Ted Talk: Wish to Protect Our Oceans / Sylvia Earle - Activities Blog #4

Summary
     This talk by Sylvia Earle is centered around the importance and preservation of the ocean.  Earle discusses her history and experiences with oceans, and through the use of her personal views Earle is able to highlight the importance of the ocean as the main life support system on Earth.  Earle delivers a strong introduction, with alarming facts about the degradation of the oceans ecosystems.  She states that everyone is connected to the ocean, and it shapes the earth, climate, and is the key to the human life cycle.  Earle makes it clear that humans are responsible for the loss of ocean assets, and that the impact is severe.  Another aspect Earle touches on is the benefit of technology, and how new technologies are needed in order to protect the oceans biodiversity, and to increase its resilience.  Through the use of humour and photos, Earle captures the attention of the audience.  She emphasizes the degree of degradation world wide, but remains optimistic by stating that there is still time to change the situation.  She also promotes that hope is derived from the already protected areas of the oceans.  To finish off, Earle states that "the time is now", and that in order to protect future generations, changes must occur immediately.

Impressions
     I found this video to be highly intriguing.  I thoroughly enjoyed listening to Sylvia Earle speak, and found her opinions to be honest and humble.  The series of photos are phenomenal and truly add depth to the video.  Seeing all the different species is fascinating, but it is amazing that this is only a tiny fraction of the life in the ocean.  It is interesting to think of the ocean as our life support system, but it is true we are all connected by the ocean.  The video also presented some shocking statistics, which really put into perspective how much damage the ocean has endured.  I agree with Earle when she says that the time to change is now.  If we start to eliminate the issues we are creating, then there is opportunity for restoration.  It is important for people to be aware of the impacts they are creating, and I believe that this video does a great job of highlighting the implications of our world, and what needs to be done in order to repair the damage done.