost of a
postage stamp or whatever,

and it helps us.

And so that's a way
everybody can help.

- [Dean] Oil spills are
just one of the great costs

of our dependence on
fossil fuels for energy.

To support our growing
world population,

other things we need come with
their own costs to the ocean.

One is probably something
that may surprise you.

It's the second-most
consumed natural resource

on the planet.

Only water is used more.

It's sand.

- We are using a
huge amount of sand.

In fact, our entire
development is based on sand.

- [Dean] Yes, sand.

- We are using 50 billion
tons of sand per year.

And that's just to
give a rough idea.

This is the equivalent of
the wall of 27 meter high,

27 meter wide, or around
planet Earth every year.

That's the amount of
sand we are using.

We need sand for construction,

we need sand for
land reclamation,

we need sand for windows.

Glass is made of sand.

Even computer screen and
chips are made of sand.

- [Dean] Now, it would seem

with vast deserts around
the world filled with it,

there would be no
shortage of sand.

The problem is that desert
sand caused by wind erosion

is almost useless to us.

It's too smooth for what
most sand is used for,

concrete production.

That requires sand
grains eroded by water

with sharper edges
that can lock together

to form stable concrete.

This sand is found in
riverbeds and beaches.

But those resources have
been tapped to the point

where fierce competition has
pushed even criminal gangs

to traffic in sand.

Now some companies are looking

to a new area for
sand extraction.

- One big thing that is
happening now is dredging sand.

Imagine a giant vacuum cleaner

that goes at the
bottom of the sea

and suck all the sand

and then all the
microorganisms that live there

get basically destroyed.

And it change the
turbidity of the water.

That has an impact on
biodiversity and on fisheries.

- [Dean] What is the solution

to our growing sand problem?

A number of scientists
are working on ways

to replace sand in concrete
with other materials,

including shredded plastic,
crushed palm shells,

and rice husks.

Others are trying to
recycle old concrete.

Sand highlights the fact
that almost anything we do

comes with a cost
to the environment

that we need to recognize
and account for.

Even as we address the issue
of fossil fuel dependence

and carbon emissions by
moving to electric vehicles,

it comes with
costs to the planet

we must carefully consider.

- We need a lot more of
cobalt as well as lithium

and other metals to make
batteries for electric vehicles.

- [Dean] To supply
the growing demand,

mining companies are
moving to new technology

that is of special concern
to ocean scientists.

- These mining
companies are gearing up

to put huge machines
on the seabed floor

and rip up the seabed floor.

- When we look at
the deep sea mining,

the problem is we have
to be extremely careful

when we are taking material
from this environment.

- The stakes are so high.

When you've ruined the ocean,

you've ruined life
on earth effectively.

We've already pushed the ocean

to the absolute brink
through over-exploitation.

We're now gonna feed in

an industrial activity
under the water

and it may just be the thing
that pushes the ocean over.

It may be that straw that
breaks the camel's back.

- So there's gonna be a
ship at the sea surface.

That ship is going to lower a
machine down onto the seabed.

These are huge machines

with traction wheels

that are going to
move along the seabed.

- Basically sterilizing
the bottom of the sea

and it's creating a plume.

- So there'll be a continuous,

non-stop plume of
sediment particles

being released for up to, say,

30 years per mining operation.

These little particles
are really destructive

to a lot of marine species.

They get into their gills,

get into basically what
is their way of breathing.

These plumes get suspended
into the water column

and there are currents
in the water column

which will take these plumes,

they're thinking up to a
hundred kilometers out.

- [Dean] Deep sea
mining companies

have often proclaimed
themselves to be eco-warriors

because the materials
they plan to mine

can be used in electric
vehicle batteries.

But this type of mining

could actually be
catastrophic for the climate.

The largest active carbon
sink on Earth is the deep sea.

Carbon will be released
back into the environment

if the sediment on the
ocean floor is stirred up.

The deep ocean's ability
to sequester carbon

could be severely damaged

and cause seawater to
become even more acidic.

Yes, we need electric vehicles,

but to build them
we must avoid using

what might be the easiest or
most profitable technology

in favor of what's
best for the planet.

Unfortunately, a closer look
at the land-based sources

for one metal needed for clean
vehicle batteries, cobalt,

exposes a dirty secret.

Most of it comes from the
Democratic Republic of the

Congo, where mines
have been linked

to a long list of
environmental damage,

safety issues, and
human rights abuses

involving child laborers
as young as six years old.

The good news is
that some companies

have vowed to stop using
cobalt-based batteries,

sending manufacturers

racing to develop
cleaner alternatives.

Batteries using manganese,
iron, and boron hold promise.

But most recently,
in September 2022,

an even more sustainable and
biodegradable battery component

was unveiled.

And it comes from a
surprising source, shellfish.

Yes, as outlined in
the journal Matter,

a University of Maryland
scientist created a battery

using chitosan, a
derivative of chiton,

as the electrolyte.

The most abundant
source of chiton?

The exoskeletons of crustaceans,

including crabs,
shrimps, and lobsters,

which can easily be
obtained from seafood waste.

Yes, once again, a solution
for a human problem

comes from the ocean.

Undoubtedly, the future holds

even better and cleaner
battery advancements.

But right now,

many ocean scientists say we
need to stop deep sea mining

in its tracks
before it's too late.

- If there was ever a future
problem that we can stop now,

it's this.

We don't need to deep-sea mine.

We shouldn't be doing it.

Let's stop it before it happens.

That would be, that would be a
genuine win for humanity.

It would be a win on a par
with saving the Amazon.

(instrumental fanfare)

(instrumental fanfare)

- How many people in
the world depend on fish

as a food source?

For 2.6 billion
people, a major part

of the protein in their
diet comes from fish.

- Today, overfishing
and illegal fishing

are threatening the
world's food supply.

By disrupting the
delicate balance

of its fragile ecosystems,

they also threaten
the ocean itself.

- [Narrator] Since the beginning
of our time on the planet,

fish have been a major
food source for humans.

But now with our exploding
global population

approaching eight
billion people, we are

in danger of depleting
that important resource

beyond the point of recovery.

- So, over-fishing is when
you are taking more fishes

than they can
reproduce themselves.

Once your population
start to decrease,

the entire supply of
fish is going to go down.

So at one stage, if the
entire fishes collapse,

and we saw that happening
in several places already,

you have no more fishes.

- [Narrator] All
across the earth,

fish populations are threatened
by not only overfishing

but also what's
called IUU fishing,

illegal, unreported
and unregulated.

Of the world's 17
main fisheries,

13 are facing serious decline.

The Mediterranean, the
North Sea, the Grand Banks,

the Baltic, the ocean
around Australia,

the Gulf of Thailand, and
the waters of Southeast Asia

are all in a critical state.

If fishing is not
effectively regulated,

scientists warn that
many fish populations

may never recover.

Seychelles is well known as
a place to enjoy the sun,

crystal clear turquoise
waters, and beautiful beaches,

but there's something
else going on here.

It's a battle between
David and Goliath.

These huge industrial
fishing vessels

can hold 280 tons
of tuna at one time.

- We used to go
fishing for a day

and we'd catch enough fish
to sell at the market.

But nowadays, we're lucky if
we can bring in one or two.

How can I call
myself a fisherman

if there's no fish to catch?

You know, it's clear that
the stock is depleting

and it's mainly because
of these vessels,

these industrial vessels
that you see around me.

- [Narrator] They are
constantly unloading

and can haul in 2,000 tons
of the fish in a year.

From here, the tuna goes
to Seychelles' cannery.

It's one of the
biggest in the world,

producing 1.5 million
cans of tuna per day.

The global demand for
tuna has now risen

to over $40 billion per year.

Most of the tuna
caught around the world

is eaten far away
from its source,

with the European
Union, the USA and Japan

the biggest importers.

Thousands of miles
away from Seychelles

is General Santos City,

known as the tuna capital
of the Philippines.

Here, local fishermen
are also seeing a decline

in tuna catches.

The fish are getting
harder to catch

and everyone here
is affected by it.

- There's a nice fish.

This will be good
enough to ship directly

to the United States today.

- [Narrator] In
less than 48 hours,

this tuna will be in a
fashionable sushi restaurant

in the USA.

John has noticed a
concerning trend.

It is apparent that
the fish just can't

reproduce fast enough to
keep up with the demand.

Scientists say that
in our lifetime,

some tuna populations are
in danger of extinction.

John puts the problem
in perspective, simply.

- Too many people, too many
boats catching the fish.

- [Narrator] General
Santos City is located

in a part of the
world where the ocean

is especially rich
in marine life.

It lies in what is known
as the Coral Triangle,

located between the
Pacific and Indian Oceans

and spanning a 2.3
million square mile area

from Indonesia to
the Solomon Islands.

This is the most diverse
marine region on earth,

home to 75% of the
world's coral species

and some 3,000 species of fish.

Across the Coral Triangle, fish
populations are under threat

and not just because
of their value

when packed in ice and shipped.

Fish bring a price
many times higher

per pound when
they're sold live.

This started 40 years ago
as a new demand emerged

providing live reef fish to
restaurants in Singapore,

Hong Kong and more
recently, mainland China.

Driven by the high prices
and unending demand,

poor fishermen have not
abided by any laws or quotas.

Their tool of choice:
usually, cyanide.

It can take all day
to catch a fish or two

with a hook and line, but
by crushing a cyanide tablet

in a squeeze bottle and
squirting it at the fish,

you can capture dozens of the
stunned but still live fish

in a few hours.

- Normally, if you export
fish from Indonesia,

you should report how
much you take out,

where you're taking it to,
and also where it's come from.

So there's these
Hong Kong boats,

they come here every month
and they come into this place,

take all the fish
and leave from here.

And that's illegal.

So if you look at this fish,

you actually see a
lot of the evidence

that this was
caught with cyanide.

Start with the eye.

It's completely damaged.

It is, this is a milky eye.

You can't see anything
with that anymore.

And then if you
look real carefully,

you see that the skin is sort
of scarred like it was burned.

For every fish that
makes it to Hong Kong,

there's a lot of
dead fish and reefs.

You know, corals are are
dead from the cyanides

that stay behind.

So the impact of this industry
is actually really large.

- [Narrator] The live
fish market has grown

to billions of
dollars worldwide.

Although Asian
restaurants demand most

of the edible live fish,
the largest percent

of ornamental fish
go to U.S. aquariums.

In a warehouse, Lida is shocked

by the magnitude of the trade.

- Wow, that's a lot of fish.

I hadn't seen that before.

So, many of these bags
have just one fish

but some of the bigger
bags have at least 10.

You can see them from here.

I see so many fish that are
going out here tomorrow.

Probably many more from
the companies next door.

Sure looks like a lot of fish.

- [Narrator] Our understanding
of the ocean's ecosystems

makes clear the potential
for great harm that can come

from overfishing
and illegal fishing,

but there is one
marine ecosystem

we know almost nothing about

and that may make it even
more urgent to protect it

before it's too late.

It is called the midwater layer

and also known as
the twilight zone,

the ocean's last frontier.

It is an entire layer
that starts 200 meters

below the surface
down to 1,000 meters.

Only recently have researchers
been able to explore

this deep in the ocean.

- You're in the pitch black

in the middle of the
ocean twilight zone.

The sub lights come
on and what you see

looks like a blizzard of snow.

When you look even closer,
you can see there are

tiny microscopic
plankton jumping

from one particle to another.

- [Narrator] Here, animals
have adapted in amazing ways

such as huge eyes to
capture scarce light

and bioluminescence
to attract prey.

This ocean layer actually
holds the largest

and least understood ecosystem
on the entire planet,

with more species and biomass
than anywhere on earth.

In fact, it might
contain more fish

than the rest of
the ocean combined.

Also, we are now beginning to
understand that the animals

of the midwater twilight
zone play an important role

in the ocean's
ability to pull carbon

out of our atmosphere by eating
carbon-filled phytoplankton.

Eventually, when
the animals die,

they sink to the bottom and
safely store the carbon there

where it cannot contribute
to global warming.

But a serious threat
looms that has scientists

racing against time.

- The more we learn about
the ocean twilight zone,

the more important we are
finding it seems to be

for the whole ocean ecosystem.

- The animals that live
in the twilight zone

almost certainly
play a major role

in regulating our
planet's climate.

- And if we took all
of the marine life

out of the twilight zone,
that would have huge impacts

on the ocean's ability
to sequester carbon.

- It will be a critical
piece of how humans

both sustain and hopefully
thrive in the following century.

(instrumental fanfare)

(instrumental fanfare)

- Is there life in the
deepest parts of the ocean?

Yes, it's amazing.

Even though the pressures
down there can be

up to 15,000 pounds
per square inch,

scientists have
found small organisms

in the mud at the very
bottom of the ocean.

- So far, scientists have
identified over 240,000

different species of plants
and animals in the ocean.

(dramatic instrumental music)

- [Narrator] And while
that is a huge number,

it may only be 10% of
those that actually exist

since there is so
much of the ocean

we have not yet been
able to explore.

Of the incredible array of
diverse plants and animals

found in the ocean,
there are certain ones

that have been singled
out by scientists

as keystone species,
organisms that are essential

to the health of the
entire marine ecosystem.

(water burbling)

- Sharks, by feeding themselves,

they are feeding on big fishes

that are themselves
fishing other small fishes.

And so by maintaining that
population of predators,

they can maintain a bigger
population of the fishes.

If you remove the shark,
if there are no more

sharks the one,
the level just below

will multiply and they
will eat more fishes

and they will, could
potentially come to

a collapse of the
fish population.

So the shark has been
hunted a lot for their fins.

Traditional food
that is taking fins

and makes fin soup,
and it's very popular.

They basically cut it off and
just leave the shark dying.

The shark population
is also declining

because we are
taking more fishes

than they can
reproduce themselves.

We tend to be afraid of shark,

but sharks are very
important in the ecosystem.

- [Narrator] Montel Williams
hosted a groundbreaking event

in the Bahamas to
educate a special envoy

of United Nations
representatives

about this essential
ocean animal.

- Jaws came out.

We take the top of the
food chain, vilify it

and then think that the
rest of the food chain

will sustain itself.

And we want you to
have an experience

over the next couple days
that's gonna blow you away

and make you go back
to the halls of the UN

and say, you know, they're
doing something here, guys.

In 2011, The Bahamas became

only the fourth
country in the world

to establish a shark sanctuary

prohibiting the commercial
fishing of sharks,

thus protecting the
more than 40 species

of the animal found
in its waters.

A much needed measure since
sharks face extinction

primarily due to overfishing
and illegal shark finning.

But sharks know no boundaries

and the need to protect them

goes far beyond Bahamian waters.

So throughout the week, the
UN delegates learned firsthand

about the importance
of shark preservation,

a win for the sharks

and for the countries
that protect them.

- A shark life can bring
a huge, huge income

for the economy of a country.

- In The Bahamas
alone, shark tourism

and research adds some $80
million U.S. dollars annually

to the national economy.

- [Montel] Led by Bahamas
ambassador to the UN

and chair of the
Shark Coalition,

Dr. Elliston Rahming,
delegates listened

as experts at the Island
School in Cape Eleuthera

debunked myths of the
misunderstood shark,

including the notion
that sharks hunt humans.

- You've been diving for
certain number of years?

- [Woman] Yes, I have.

- And sharks have
been all around you

and you've never
had an incident.

- They're just curious
more than anything else,

so they might bump you.

- [Montel] The truth is, shark
attacks are extremely rare,

yet the role the shark
plays in the ocean is vital,

from controlling
fish populations

to maintaining healthy reefs,

a lesson ambassadors
took to heart.

- Preserving the shark
preserves the ocean.

So the same care we take,
you know, for our land,

we have to become aware

that we must do
likewise for our seas.

- Protection of oceans is one
of the most important subject

United Nations is debating.

It's extremely important for us

actually to be well-educated.

- [Montel] And for these
delegates, the education

goes beyond the classroom
and into the ocean.

Next, delegates were able
to enrich their knowledge

by diving or snorkeling
and observing

the magnificent creature
in the deep water.

- [Woman] How was it
looking at the sharks?

- Really extraordinary.

Oh, it's wonderful,
you get addicted to it.

I didn't wanna come out.

- Great experience.

I did it. I jumped in the water.

- I went down there
with the sharks

because I want my
country to protect them.

- While there is much to learn

as we work to understand the
bewildering shark species,

what is clear is that we
must move beyond our fears

and learn to coexist with
this incredible creature

to ensure the future
of our oceans.

(instrumental fanfare)

(instrumental fanfare)

How fast is the ocean rising?

It's hard to know
for sure because the

rate is accelerating,

but current estimates
are, by 2050,

sea levels will rise from
three feet to six feet.

- There are many potentially
devastating effects

of rising sea levels.

To put it in perspective,
according to a recent study,

a two meter or six
foot sea level rise

could displace over
187 million people

and destroy more than half
a million square miles

of essential farmland.

- [Narrator] In the tiny
island nation of Kiribas,

the residents are
facing rising sea levels

never experienced
by their ancestors.

- My first house
is in the water.

My second house is
also in the water.

And then my last house was
here, just on the beach here.

- [Man] Where do you live now?

- Now I live inland,

just to move away
from the ocean side.

- I'm afraid.

What about our future,
even our children?

What is the future of our
children, our grandchildren?

So sad.

- [Narrator] Why is Kiribas
being swallowed up by the ocean?

Again, it's all because
of global warming

caused by the burning
of fossil fuels.

As the ocean's temperature goes
up, the warmer water expands

and takes up more space, and
the polar ice is melting,

adding more water to the ocean.

This is Antarctica, containing
over 90% of the world's ice,

but the ice has gotten
thinner over the last 25 years

and all that added water
has brought up sea levels,

and the melting is accelerating

and could become even faster.

One of the most
important tipping points

is the leading edge of
the Thwaites Glacier,

a giant ice formation with
a frightening nickname,

the Doomsday Glacier

- Thwaites is called the
Doomsday Glacier because

if this glacier
completely retreats,

the world's oceans go up
by 60 centimeters at least.

But if this system
really does collapse,

we're more likely gonna
look at a couple of meters

of sea level rise,
and that's scary.

- [Narrator] While
that specific scenario

sounds frightening enough,

what seems to concern
many scientists the most

is three degrees.

Now that might sound
insignificant, but it's not.

It is the three degrees Celsius

average global temperature rise

we're on track to hit
unless we do something fast.

- If you have three degrees more

as compared to
preindustrial level,

we are heading to, that's
where we are heading to

if we don't make more efforts.

Then, we are talking
about seven meters more.

Imagine New York, imagine Miami.

Imagine all the
small islands states

where some of the point is at
1.4 meters above sea level.

That's all gone.

- [Narrator] It's not
just the ice in AntArctica

that we have to worry about.

On the other side of the earth,

the Arctic is also
in a critical state.

Monaco's Prince Albert II
has been sounding the alarm

for years.

Back in 2005, he led an
expedition to document

the rapid loss of Arctic ice.

He returned to the exact
spot where his grandfather

had stood 100 years before.

Using a photo taken on
his grandfather's visit,

the scientists were shocked

by the graphic proof they
saw with their own eyes.

- Exactly. And right
now, it looks like

it's more like 30,
40 meters height.

- Yeah.

- So that is significant there.

- The glacier has
receded, you know,

anywhere from three
to six kilometers.

It's just mind boggling.

And the picture from
a hundred years ago

is extremely clear
and some specialists

even here in Norway had
never seen that picture.

And to be able to use
that, first of all,

makes me very proud.

- [Narrator] Since
then, the loss of ice

has even accelerated.

This NASA graphic shows
the shrinking Arctic ice

over from 1984 to 2018.

The difference is striking.

By 2050, Arctic sea ice
may disappear altogether

during the summer months.

Many animals depend
directly on sea ice.

Polar bears for instance,
hunt seals from the ice

and gain most of their
weight in winter,

but with the ice declining
and breaking up earlier,

bears have less time to hunt.

Because their
habitat is melting,

polar bears and
other Arctic life

are in danger of extinction
in the near future.

The melting of the Arctic ice
also adds to sea level rise.

- The iceberg and
the floating sea ice

is not contributing
directly to the increase

of sea level rise, but
indirectly it is so

because the whiteness
of the Arctic sea ice

is reflecting the sunrise.

When you remove
the Arctic sea ice,

the water is absorbing the heat.

And then through
thermal expansion,

you are back to this
thermal expansion,

so indirectly, it is
still contributing.

- [Narrator] The Arctic
is actually warming

four times as fast as
the rest of the planet.

On the other end of the earth,

Antarctica is also experiencing
accelerating warming.

The higher temperatures at the
poles and in the polar oceans

spell big problems for
the rest of the planet,

and not only because they
are raising sea levels.

- The ocean is probably
the most important element

of the climate system.

In fact, the ocean is basically
the planet's thermostat.

- [Narrator] The ocean can
perform this essential role

because rather than being
a still body of water,

it is a constantly
moving system.

In much the same way
that heat is transferred

around your home
through pipes or ducts,

the ocean moves heat around

using a system of
ocean currents.

It's known as the
ocean conveyor.

In a home heating system,

the circulation is accomplished
by a fan or a pump.

Ocean currents are
driven by two things:

temperature and salinity.

The concept is simple.

Denser water sinks.

The colder the water is
and the saltier it is,

the more dense it becomes.

Denser waters from
the polar oceans sink

and flow southward
toward the equator.

Warm surface waters from the
tropics are drawn northward

and keep the conveyor moving.

The problem is that
now at the poles,

the seawater is warming
and the polar ice

made of freshwater is melting
and mixing into the ocean,

causing it to be less salty.

These two things are reducing
the ability of the conveyor

to drive the ocean currents.

One well-known current
within the ocean conveyor

is called the Gulf Stream.

- The Gulf Stream, it
starts in the Gulf of Mexico

and there's a place where
we've got lots of heat,

and that current is
migrating north eastward

up to England and way higher.

And then the water is going
down because it's getting colder

close to the Greenland
and then sinking.

And that sinking is
enabling that circulation.

- Which actually explains
why this northernmost part

of Europe remains ice free even
in the middle of the winter.

- [Narrator] Now as
the Arctic is warming,

the Earth's temperature
differential becomes less.

- Because the poles
have become warmer

and even moreso
than the tropics.

So you need to
transfer less heat

to balance these two systems.

And of course, this
means that ultimately,

the Gulf Stream in
the North Atlantic

and the other ocean currents
can start slowing down.

- It means that it will be
warmer in the United States

and cooler in Europe,
but way cooler.

- [Narrator] The Gulf Stream
is part of what is called

the Atlantic Meridional
Overturning Circulation, AMOC.

And we now believe it may be
approaching a tipping point.

- I mean, there's this, I
guess by now famous saying

that climate has always
changed for the earth

or on Earth, and that is true.

But the AMOC has been stable
for a very, very long time.

And in that sense, we
humans are adapted to it

but not what just we humans,
like the whole marine ecosystem

of the Atlantic is adapted
to the current being there.

We know if it gets weaker,

this could enhance
the sea level rise

at U.S. East Coast cities
like New York or Boston.

A weaker AMOC is linked
to enhanced storminess

over the North Atlantic,

so this could worsen winter
storms for Northwestern Europe.

There also seem to
be links to the AMOC

and the position
of weather patterns

in the northern hemisphere.

Once we cross this
tipping point,

there is no going back for
a very, very long time.

(instrumental fanfare)

(instrumental fanfare)

- How is the ocean
able to produce

over half of the
oxygen we breathe?

Well, the answer lies in
marine photosynthesis.

From long kelp strands
down to microscopic algae

and even some bacteria
that can photosynthesize,

the ocean is full of life that
creates life giving oxygen.

So with every breath you
take, thank the ocean.

- As I said at the
beginning of this program,

the greatest threat to the ocean

is the lack of awareness
of its vital importance.

The only way we can fight
that is through education.

- People here, they have
a big gap of information.

They don't know much
about climate change.

- The question now is, who
believe in climate change?

Hands up, high, high, high.

Hands up, hands up.

- If you try to explain to
someone here who's, you know,

like, lived in this
environment their whole life

that giant icebergs are melting,

it's not something
they can really picture

because, you know,
it's an iceberg.

There's no icebergs here

and it's hard to imagine
the magnitude of an iceberg

when you're on an
island that's so small.

- [Narrator] First of
all, we must realize

that every one of
us on the planet

will suffer the consequences
of this problem.

- I think what the world
has got to understand

is we would be the
first of the people

who would be
dislocated as a result

of what is happening
on climate change.

But I can guarantee you,
we will not be the last.

- Then we must recognize that
it will take every one of us

to solve it.

Like Mary, Boyan, Ben, Crystal

and so many others
in this program,

we should do what
we can on our own

and let our words,
actions and energy

build the momentum
for change we need

throughout our communities
and governments,

in our own country and
throughout the world.

- We know the solutions.

We have a set of
solutions that are there.

It's not that we are going
to go back in caveman time.

It just takes a transformation
of our industry.

We should, for example,

stop subsidizing
the fishing industry

so that the fleet
will be reduced.

We should, of course, reduce
our consumption of fishes

and get more protein
from vegetables.

We should move into
renewable energies.

Business could take
on those solutions

and make a profitable economy.

But what is needed is this
transition from this old economy

that has invested so
much on fossil fuel

and do not want to change,

into this new era
of renewable energy.

- [Narrator] Education
will be the driving force

that moves the world
to that new economy

and the new paradigm
of protecting the ocean

instead of just taking from it.

And the facts are clear.
We must do it now.

It was the uniquely human
capability for problem solving

that brought us from cave
dwellers to where we are today,

and that is what we
must rely on to solve

the massive environmental
challenges that we now face.

- The solution is
in our hands, right?

We need to change
our habit on land.

We need to change our behavior

because that impacts directly
the state of the ocean.

- I remain optimistic
because of the success

of our efforts and because
of all the wonderful people

and the joy that they get by
being part of this solution.

- [Boyan] Now, we can do this.

We have the technologies
to solve it.

I'm pretty sure that
it's going to happen.

- As human beings, we are
fortunate to have inherited

this amazing planet
with its wondrous ocean.

We must act now
before it is too late

and put all our
energy and creativity

toward preserving it for
ourselves and our future.

Thank you for joining us.

(dramatic instrumental music)