“The World Is Blue” Reflection Essay

Kylee Luckett BIO 106 Dr. Harper 4/10/2012 The World is Blue Sylvia Earle Review and analysis by Kylee Luckett It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities. -Albus Dumbledore They say only a few entrust eveningr speak loud enough to be comprehend over the other seven billion voices on the planet. Today some unrivalled is sh out(p)ing. Screaming off of the pages of The World is Blue is Sylvia Earle, National Geographic Societys Explorer in Residence, and vast contri plainlyor to the effort to preserve the planets oceans.Earles keep back is non an inconvenient truth, fueled by governing and funding, but rather, by Earles heart for the ocean, and its unique residents. Earle explores conflict and resolution, adept chapter and issue at a time. Taking Marine Wildlife The elephant in the room Earle utilizes her chapter on weight to call the world out on the elephant in the room-overfishing. Earle discusses how at genius time in history, people believe d that there was an infinite nub of fish to be caught, that there would never be a day when we would see something as popular as tuna, go extinct.We are sitting on the eve of that day. Earle really brings out the reality of overfishing, almost mocking our early ideas of sustainable yield. .. but those pesky animals didnt obey the rules.. So whats wrong with the impression of sustainable yield? (Earle) Earle makes keen note that you ordurenot possibly create a theory of sustainability, when you know next to nothing about the species you are supposedly forsaking. Earle debunks the idea of a surplus in the ocean of a healthy ecosystem, stating What APPEARS to be an overabundance to human observers is a natural insurance policy (Earle) Earle applies the like idea of questionable yield to ocean mammals. She spends a fair amount of this chapter on the touchy subject that is almost always controversial-whaling. She lends a nod to her give initial ignorance of marine mammals in an honest confession. I had come to regard the cats, dogs, horses, squirrels and rabbits I knew personally as individuals, but I did not conceive of of whales the self aforementioned(prenominal)(prenominal) way. (Earle) She goes on there after, to explain her emotional experience of meeting a whale, and her forever changed perspective.Whaling is just the tip of the iceberg or in this case, melting glacier, for Earle. Earle shifts into the amount of marine mammals killed as by catch, and the epidemic that breeds within the fishing industry. What would the world think if in fact the by catch of their tuna salad was the cheeseparing Flipper? Would they still feel safe about their claimed dolphin safe tuna? I recall my six year old self, carefully checking separately can of tuna my mother p trussed in our shopping cart, seeking out that little smiling dolphin to confirm that my lunch would be indigent of dolphin massacre.So much has changed since those would be conservation efforts. Earle does not forget to mention the smaller, less thought of creatures-the shellfish. Earle opens her chapter with a history lesson centered on oysters, at one time in our history- she notes . they were described as hazards to navigation. (Earle) Today, few would ever say abundant in the same sentence as oysters. Earle pay homage to the grandness of the shellfish in our ocean, discussing everything from clams to my personal favorite-the octopus, whom Earle notes as a critical part of the oceans health.Earle pixilateds her shellfish segment with a sentence that hits close to home. I have decided to cease and desist, hoping that every lobster I dont eat, will increase the chances that somewhere a lobster might live, and do what lobsters do as a part of a healthy ocean. (Earle) With that statement, I immediately connected on a personal level to Earle. As a pricey vegetarian, I too, have hopes that every animal I do not eat, will aid in the future of that species, and ultimately, our planets future. She lends advice however, to these dynamic and interlacing issues- and it is all so simple.Do not take, what you cannot replace, and do not take what you know nothing about. The world is a vampire- sent to drain. Earles second major concept of her book is the relentless greed of the human race. Through pollution, ignorance, and pillaging of all resources, the human race has become that of a vampire species, feeding off of the corrupting lure of power, money, and claim that our planets oceans bring. A particular lipstick wearing, wolf hunting politician made a statement that is becoming hearty with most of America today- Drill baby, drill. For the unknowing, that is Sarah Palin, a woman who agrees with offshore, and in some cases, onshore drilling. The topic of oil is sensitive. Do you drill in former wildlife and marine reserves to avoid wars with your supplying companies? Most of America, even the left minded Barak Obama was nodding to the idea of on and offs hore drilling in the United States backyard. The steady rising price of fuel and oil are making more Americans nod yes, than ever before. Earle is shaking her head no. largely because the action occurs underwater, out of the public view, little attention has focused on what actually happens on the ocean floor where drilling takes place, or what creatures are displaced by the thousands of miles of pipeline laced across the bottom (Earle)Despite my serious vendetta against Sarah Palin, I myself, had not actually considered the impact of pipelines on the ocean floor, I was always more focused on oil spills and the tragedies which take place thereafter. Earle does make serious mention of oil spills, reliving the Exxon Valdez casualty that permanently damaged the Alaskan shoreline.The book even features the schoolbook of Earles testimony before Congress on the recent oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. It is not the spills, the pipelines, or the seeping of the oil that sets a tic for Earle its the use of the oil itself. The subject everyone has heard about, even if they didnt want to. It doesnt take Al Gore to make one think or hear about climate change. The 1950s were a time for poodle skirts, milkshakes, and good old fashion family values, along with cigarettes, seat beltless cars, and DDT. My promontory is it should not stun anyone that emissions are impacting the planet in a negative way.Earle seems to feel the same. Civilization shortly thrives on oil based economies, and is continuing to do so despite herculean efforts to move away from fuels that pollute the planet today and will potentially shorten the number of tomorrows our species will have. (Earle) Sylvia Earle is not an extreme point leftist she is an educated woman who has formulateed beside oil engineer leaders, government officials, and offshore experts. I believe it is these credentials that make her so magnetic, and tune readers thoughts to her direction. Her powerhouse chapter on oil has n Achil les heel, her lack of insight on solution. It is not as though she has an answer and it is not as if she is not willing to share, it is that no one has a surefire way to reroute the flight of emissions. This chapter, though mind-blowingly effective, still has an unfinished climax, much like our planet. Uneducated or Unwilling to learn? Earle is consistently using the same explanation throughout her book as to why individuals are not taking more action. In every chapter, she highlights examples of attitudes and expressions from people associated to the topic.Earles book is one of the tools our society now has to combat the epidemic of the uneducated on the subject of anthropogenic damage to nature. at that place is not a single environmentalist who at one time did not face the reality transition of a need for change. The issue is entirely complex and tedious because alongside the uneducated, are the unwilling. There has been an outward cry on the subject of climate change from Chris tians, denouncing it as political corruption, or that climate change is merely an effect listed in the book of Revelations.Earle does not seem to let the major issue of uneducated and unwilling affect her view on the future. She positively lists the strides being made to better image the ocean. In Earles closing chapters, it is as if she is taking the reader by the hand, and showing how we can all make a difference. I found Earles book to be stirring. I have definitely become something of a cheerleader for Earle after reading this book. As a woman pursuing conservation cognition as a career, I found Earle to be a keen example of what one person can do in their field that can change the thoughts of others worldwide.Earle took her opportunity as an author, and produced an extraordinary document that covers every issue associated with the ocean and humans, but goes a step beyond outlining whats wrong. Earle uniquely includes what is right, and what is currently being done to change t he movement of the future. I have read several books on environmental issues, and none have so effectively utilized the opportunity to educate and motivate individuals like Earle has done in her book. Earle has motivated me to keep fighting the good fight. I often struggle over if my work with polar bears ill ever be worth anything, and Earles book was the push I needed to continue on. Even if I do not know the outcome, at least I can say, I have made the effort in my lifetime to try. Earle sets a standard for each reader, to only when make choices in favor of the planet, and its oceans. We may not all have the ability to write books, give speeches, or work directly alongside the ocean, but we all have choices we can make to better our tomorrow. We are living in a time of great uncertainty, and are all faced with a forked road ahead of us.One leads us to certain extinction, the other to opportunity to at least try to change for the better. The world is blue today, but what will i t look like tomorrow? What will our children see when they look to the sea? The answer lies entirely on our willingness to change. Will we be the generation who turned the course of the planet around? Or will we be the generation who had the opportunity and denied our own species, and so many others a future? Works Cited Earle, Sylvia A. The World is Blue. uppercase DC National Geographic, 2009.