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

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

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is like tiny bits of
confetti floating in a soup

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and releasing any
toxic chemicals

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that they might
contain into the water.

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Then these tiny particles
of plastic that will last

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00:11:31,470 --> 00:11:36,475
for hundreds of years disperse
with the winds and currents.

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This deadly sea of
plastic particles,

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from the big pieces
to the tiny ones,

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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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00:11:56,027 --> 00:11:58,130
in eastern Japan
earlier this month.

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They say it's an
example of the spread

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of marine plastic contamination.

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- [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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They belong to an
important group of animals,

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known as zooplankton,
which drift and float

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in the surface of our seas.

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They may be small, a
single copepod could sit

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

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and play a vital role
in our ocean ecosystems.

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

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they have no way to discern

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between the phytoplankton
they evolved to eat

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and the microplastics that
now abound in the water.

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So plastic has become a part
of their diet everywhere,

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even in the most remote
waters of the planet.

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These copepods were
filmed swimming

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among fluorescent microplastics,
the results are striking.

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00:13:01,426 --> 00:13:03,595
Soon, the plastic is
seen within the body

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00:13:03,628 --> 00:13:07,365
of the animals and it
flows up the food chain

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00:13:07,399 --> 00:13:11,536
into all fish and other marine
animals that feed on them.

246
00:13:11,570 --> 00:13:15,407
And from the ocean creatures,
the plastic is transferred

247
00:13:15,440 --> 00:13:19,110
to the land animals that
eat them, including us.

248
00:13:20,412 --> 00:13:22,914
Researchers are finding
that most shellfish

249
00:13:22,948 --> 00:13:24,583
have plastic in them.

250
00:13:24,616 --> 00:13:28,520
- They're all sorts of different
colors, they're very small,

251
00:13:28,553 --> 00:13:33,058
all sorts of different shapes
and sizes, microplastics.

252
00:13:34,426 --> 00:13:36,561
- [Host] So when you
eat oysters and clams.

253
00:13:36,595 --> 00:13:38,263
- [Woman] You're
eating plastic as well.

254
00:13:38,296 --> 00:13:40,765
- [Host] And because it's
present throughout the food web,

255
00:13:40,799 --> 00:13:44,970
you are ingesting plastic
every time you eat any seafood,

256
00:13:45,003 --> 00:13:47,372
from shrimp to swordfish.

257
00:13:47,405 --> 00:13:49,941
So where is all this
microplastic coming from?

258
00:13:49,975 --> 00:13:53,245
Here is what ocean pollution
expert Dr. Peter Ross

259
00:13:53,278 --> 00:13:57,315
says about what he found in
samples he took in the Arctic.

260
00:13:57,349 --> 00:14:01,319
- 92% of the particles that
we encountered were fibers

261
00:14:01,353 --> 00:14:06,358
of different colors and 73%
of those were polyester.

262
00:14:07,659 --> 00:14:09,661
Well, the shocking thing
is that we found polyester

263
00:14:09,694 --> 00:14:12,464
in every single sample
of seawater we collected

264
00:14:12,497 --> 00:14:15,467
between Norway, the North Pole,

265
00:14:15,500 --> 00:14:17,435
the Canadian Arctic archipelago

266
00:14:17,469 --> 00:14:20,105
and throughout the Belfort Sea.

267
00:14:20,138 --> 00:14:22,807
- [Host] And what is the
source of all this polyester?

268
00:14:24,175 --> 00:14:25,677
You are wearing it.

269
00:14:25,710 --> 00:14:28,914
Much of our clothing now
contains plastic fibers.

270
00:14:28,947 --> 00:14:31,583
That means every time
you wash your clothes,

271
00:14:31,616 --> 00:14:34,486
fibers are loosened up and
go into the wash water.

272
00:14:34,519 --> 00:14:36,254
Depending on the
type of garment,

273
00:14:36,288 --> 00:14:40,992
a single wash could release
as much as 10 million fibers,

274
00:14:41,026 --> 00:14:46,031
then down the drain they go
and often end up in the ocean.

275
00:14:46,498 --> 00:14:48,533
Every day, we are learning
more about the risk

276
00:14:48,566 --> 00:14:50,702
that microplastics
in the ocean pose

277
00:14:50,735 --> 00:14:54,372
to the animals that are
eating them, including us.

278
00:14:54,406 --> 00:14:57,442
What is the best way
to reduce this risk?

279
00:14:57,475 --> 00:14:58,510
It's a simple answer.

280
00:14:59,577 --> 00:15:01,813
- Reduce our use of plastic.

281
00:15:01,846 --> 00:15:04,549
(upbeat music)

282
00:15:07,652 --> 00:15:10,388
(upbeat music)

283
00:15:11,890 --> 00:15:14,059
- Is there plastic
everywhere in the ocean?

284
00:15:14,092 --> 00:15:15,427
Unfortunately, yes.

285
00:15:15,460 --> 00:15:18,897
Plastic has been found
even at 36,000 feet deep

286
00:15:18,930 --> 00:15:21,900
in the Marianna Trench, the
deepest part of the ocean.

287
00:15:23,969 --> 00:15:26,905
- We know that plastic poses
an immense threat to the ocean.

288
00:15:26,938 --> 00:15:28,606
So what can we do
to turn the tide

289
00:15:28,640 --> 00:15:31,376
of ocean destruction to
one of ocean's survival?

290
00:15:32,544 --> 00:15:34,813
One of the tools we
have is our creativity

291
00:15:34,846 --> 00:15:37,549
and it will take a lot of
it from a lot of people,

292
00:15:37,582 --> 00:15:38,683
but it has begun.

293
00:15:40,385 --> 00:15:44,990
- [Host] In 2011, Dutch
teenager Boyan Slat

294
00:15:45,023 --> 00:15:48,059
made an alarming discovery
that would've a big impact

295
00:15:48,093 --> 00:15:50,662
on both his life and the ocean.

296
00:15:51,863 --> 00:15:54,532
- When I was 16 years
old, I went scuba diving

297
00:15:54,566 --> 00:15:57,035
on the family holiday and
I was expecting to see

298
00:15:57,068 --> 00:15:58,837
all these beautiful
things like you see

299
00:15:58,870 --> 00:16:00,739
in the nature documentaries.

300
00:16:00,772 --> 00:16:03,541
And then I looked
around me and I just saw

301
00:16:03,575 --> 00:16:05,477
more plastic bags than fish.

302
00:16:05,510 --> 00:16:07,979
I wondered, why can't
we just clean this up?

303
00:16:08,013 --> 00:16:11,082
- [Host] He made ocean
plastic pollution the subject

304
00:16:11,116 --> 00:16:14,519
of his high school project
and came up with the idea

305
00:16:14,552 --> 00:16:17,989
of building a passive
plastic catchment system,

306
00:16:18,023 --> 00:16:22,594
using circulating ocean currents
to capture plastic waste.

307
00:16:22,627 --> 00:16:27,632
In 2013, Slat founded the
Ocean Cleanup, and at 27,

308
00:16:28,800 --> 00:16:31,736
he began seeing his
dream come to fruition.

309
00:16:33,104 --> 00:16:34,539
- Yeah.

310
00:16:34,572 --> 00:16:36,741
Ah, what a great day.

311
00:16:36,775 --> 00:16:38,443
It's not going away by itself,

312
00:16:38,476 --> 00:16:41,246
so we have to go out
there unfortunately

313
00:16:41,279 --> 00:16:45,016
to go and clean it up, if you
were to simply skim the ocean

314
00:16:45,050 --> 00:16:48,219
for plastic, it
would take forever.

315
00:16:48,253 --> 00:16:50,055
It would be really expensive.

316
00:16:50,088 --> 00:16:51,923
So that's why we came
up with this idea

317
00:16:51,956 --> 00:16:55,927
to basically deploy
artificial coastlines

318
00:16:55,960 --> 00:16:58,263
where there are no coastline,
allowing the plastic

319
00:16:58,296 --> 00:17:01,232
to accumulate in
these cleanup systems,

320
00:17:01,266 --> 00:17:03,868
which means that with a boat,
we can then periodically

321
00:17:03,902 --> 00:17:06,938
take the plastic out of the
system and bring it to land.

322
00:17:06,971 --> 00:17:09,240
We had our ups and
downs, we had problems,

323
00:17:09,274 --> 00:17:12,944
we had structural failures,
but eventually we had a system

324
00:17:12,977 --> 00:17:16,047
that was successfully
catching plastic.

325
00:17:16,081 --> 00:17:18,550
Not just the big stuff,
but we were also catching

326
00:17:18,583 --> 00:17:20,418
the small pieces,
the microplastics,

327
00:17:20,452 --> 00:17:22,954
down to a millimeter in in size.

328
00:17:22,987 --> 00:17:26,891
Objective of this first
campaign wasn't to maximize

329
00:17:26,925 --> 00:17:30,495
our harvest, it was really
to prove, to validate

330
00:17:30,528 --> 00:17:33,832
the principles behind
the cleanup system.

331
00:17:33,865 --> 00:17:35,400
Yet we still collected
some plastics.

332
00:17:35,433 --> 00:17:38,970
We've collected roughly
60 cubic meters of trash,

333
00:17:39,003 --> 00:17:40,839
but still a small
amount compared to

334
00:17:40,872 --> 00:17:43,675
the hundred million kilos that
we still have to clean up.

335
00:17:45,210 --> 00:17:47,412
But on the other hand, it
does already constitute

336
00:17:47,445 --> 00:17:51,116
roughly 14,000 football
fields of ocean.

337
00:17:51,149 --> 00:17:56,087
- [Host] And in July,
2021, a new system, 002,

338
00:17:56,121 --> 00:17:58,823
was deployed to the Great
Pacific Garbage Patch

339
00:17:58,857 --> 00:18:02,427
and was soon sending ships
back loaded with plastic.

340
00:18:02,460 --> 00:18:06,798
And today, 002 is still
out there doing its job.

341
00:18:07,999 --> 00:18:10,435
But it's not only Boyan
Slat's organization

342
00:18:10,468 --> 00:18:13,771
that is attacking the Great
Pacific Garbage Patch.

343
00:18:13,805 --> 00:18:18,042
Ocean Voyages Institute
is utilizing a 140-foot

344
00:18:18,076 --> 00:18:20,278
sustainable sailing cargo vessel

345
00:18:20,311 --> 00:18:22,147
to tackle the cleanup as well.

346
00:18:22,180 --> 00:18:25,984
- My name is Mary Crowley
and I'm the founder

347
00:18:26,017 --> 00:18:29,487
of Ocean Voyages Institute
and I'm very excited

348
00:18:29,521 --> 00:18:34,159
to be here today seeing
off the sailing ship Kauai,

349
00:18:34,192 --> 00:18:37,028
who's going on a great mission.

350
00:18:37,061 --> 00:18:39,531
- [Host] Day after day
on the rolling ocean,

351
00:18:39,564 --> 00:18:42,867
the crew worked until
the ship was full.

352
00:18:47,005 --> 00:18:51,075
- This morning,
starting at around 6:30,

353
00:18:51,109 --> 00:18:54,846
the crew started
preparing the 103 tons

354
00:18:58,216 --> 00:19:01,586
of ghost nets,
derelict fishing gear

355
00:19:01,619 --> 00:19:06,624
and consumer plastics that
they just removed in 48 days

356
00:19:07,325 --> 00:19:11,429
from the North Pacific Gyre,
accomplishing the largest

357
00:19:12,263 --> 00:19:14,332
at-sea cleanup that's
ever been done.

358
00:19:16,768 --> 00:19:20,972
They'll be recycled
and repurposed.

359
00:19:21,005 --> 00:19:23,641
Nothing will end up in landfill.

360
00:19:23,675 --> 00:19:27,078
Nothing will ever go
back in the ocean.

361
00:19:27,111 --> 00:19:29,647
- I just can't think of any
better work to be doing.

362
00:19:29,681 --> 00:19:32,350
Feels wonderful, you get
tired at the end of the day

363
00:19:32,383 --> 00:19:34,786
after a good day,
but you really feel

364
00:19:34,819 --> 00:19:37,155
like you've
accomplished something.

365
00:19:37,188 --> 00:19:38,856
- [Host] But Mary
Crowley is not content

366
00:19:38,890 --> 00:19:42,160
with just one ship pulling
plastic out of the ocean.

367
00:19:42,193 --> 00:19:47,198
- We are intending to build
two sailing cargo ships

368
00:19:48,399 --> 00:19:52,337
with a cargo hold
of 200 to 250 tons,

369
00:19:54,239 --> 00:19:58,843
scaling up to address the
level of this problem.

370
00:19:58,876 --> 00:20:02,013
We will also be
scaling up globally

371
00:20:02,046 --> 00:20:04,249
our educational efforts.

372
00:20:05,383 --> 00:20:07,652
- [Host] Starting with only
the ideas of two people,

373
00:20:07,685 --> 00:20:10,722
Boyan Slat and Mary Crowley,

374
00:20:10,755 --> 00:20:13,524
their organizations have
grown to make a difference

375
00:20:13,558 --> 00:20:16,027
in the health of the ocean.

376
00:20:16,060 --> 00:20:18,496
But this is only the
tip of the iceberg.

377
00:20:18,529 --> 00:20:21,399
It will take the
efforts of so many more,

378
00:20:21,432 --> 00:20:22,967
and with this goal in mind,

379
00:20:23,001 --> 00:20:26,671
in Monaco's Ocean Week,
1000 policymakers,

380
00:20:26,704 --> 00:20:29,140
investors and
entrepreneurs came together

381
00:20:29,173 --> 00:20:33,077
for seven days to
share ideas, expertise,

382
00:20:33,111 --> 00:20:35,747
and hatch innovative solutions.

383
00:20:35,780 --> 00:20:39,050
While the world's superpower
countries still try to all get

384
00:20:39,083 --> 00:20:42,053
on the same page to
preserve the ocean,

385
00:20:42,086 --> 00:20:46,424
tiny Monaco has a long
history of leading the way.

386
00:20:46,457 --> 00:20:51,162
Over 100 years ago, the ruler
of Monaco, Prince Albert I,

387
00:20:51,195 --> 00:20:53,364
led groundbreaking,
scientific journeys

388
00:20:53,398 --> 00:20:56,067
with a total of 28 expeditions

389
00:20:56,100 --> 00:20:59,170
to the Atlantic Ocean
and the Mediterranean Sea

390
00:20:59,203 --> 00:21:00,605
to his credit.

391
00:21:00,638 --> 00:21:03,408
Ever since then, Monaco
has been at the forefront

392
00:21:03,441 --> 00:21:05,777
of advocacy for the planet.

393
00:21:05,810 --> 00:21:09,013
The prince's love of nature
was passed onto his son,

394
00:21:09,047 --> 00:21:12,517
Prince Rainier III, and
ultimately to his grandson,

395
00:21:12,550 --> 00:21:16,421
Prince Albert II, now the
sovereign ruler of Monaco.

396
00:21:16,454 --> 00:21:19,457
His Prince Albert II
of Monaco Foundation

397
00:21:19,490 --> 00:21:21,726
is one of the foremost
leaders in efforts

398
00:21:21,759 --> 00:21:24,162
to save the ocean
and the planet.

399
00:21:24,195 --> 00:21:27,498
He has led fact-finding
expeditions around the world

400
00:21:27,532 --> 00:21:30,535
to bring awareness to the
effects of climate change.

401
00:21:30,568 --> 00:21:35,039
And in 2006, he became the
first head of state in office

402
00:21:35,073 --> 00:21:36,207
to reach the North Pole.

403
00:21:37,308 --> 00:21:40,078
- Couldn't stop thinking
of Prince Albert I

404
00:21:42,213 --> 00:21:46,951
and his arctic travels
and he would've loved

405
00:21:47,885 --> 00:21:48,720
to have been here.

406
00:21:54,058 --> 00:21:56,461
(upbeat music)

407
00:22:00,098 --> 00:22:02,600
(upbeat music)

408
00:22:04,969 --> 00:22:08,239
- How much plastic is
going into the ocean?

409
00:22:08,272 --> 00:22:12,610
An estimated two garbage
truck loads a minute.

410
00:22:12,643 --> 00:22:16,481
In total, 11 million
tons more plastic flows

411
00:22:16,514 --> 00:22:18,916
into the ocean every year.

412
00:22:21,419 --> 00:22:23,654
- No matter how good we become
a cleaning up the ocean,

413
00:22:23,688 --> 00:22:25,723
it is like trying
to empty a bathtub

414
00:22:25,757 --> 00:22:27,658
without stopping the
flow of the water.

415
00:22:28,493 --> 00:22:30,328
So how does all the plastic get

416
00:22:30,361 --> 00:22:32,230
into the ocean in
the first place?

417
00:22:32,263 --> 00:22:34,499
And how do we stop the flow?

418
00:22:34,532 --> 00:22:37,101
- [Host] The answer is rivers.

419
00:22:37,135 --> 00:22:40,271
They are the primary source
of plastic in the ocean.

420
00:22:40,304 --> 00:22:42,974
And some rivers in less
developed countries

421
00:22:43,007 --> 00:22:45,009
are especially impactful.

422
00:22:46,177 --> 00:22:47,445
- In a lot of these
underdeveloped countries

423
00:22:47,478 --> 00:22:49,113
what happens is, is
there's a formula, right?

424
00:22:49,147 --> 00:22:51,149
There's a large amount
of single-use plastic.

425
00:22:51,182 --> 00:22:53,084
There's not a recycling
infrastructure

426
00:22:53,117 --> 00:22:55,353
and they don't have a very
good sanitation system.

427
00:22:55,386 --> 00:22:57,255
So what happens is,
a lot of the locals

428
00:22:57,288 --> 00:22:59,056
will throw their
plastic into the alleys,

429
00:22:59,090 --> 00:23:00,158
into the drains and everything,

430
00:23:00,191 --> 00:23:02,627
and in these mountainous
areas, whenever it rains,

431
00:23:02,660 --> 00:23:04,495
all that plastic
gets swept offshore.

432
00:23:04,529 --> 00:23:06,964
So over 85% of the
plastic that's entering

433
00:23:06,998 --> 00:23:10,468
the ocean today actually
comes from land-based sources.

434
00:23:10,501 --> 00:23:12,003
- [Host] But where
there's a problem,

435
00:23:12,036 --> 00:23:15,206
there's Boyan Slat again
with a new solution,

436
00:23:15,239 --> 00:23:18,176
to turn off the
faucet of plastic.

437
00:23:18,209 --> 00:23:21,479
- What if we could
intercept plastic

438
00:23:21,512 --> 00:23:25,116
in rivers before it
reaches the oceans?

439
00:23:26,050 --> 00:23:28,586
What we need is a product,

440
00:23:28,619 --> 00:23:31,522
one integrated system that
you can bring anywhere

441
00:23:31,556 --> 00:23:35,593
in the world, install within
days and that just works.

442
00:23:35,626 --> 00:23:40,565
And it doesn't
exist until today.

443
00:23:45,036 --> 00:23:48,172
- [Host] The Interceptor is
the world's first solar-powered

444
00:23:48,206 --> 00:23:52,944
floating robot, a 50 ton
monster that collects trash

445
00:23:54,212 --> 00:23:56,214
but leaves the fish alone.

446
00:23:56,247 --> 00:23:59,116
As garbage floats down the
river, it runs into a barrier

447
00:23:59,150 --> 00:24:01,452
on the surface of the
water, which funnels it

448
00:24:01,486 --> 00:24:03,888
into the mouth of
the Interceptor.

449
00:24:03,921 --> 00:24:06,023
Then it travels up
a conveyor belt,

450
00:24:06,057 --> 00:24:08,926
which drops it into
floating dumpsters.

451
00:24:08,960 --> 00:24:11,929
When they're full, the
Interceptor stays anchored

452
00:24:11,963 --> 00:24:14,966
in place while the dumpsters
are towed to the shore.

453
00:24:16,234 --> 00:24:19,136
There, whatever can be
recycled is processed

454
00:24:19,170 --> 00:24:22,039
and the rest goes
to the landfill.

455
00:24:22,073 --> 00:24:24,041
Okay, that's how it operates.

456
00:24:24,075 --> 00:24:26,077
But does it really work?

457
00:24:26,110 --> 00:24:28,479
Well, the numbers
speak for themselves.

458
00:24:28,513 --> 00:24:32,083
Since the unveiling of the
first one in October, 2019,

459
00:24:32,116 --> 00:24:35,319
eight more Interceptors have
been deployed in Indonesia,

460
00:24:35,353 --> 00:24:39,090
Vietnam, the Dominican
Republic, two in Malaysia,

461
00:24:39,123 --> 00:24:42,793
and three in Jamaica,
seven more are in the works

462
00:24:42,827 --> 00:24:45,329
for other areas,
including one planned soon

463
00:24:45,363 --> 00:24:48,566
for Ballona Creek in
Los Angeles, California.

464
00:24:48,599 --> 00:24:51,135
Up until now, the ocean
Interceptors combined

465
00:24:51,168 --> 00:24:53,104
with the cleanup out in
the ocean have removed

466
00:24:53,137 --> 00:24:56,007
over a million pounds of trash.

467
00:24:57,275 --> 00:25:00,278
According to UN estimates,
there are between 160

468
00:25:00,311 --> 00:25:04,582
and 440 billion pounds
of plastic left to go,

469
00:25:04,615 --> 00:25:06,684
but at least we are
seeing a beginning

470
00:25:06,717 --> 00:25:08,319
to the cleanup of the ocean.

471
00:25:08,352 --> 00:25:11,923
To finish the job, we will
all have to do our part.

472
00:25:11,956 --> 00:25:15,192
In the Bahamas, Kristal
Ambrose took it upon herself

473
00:25:15,226 --> 00:25:17,161
to do exactly that.

474
00:25:17,194 --> 00:25:18,796
- [Ambrose] We're so happy
to have you here today.

475
00:25:18,829 --> 00:25:20,464
You happy to be here? Scream.

476
00:25:20,498 --> 00:25:22,133
- [Crowd] Woo.

477
00:25:22,166 --> 00:25:25,102
- [Ambrose] Our Plastic
Camp has been so impactful.

478
00:25:25,136 --> 00:25:28,873
We've been doing the program
for over six years now.

479
00:25:28,906 --> 00:25:31,142
We've reached more
than 500 students

480
00:25:31,175 --> 00:25:33,277
on eight different
Bahamian Islands.

481
00:25:33,311 --> 00:25:35,846
- You'll be the solution
to plastic pollution.

482
00:25:35,880 --> 00:25:38,583
(crowd cheering)

483
00:25:40,685 --> 00:25:42,954
- So we built that stewardship
through our beach cleanups,

484
00:25:42,987 --> 00:25:45,289
through all of our
environmental work.

485
00:25:45,323 --> 00:25:48,025
And with the help of a
lawyer, we wrote a bill

486
00:25:48,059 --> 00:25:51,162
of what a single-use plastic ban

487
00:25:51,195 --> 00:25:53,064
would look like for the Bahamas.

488
00:25:53,097 --> 00:25:55,700
So we literally went in
there beating on the desk,

489
00:25:55,733 --> 00:25:58,035
"We are the change,
we're the solution.

490
00:25:58,069 --> 00:26:00,571
We can fix this
plastic pollution."

491
00:26:00,605 --> 00:26:03,140
And then we proceeded to tell
the Minister of Environment

492
00:26:03,174 --> 00:26:07,178
why we needed to act now
and ban single-use plastics.

493
00:26:07,211 --> 00:26:09,513
- In assembling her data
and doing her research,

494
00:26:09,547 --> 00:26:11,849
Kristal was able to
demonstrate that this problem

495
00:26:11,882 --> 00:26:13,684
isn't just out there,
it's actually right

496
00:26:13,718 --> 00:26:17,021
on our front doors,
and we need to act now.

497
00:26:17,054 --> 00:26:18,756
- [Host] Soon, the
bill that had begun

498
00:26:18,789 --> 00:26:21,559
as a school project
became a reality.

499
00:26:23,060 --> 00:26:24,428
- [Ambrose] This is my
planet, this is my ocean.

500
00:26:24,462 --> 00:26:28,366
I deserve to fight
and my voice matters.

501
00:26:30,234 --> 00:26:32,236
- Let's talk about
your toothbrush.

502
00:26:32,269 --> 00:26:35,039
You can find a lot of
these in the ocean.

503
00:26:35,072 --> 00:26:37,942
So, why not use a
bamboo toothbrush?

504
00:26:37,975 --> 00:26:41,078
Bamboo is biodegradable
and highly sustainable.

505
00:26:41,112 --> 00:26:43,214
In fact, it's one of the
fastest-growing plants

506
00:26:43,247 --> 00:26:44,915
in the world.
- Did you know

507
00:26:44,949 --> 00:26:47,284
that in the US we throw away one

508
00:26:47,318 --> 00:26:51,322
and a half billion plastic
toothpaste tubes every year?

509
00:26:51,355 --> 00:26:54,325
They're another huge
source of ocean pollution.

510
00:26:54,358 --> 00:26:57,595
But now, you can use
toothpaste tablets instead.

511
00:26:57,628 --> 00:26:59,830
You just pop one in
your mouth, chew it up

512
00:26:59,864 --> 00:27:01,399
and it becomes effervescent,

513
00:27:01,432 --> 00:27:03,601
then just brush
like you always do.

514
00:27:04,602 --> 00:27:07,104
(upbeat music)

515
00:27:10,207 --> 00:27:12,943
(upbeat music)

516
00:27:14,979 --> 00:27:17,481
- How many countries have
outlawed single-use plastics?

517
00:27:17,515 --> 00:27:20,951
Unfortunately, only a few
nations have an all-out ban

518
00:27:20,985 --> 00:27:23,154
and sadly, the United
States is not one of them.

519
00:27:23,187 --> 00:27:24,822
But recently, India announced

520
00:27:24,855 --> 00:27:26,957
they will ban
single-use plastics,

521
00:27:26,991 --> 00:27:28,325
a huge polluter in the ocean.

522
00:27:31,028 --> 00:27:32,296
- Cleaning up the
existing plastic

523
00:27:32,329 --> 00:27:33,864
from the ocean and
the rivers that flow

524
00:27:33,898 --> 00:27:37,168
into it is a huge step
in the right direction.

525
00:27:37,201 --> 00:27:39,870
But once it's all collected,
what do we do with it?

526
00:27:40,905 --> 00:27:43,107
Back in the fifties, the
long-lasting quality of plastic

527
00:27:43,140 --> 00:27:45,476
was it's biggest selling point.

528
00:27:45,509 --> 00:27:47,678
Now we know it is
actually a curse.

529
00:27:47,712 --> 00:27:51,482
How long does it take for
plastic items to decompose?

530
00:27:51,515 --> 00:27:53,818
You may be shocked
by the numbers.

531
00:27:53,851 --> 00:27:56,821
- [Host] Plastic
straws? 200 years.

532
00:27:56,854 --> 00:28:01,025
Six pack plastic rings? 400
years.

533
00:28:01,058 --> 00:28:03,994
Plastic
bottles, 450 years.

534
00:28:04,028 --> 00:28:06,831
Plastic cups, 450 years.

535
00:28:06,864 --> 00:28:09,900
Coffee pods, 500 years.

536
00:28:09,934 --> 00:28:12,970
Plastic toothbrushes, 500 years.

537
00:28:13,003 --> 00:28:15,906
Disposable diapers, 500 years.

538
00:28:16,774 --> 00:28:20,144
Fishing line, 600 years.

539
00:28:20,177 --> 00:28:22,713
Of course, reducing
our use of plastic

540
00:28:22,747 --> 00:28:25,249
and finding alternatives
is essential.

541
00:28:25,282 --> 00:28:27,885
But for all the plastic
that currently exists,

542
00:28:27,918 --> 00:28:30,721
we need something that
can decompose it rapidly.

543
00:28:31,922 --> 00:28:34,692
Maybe this scientist
found the answer.

544
00:28:34,725 --> 00:28:38,162
Her name is Federica
Bertocchini.

545
00:28:38,195 --> 00:28:40,598
- I noticed, basically cleaning
one of my beehives,

546
00:28:40,631 --> 00:28:41,832
that there was these worms.

547
00:28:41,866 --> 00:28:44,034
So basically I cleaned them,
I put them into a plastic bags,

548
00:28:44,068 --> 00:28:49,039
and usually what I used to
find was dead invertebrates.

549
00:28:49,974 --> 00:28:51,075
- [Dean] But these worms

550
00:28:51,108 --> 00:28:53,377
managed to eat their way
out of the plastic bag.

551
00:28:53,410 --> 00:28:57,214
- So, I said, "This is
something interesting."

552
00:28:57,248 --> 00:28:58,949
- [Dean] They're
called meal worms

553
00:28:58,983 --> 00:29:01,852
and you can actually
buy them online

554
00:29:01,886 --> 00:29:04,755
and watch them
become cute beetles

555
00:29:04,789 --> 00:29:07,892
by feeding them styrofoam.

556
00:29:07,925 --> 00:29:09,894
Now it's not the
meal worms themselves

557
00:29:09,927 --> 00:29:12,229
that are actually breaking
down the styrofoam.

558
00:29:12,263 --> 00:29:14,899
It's the enzymes
produced by bacteria

559
00:29:14,932 --> 00:29:18,569
the worms have inside them
that make the magic happen.

560
00:29:19,770 --> 00:29:21,405
- The secreted enzymes
are really interesting.

561
00:29:21,438 --> 00:29:22,973
Those are the tools

562
00:29:23,007 --> 00:29:24,875
that actually break the wall
down into little pieces.

563
00:29:24,909 --> 00:29:26,377
- [Dean] So scientists
are now spending

564
00:29:26,410 --> 00:29:30,447
a lot of time searching in
places like garbage dumps.

565
00:29:30,481 --> 00:29:33,584
Their goal is to find
new bugs and bacteria

566
00:29:33,617 --> 00:29:36,654
that can digest plastic,
isolate their enzymes,

567
00:29:36,687 --> 00:29:41,258
and then enhance and mass
produce them in bioreactors.

568
00:29:41,292 --> 00:29:44,328
Finding a way to deal with
our enormous plastic waste

569
00:29:44,361 --> 00:29:47,264
would be a huge step
in the right direction.

570
00:29:47,298 --> 00:29:50,000
But to really improve
the planet's health,

571
00:29:50,034 --> 00:29:53,671
we need to attack the ultimate
source of the problem.

572
00:29:53,704 --> 00:29:55,606
And that is the
world's

573
00:29:55,639 --> 00:29:58,442
insatiable consumption
of plastic.

574
00:29:58,475 --> 00:30:01,612
We need safe and
sustainable alternatives.

575
00:30:01,645 --> 00:30:02,913
It seems only fitting

576
00:30:02,947 --> 00:30:05,850
that one solution to plastic
pollution in the ocean

577
00:30:05,883 --> 00:30:09,019
might come from
the ocean itself.

578
00:30:09,053 --> 00:30:10,788
- We're developing new solutions

579
00:30:10,821 --> 00:30:13,023
that try to use seaweed
instead of plastic

580
00:30:13,057 --> 00:30:15,993
for a lot of
single-use applications

581
00:30:16,026 --> 00:30:17,661
- [Dean] They're
focusing on packaging

582
00:30:17,695 --> 00:30:19,797
for foods and other
everyday products,

583
00:30:19,830 --> 00:30:21,932
lots of things that
we consume quickly

584
00:30:21,966 --> 00:30:23,667
and throw the containers away.

585
00:30:23,701 --> 00:30:24,969
Their first creation

586
00:30:25,002 --> 00:30:27,805
was a space-aged,
edible bubble packet

587
00:30:27,838 --> 00:30:29,540
that can hold any liquid,

588
00:30:29,573 --> 00:30:32,476
like water, juice,
or sports drinks.

589
00:30:32,509 --> 00:30:34,211
For one thing, it's
a great way to avoid

590
00:30:34,245 --> 00:30:36,981
all those little cups left
over after a marathon.

591
00:30:37,014 --> 00:30:39,450
To tackle on even
bigger plastic problem,

592
00:30:39,483 --> 00:30:42,052
they developed an edible
packet for condiments

593
00:30:42,086 --> 00:30:45,890
so you can eat the container
right along with the ketchup.

594
00:30:45,923 --> 00:30:49,360
And they've continued to create
other packaging solutions.

595
00:30:49,393 --> 00:30:50,995
The company realized
that seaweed

596
00:30:51,028 --> 00:30:53,964
has great potential as
a sustainable resource.

597
00:30:53,998 --> 00:30:56,867
It's one of the fastest growing
organisms on the planet.

598
00:30:56,901 --> 00:31:00,971
Some seaweeds can grow
up to to a meter per day.

599
00:31:01,005 --> 00:31:03,908
These ocean plants also
have other advantages

600
00:31:03,941 --> 00:31:06,343
when compared to those
that grow on land.

601
00:31:06,377 --> 00:31:09,013
Seaweed doesn't
require fresh water.

602
00:31:09,046 --> 00:31:11,048
It needs no fertilizer.

603
00:31:11,081 --> 00:31:13,984
In fact, it's really
zero maintenance.

604
00:31:14,018 --> 00:31:15,953
You just let it grow.

605
00:31:17,187 --> 00:31:19,423
While one company is having
success with seaweed,

606
00:31:19,456 --> 00:31:22,593
another is looking to
create plastic alternatives

607
00:31:22,626 --> 00:31:24,395
from a different source.

608
00:31:24,428 --> 00:31:27,031
Mushrooms, or
more specifically

609
00:31:27,064 --> 00:31:31,101
their living root
structures, mycelium.

610
00:31:31,135 --> 00:31:33,737
The power of mushrooms
is nothing new.

611
00:31:33,771 --> 00:31:36,006
For thousands of years,
humans have known

612
00:31:36,040 --> 00:31:39,009
how to cultivate them
for food and medicines.

613
00:31:39,043 --> 00:31:42,112
This US company is harnessing
that age-old knowledge

614
00:31:42,146 --> 00:31:44,949
and applying 21st
century technology to it

615
00:31:44,982 --> 00:31:49,586
to give simple mushrooms
a new, Earth-saving role.

616
00:31:49,620 --> 00:31:51,922
This is how it all begins.

617
00:31:51,956 --> 00:31:55,292
They start with wood
chips, corn husks, or hemp

618
00:31:55,326 --> 00:31:58,028
that would otherwise be
thrown out by local farms.

619
00:31:58,062 --> 00:32:00,464
Then sprinkle in
some fungal spores,

620
00:32:00,497 --> 00:32:04,201
add water, and place them
in special growing chambers.

621
00:32:04,234 --> 00:32:05,970
It only takes a few weeks.

622
00:32:06,003 --> 00:32:08,305
After feeding on the
agricultural waste,

623
00:32:08,339 --> 00:32:11,442
the spores have transformed
into the base material

624
00:32:11,475 --> 00:32:14,211
for a wide array of products.

625
00:32:14,244 --> 00:32:15,612
Soon it will be used to make

626
00:32:15,646 --> 00:32:17,982
the company's
plastic-free foams,

627
00:32:18,015 --> 00:32:19,817
leather-like
textiles for fashion

628
00:32:19,850 --> 00:32:24,088
and other applications,
and even plant-based meats.

629
00:32:24,121 --> 00:32:26,724
Plus, in keeping with a
philosophy to work together

630
00:32:26,757 --> 00:32:28,292
for the good of the planet,

631
00:32:28,325 --> 00:32:31,128
their technology is open access,

632
00:32:31,161 --> 00:32:33,664
helping partner businesses
around the world

633
00:32:33,697 --> 00:32:36,767
make Earth-friendly
alternatives.

634
00:32:36,800 --> 00:32:39,603
- Here's another way to cut
down on plastic pollution,

635
00:32:39,636 --> 00:32:43,007
and it's one you might not
think of, dental floss.

636
00:32:43,040 --> 00:32:46,176
It's made of plastic and
often ends up in the ocean.

637
00:32:46,210 --> 00:32:48,579
And don't forget the plastic
container that it comes in

638
00:32:48,612 --> 00:32:51,582
that takes 500
years to decompose.

639
00:32:51,615 --> 00:32:54,585
But, you can switch to a
biodegradable dental floss.

640
00:32:54,618 --> 00:32:57,154
There are options
made from silk, corn,

641
00:32:57,187 --> 00:33:00,424
and bamboo fibers
available. And each comes in

642
00:33:00,457 --> 00:33:02,593
a biodegradable or
reusable container.

643
00:33:02,626 --> 00:33:04,094
When it comes to shampoo,

644
00:33:04,128 --> 00:33:06,930
the biggest problem is
the plastic container.

645
00:33:06,964 --> 00:33:09,666
So instead, try a shampoo bar.

646
00:33:09,700 --> 00:33:12,269
They come with or without
conditioner built in.

647
00:33:12,302 --> 00:33:15,172
You just lather them
up and scrub away.

648
00:33:15,205 --> 00:33:17,908
(exciting music)

649
00:33:20,344 --> 00:33:23,047
(exciting music)

650
00:33:25,149 --> 00:33:28,185
- Which countries burn
the most fossil fuels?

651
00:33:29,186 --> 00:33:30,687
China tops the list,

652
00:33:30,721 --> 00:33:32,990
burning almost twice
as much fossil fuel

653
00:33:33,023 --> 00:33:34,258
as the United States,

654
00:33:34,291 --> 00:33:37,861
with India, Russia,
and Japan close behind.

655
00:33:37,895 --> 00:33:40,764
But when it comes to the
amount burned per person,

656
00:33:40,798 --> 00:33:44,068
the United States uses
twice as much as China.

657
00:33:46,470 --> 00:33:48,472
- The Industrial Revolution
is considered to be

658
00:33:48,505 --> 00:33:51,141
one of the most significant
events in human history

659
00:33:51,175 --> 00:33:54,478
because of the sweeping changes
it made in people's lives.

660
00:33:54,511 --> 00:33:56,814
Only now, some 200 years later,

661
00:33:56,847 --> 00:33:58,649
are we beginning to
fully acknowledge

662
00:33:58,682 --> 00:34:01,685
the profound impact it
has had on our planet.

663
00:34:01,718 --> 00:34:03,220
(ethereal music)

664
00:34:03,253 --> 00:34:06,090
(water gurgles)

665
00:34:07,724 --> 00:34:09,793
- [Dean] It was the
burning of fossil fuels

666
00:34:09,827 --> 00:34:11,895
that provided us
the power to drive

667
00:34:11,929 --> 00:34:13,397
the Industrial Revolution.

668
00:34:13,430 --> 00:34:14,731
But at the same time,

669
00:34:14,765 --> 00:34:17,835
it caused us to release large
amounts of carbon dioxide

670
00:34:17,868 --> 00:34:19,369
into the atmosphere.

671
00:34:19,403 --> 00:34:21,338
This caused a greenhouse effect,

672
00:34:21,371 --> 00:34:23,273
a condition where
heat is trapped

673
00:34:23,307 --> 00:34:24,908
in the Earth's atmosphere.

674
00:34:24,942 --> 00:34:27,878
Plus, there are other
greenhouse gases like methane,

675
00:34:27,911 --> 00:34:29,847
which have increased
in recent years

676
00:34:29,880 --> 00:34:32,282
due to things like
livestock production,

677
00:34:32,316 --> 00:34:34,751
especially on crowded
factory farms,

678
00:34:34,785 --> 00:34:37,354
other types of agriculture,
sewage treatment,

679
00:34:37,387 --> 00:34:39,823
and natural gas and
oil distribution.

680
00:34:40,991 --> 00:34:42,759
What does this
mean for the Earth?

681
00:34:42,793 --> 00:34:44,428
The planet is trapping

682
00:34:44,461 --> 00:34:46,897
roughly double the amount
of heat in the atmosphere

683
00:34:46,930 --> 00:34:49,433
than it did 15 years ago.

684
00:34:49,466 --> 00:34:51,735
So the Earth is warming.

685
00:34:51,768 --> 00:34:53,904
Now to survive,
plants and animals

686
00:34:53,937 --> 00:34:55,572
that evolved for
millions of years

687
00:34:55,606 --> 00:34:57,941
to live at pre-industrial
temperatures

688
00:34:57,975 --> 00:35:01,712
are forced to adapt
to a warmer Earth.

689
00:35:01,745 --> 00:35:05,249
For many species, that
may be impossible.

690
00:35:05,282 --> 00:35:08,785
Corals evolved 500
million years ago.

691
00:35:08,819 --> 00:35:11,788
They are vitally important
to both the ocean

692
00:35:11,822 --> 00:35:13,924
and the world's
human population.

693
00:35:13,957 --> 00:35:15,425
But corals around the world

694
00:35:15,459 --> 00:35:16,760
are under threat,

695
00:35:16,793 --> 00:35:19,096
and that's true in
Kiribati as well.

696
00:35:19,129 --> 00:35:22,566
- For me, the biggest
scare is coral bleaching

697
00:35:22,599 --> 00:35:24,735
'cause our islands,
our entire subsistence,

698
00:35:24,768 --> 00:35:26,403
is off of our coral reef.

699
00:35:26,436 --> 00:35:27,838
It's where we get
all of our food.

700
00:35:27,871 --> 00:35:30,908
That's what keeps the
islands' ecosystems running.

701
00:35:30,941 --> 00:35:32,743
It's the coral.

702
00:35:32,776 --> 00:35:34,811
And coral's really fragile.

703
00:35:34,845 --> 00:35:37,014
And that's absolutely
terrifying to me.

704
00:35:37,047 --> 00:35:39,316
If we lost our coral
reef, that'll kill us.

705
00:35:39,349 --> 00:35:43,020
- [Dean] Coral is a
colonial marine animal.

706
00:35:43,053 --> 00:35:46,490
The individuals are dependent
on one another for survival.

707
00:35:46,523 --> 00:35:48,125
What we see as a coral structure

708
00:35:48,158 --> 00:35:50,527
is actually hundreds
to thousands

709
00:35:50,561 --> 00:35:54,498
of tiny individual organisms
called coral polyps

710
00:35:54,531 --> 00:35:56,366
living together in a colony.

711
00:35:56,400 --> 00:35:58,268
Each soft-bodied polyp

712
00:35:58,302 --> 00:36:01,538
secretes a hard outer
skeleton of calcium carbonate

713
00:36:01,572 --> 00:36:03,340
that attaches either to a rock

714
00:36:03,373 --> 00:36:06,877
or the dead skeletons
of other polyps.

715
00:36:06,910 --> 00:36:09,446
But the polyps live not
only with each other,

716
00:36:09,479 --> 00:36:13,817
but also with algae that lives
inside the coral's tissues.

717
00:36:13,850 --> 00:36:16,687
Like other plants,
algae use photosynthesis

718
00:36:16,720 --> 00:36:18,956
to produce nutrients
and pass many

719
00:36:18,989 --> 00:36:20,891
directly to the coral's cells.

720
00:36:20,924 --> 00:36:24,895
In return, the coral provides
a safe home for the algae.

721
00:36:24,928 --> 00:36:27,664
So a coral formation is
one of the natural world's

722
00:36:27,698 --> 00:36:30,968
perfect symbiotic relationships.

723
00:36:31,001 --> 00:36:33,704
But nature takes it
even one step further.

724
00:36:33,737 --> 00:36:37,140
By itself, the coral
skeleton is ghostly white.

725
00:36:37,174 --> 00:36:39,009
But the chlorophyll in the algae

726
00:36:39,042 --> 00:36:41,011
gives them a green-brown color.

727
00:36:41,044 --> 00:36:42,479
And on top of that,

728
00:36:42,512 --> 00:36:45,082
the algae produce a
variety of pigments

729
00:36:45,115 --> 00:36:49,219
which finally give the coral
formations their stunning hues.

730
00:36:49,253 --> 00:36:51,021
But when the algae
becomes stressed,

731
00:36:51,054 --> 00:36:54,658
they stop providing enough
nutrients to support the coral.

732
00:36:54,691 --> 00:36:57,728
And soon the starving
coral expel the algae

733
00:36:57,761 --> 00:37:00,597
and turn back into
their ghostly white,

734
00:37:00,631 --> 00:37:03,267
a condition called bleaching.

735
00:37:03,300 --> 00:37:05,602
If the situation
continues long enough,

736
00:37:05,636 --> 00:37:08,238
the coral weaken and die.

737
00:37:09,139 --> 00:37:10,440
What can stress the algae

738
00:37:10,474 --> 00:37:13,010
to begin this chain
of destruction?

739
00:37:13,043 --> 00:37:17,047
One thing is water
temperatures that are too warm.

740
00:37:17,080 --> 00:37:19,049
And as climate change
causes global temperatures

741
00:37:19,082 --> 00:37:20,584
to rise around the world,

742
00:37:20,617 --> 00:37:24,087
we are seeing coral bleaching
in the ocean everywhere,

743
00:37:24,121 --> 00:37:26,590
including the largest
system of coral structures

744
00:37:26,623 --> 00:37:27,457
in the world,

745
00:37:28,558 --> 00:37:30,994
Australia's Great Barrier Reef.

746
00:37:33,330 --> 00:37:38,035
This scientist is widely known
as the godfather of coral,

747
00:37:38,068 --> 00:37:40,971
and he has identified
more than 20%

748
00:37:41,004 --> 00:37:43,273
of all the world's
coral species.

749
00:37:44,741 --> 00:37:47,411
Back in the 1990s, he
started getting very worried

750
00:37:47,444 --> 00:37:50,647
as he began seeing
changes in the climate.

751
00:37:50,681 --> 00:37:52,816
And back then, 30 years ago,

752
00:37:52,849 --> 00:37:56,086
he made some pretty
scary predictions.

753
00:37:56,119 --> 00:37:59,056
- I predicted that by 2015,

754
00:37:59,089 --> 00:38:01,758
the carbon monoxide
levels would be so high

755
00:38:01,792 --> 00:38:04,961
that it would cause bleaching
practically every year.

756
00:38:06,530 --> 00:38:09,800
It's all happened and
the consequences of that

757
00:38:09,833 --> 00:38:13,036
have turned out to be much
worse than those predictions.

758
00:38:14,304 --> 00:38:16,606
It's exactly like me

759
00:38:16,640 --> 00:38:19,843
seeing my family slowly
dying or something.

760
00:38:21,311 --> 00:38:23,046
It's very grave-like.

761
00:38:24,348 --> 00:38:28,318
- Corals are really the
linchpin of the ecosystem.

762
00:38:31,021 --> 00:38:33,323
When you go out there and
you say, in the ocean,

763
00:38:33,357 --> 00:38:36,159
how many species of fish live
in and around coral reefs?

764
00:38:36,193 --> 00:38:38,128
The answer is about a quarter.

765
00:38:38,161 --> 00:38:39,796
- [Dean] Yes
although coral reefs

766
00:38:39,830 --> 00:38:42,299
cover less than 1%
of the ocean floor,

767
00:38:42,332 --> 00:38:47,104
they provide a home for
25% of the ocean's species

768
00:38:47,137 --> 00:38:48,572
that we know of today.

769
00:38:48,605 --> 00:38:51,742
And in more human
terms, 60% of the fish

770
00:38:51,775 --> 00:38:53,744
the world depends on for food

771
00:38:53,777 --> 00:38:56,480
depend on healthy
coral for survival.

772
00:38:56,513 --> 00:38:59,950
But the value of coral to
human beings goes even further.

773
00:38:59,983 --> 00:39:03,019
As one of the most biodiverse
ecosystems on Earth,

774
00:39:03,053 --> 00:39:05,756
there may be millions
of undiscovered species

775
00:39:05,789 --> 00:39:07,758
of organisms living there.

776
00:39:07,791 --> 00:39:10,127
Many scientists believe
that these reefs

777
00:39:10,160 --> 00:39:14,664
hold the key to finding new
medicines for the 21st century.

778
00:39:14,698 --> 00:39:17,134
Medical researchers are
now developing new drugs

779
00:39:17,167 --> 00:39:19,202
from coral reef
animals and plants

780
00:39:19,236 --> 00:39:23,039
as possible cures for
arthritis, viruses,

781
00:39:23,073 --> 00:39:25,075
cancer, and other diseases.

782
00:39:26,343 --> 00:39:28,545
(waves crash)

783
00:39:28,578 --> 00:39:30,147
- The other thing
that is very important

784
00:39:30,180 --> 00:39:33,316
is coral is protecting
us from the waves.

785
00:39:33,350 --> 00:39:36,119
- [Dean] Coral reefs help
prevent the loss of life,

786
00:39:36,153 --> 00:39:38,021
property damage, and erosion

787
00:39:38,054 --> 00:39:40,957
as they buffer
shorelines against 97%

788
00:39:40,991 --> 00:39:44,361
of the energy from waves,
storms, and floods.

789
00:39:44,394 --> 00:39:46,396
- If the coral is
dying, then we won't

790
00:39:46,430 --> 00:39:49,599
have this protection
against a storm surge,

791
00:39:49,633 --> 00:39:51,535
especially in the area
where we've got cyclones

792
00:39:51,568 --> 00:39:54,938
and huge storm surge is
coming up from cyclones,

793
00:39:54,971 --> 00:39:57,407
so the coral reef can
protect against this.

794
00:39:57,441 --> 00:39:59,643
- [Dean] If this natural
barrier was gone,

795
00:39:59,676 --> 00:40:00,911
millions of people

796
00:40:00,944 --> 00:40:04,147
who live on the ocean's
shores would suffer.

797
00:40:04,181 --> 00:40:05,615
And from an economic standpoint,

798
00:40:05,649 --> 00:40:08,585
besides all the industries
surrounding fishing,

799
00:40:08,618 --> 00:40:12,122
corals have great importance
for another human activity

800
00:40:12,155 --> 00:40:14,958
that is extremely valuable
to many countries.

801
00:40:14,991 --> 00:40:17,761
- Tourism, five to
6 billion dollars

802
00:40:17,794 --> 00:40:20,564
worth of tourist revenue
coming into our country

803
00:40:20,597 --> 00:40:23,300
because we have this
pristine, beautiful structure.

804
00:40:24,534 --> 00:40:27,604
- If you see something
you really love dying,

805
00:40:27,637 --> 00:40:29,739
of course it has a huge impact.

806
00:40:29,773 --> 00:40:34,778
It's very hard to continue
when so many people think,

807
00:40:35,612 --> 00:40:37,080
oh, there's nothing wrong.

808
00:40:37,113 --> 00:40:40,684
And that makes me angry because
this is utter stupidity.

809
00:40:40,717 --> 00:40:42,853
- [Dean] But corals are
not just being damaged

810
00:40:42,886 --> 00:40:44,521
by rising temperatures.

811
00:40:44,554 --> 00:40:46,690
They are also being
attacked by another problem,

812
00:40:46,723 --> 00:40:50,494
a major change in the actual
chemistry of the ocean.

813
00:40:50,527 --> 00:40:52,662
- Ocean acidification,

814
00:40:52,696 --> 00:40:55,765
which we talk much less
about, at least in the media.

815
00:40:55,799 --> 00:40:57,467
- [Dean] It is yet another issue

816
00:40:57,501 --> 00:41:00,270
caused by the burning
of fossil fuels.

817
00:41:00,303 --> 00:41:02,672
Like a sponge,
the ocean soaks up

818
00:41:02,706 --> 00:41:04,674
the added carbon
dioxide in the air.

819
00:41:04,708 --> 00:41:06,610
- We know that today the oceans

820
00:41:06,643 --> 00:41:10,447
pump about one half
of the excess carbon

821
00:41:10,480 --> 00:41:13,183
that humans are putting
into the atmosphere,

822
00:41:13,216 --> 00:41:14,518
which means that

823
00:41:14,551 --> 00:41:16,720
they're already taking
out of the atmosphere

824
00:41:16,753 --> 00:41:19,523
huge amounts of carbon
that would otherwise

825
00:41:19,556 --> 00:41:22,292
be heating the
atmosphere even more.

826
00:41:22,325 --> 00:41:24,027
- [Dean] But as that
helps the atmosphere,

827
00:41:24,060 --> 00:41:25,695
it hurts the ocean.

828
00:41:25,729 --> 00:41:29,799
This added CO2 dissolves
and becomes carbonic acid.

829
00:41:29,833 --> 00:41:33,336
As a result, seawater
has become more acidic.

830
00:41:33,370 --> 00:41:34,471
A lot more.

831
00:41:34,504 --> 00:41:36,806
Acidity is 30% higher

832
00:41:36,840 --> 00:41:38,642
than before the
Industrial Revolution.

833
00:41:38,675 --> 00:41:40,844
This inhibits the
coral's ability

834
00:41:40,877 --> 00:41:43,813
to build its calcium
carbonate skeleton.

835
00:41:43,847 --> 00:41:46,650
The effect is similar
to osteoporosis,

836
00:41:46,683 --> 00:41:50,053
slowing growth and
making corals weaker.

837
00:41:50,086 --> 00:41:52,055
- There's huge
parts of the world

838
00:41:52,088 --> 00:41:54,991
where you can swim
over a coral reef,

839
00:41:55,025 --> 00:41:57,928
and you just see individual
corals here and there.

840
00:41:57,961 --> 00:41:59,863
It really is decimated.

841
00:41:59,896 --> 00:42:03,667
At least 30% of all the
coral of this planet is gone.

842
00:42:03,700 --> 00:42:06,870
If we continue
business as usual,

843
00:42:06,903 --> 00:42:09,039
the only hope for a
coral reef is that humans

844
00:42:09,072 --> 00:42:12,075
will destroy their own capacity
to make carbon dioxide.

845
00:42:13,777 --> 00:42:16,846
- There is a real chance
that ocean acidification,

846
00:42:16,880 --> 00:42:19,516
if it continues on the
track that it is now,

847
00:42:19,549 --> 00:42:21,384
that coral-dominated
reef systems

848
00:42:21,418 --> 00:42:25,288
like the Great Barrier
Reef will soon disappear.

849
00:42:25,322 --> 00:42:27,891
And of course, if
the reef disappears,

850
00:42:27,924 --> 00:42:30,594
then the habitat for
over a million species

851
00:42:30,627 --> 00:42:32,562
will also disappear as well.

852
00:42:32,596 --> 00:42:35,932
At a global scale, losing
coral reefs has implications

853
00:42:35,966 --> 00:42:38,401
for over 500 million people

854
00:42:38,435 --> 00:42:40,370
who depend on coral
reefs each day

855
00:42:40,403 --> 00:42:41,805
for their food and income.

856
00:42:43,006 --> 00:42:45,609
- Coral reefs are saying,
"We are in trouble."

857
00:42:45,642 --> 00:42:47,777
And when coral reefs
are in trouble,

858
00:42:47,811 --> 00:42:49,346
then the oceans are in trouble.

859
00:42:50,947 --> 00:42:52,215
- [Dean] Some scientists

860
00:42:52,248 --> 00:42:54,050
predict that all
the world's corals

861
00:42:54,084 --> 00:42:56,987
could be wiped out by the
middle of the century.

862
00:42:57,020 --> 00:43:00,256
But corals are not the only
sea life being threatened

863
00:43:00,290 --> 00:43:02,792
by ocean acidification.

864
00:43:02,826 --> 00:43:05,929
Other sea creatures and
plants are also in danger.

865
00:43:05,962 --> 00:43:07,764
The acidity of the ocean

866
00:43:07,797 --> 00:43:10,333
can disrupt the
delicate natural balance

867
00:43:10,367 --> 00:43:13,570
between predator and
prey populations.

868
00:43:13,603 --> 00:43:17,641
In many important ways, fish
rely on their sense of smell.

869
00:43:17,674 --> 00:43:21,578
One scent in particular is
essential for their survival.

870
00:43:21,611 --> 00:43:23,446
- The smell of chewed up fish.

871
00:43:23,480 --> 00:43:25,181
Yeah, the smell
of chewed up fish.

872
00:43:25,215 --> 00:43:27,951
- [Dean] This is the odor
that fish would recognize

873
00:43:27,984 --> 00:43:30,320
if a predator was
attacking their group.

874
00:43:30,353 --> 00:43:31,855
- [Scientist] This
is the alarm cue.

875
00:43:31,888 --> 00:43:34,658
So if their sense of
smell is working properly,

876
00:43:34,691 --> 00:43:37,460
then this is the smell
that they should identify

877
00:43:37,494 --> 00:43:38,828
and want to run away from.

878
00:43:38,862 --> 00:43:40,930
- [Dean] But in water
of a higher acidity,

879
00:43:40,964 --> 00:43:44,134
the fish's ability to
detect odors is disrupted.

880
00:43:44,167 --> 00:43:45,368
- And it's important because

881
00:43:45,402 --> 00:43:47,837
once they lose their
sense of smell,

882
00:43:47,871 --> 00:43:50,106
they have inability
to detect and respond

883
00:43:50,140 --> 00:43:52,275
or avoid predators,

884
00:43:52,308 --> 00:43:55,812
pick up chemical cues
associated with finding food,

885
00:43:55,845 --> 00:44:00,150
or in the case of salmon,
honing to their native streams.

886
00:44:00,183 --> 00:44:02,352
- [Dean] But fish are not
the only sea life affected

887
00:44:02,385 --> 00:44:04,454
by ocean acidification.

888
00:44:04,487 --> 00:44:07,991
It especially impacts
any animals with a shell.

889
00:44:08,024 --> 00:44:10,026
- The ocean is so acidic

890
00:44:10,060 --> 00:44:13,530
that it is dissolving the
shell of our baby oysters.

891
00:44:13,563 --> 00:44:18,201
Our farm is what has kept
this family together.

892
00:44:18,234 --> 00:44:20,870
It's our glue and it
would be devastating

893
00:44:20,904 --> 00:44:25,475
to lose that, such a big
part of our history.

894
00:44:25,508 --> 00:44:27,844
What we're experiencing
here in the Puget Sound

895
00:44:27,877 --> 00:44:30,580
is what other people
will be experiencing

896
00:44:30,613 --> 00:44:32,015
not too long in the future.

897
00:44:34,684 --> 00:44:35,819
- [Dean] While the damage caused

898
00:44:35,852 --> 00:44:37,220
by the acidification
of the ocean

899
00:44:37,253 --> 00:44:40,657
may be most evident in
coral and shellfish,

900
00:44:40,690 --> 00:44:42,058
there is a less visible,

901
00:44:42,092 --> 00:44:45,762
but perhaps even more
destructive problem.

902
00:44:45,795 --> 00:44:48,431
- There are also alarming
signs of plankton,

903
00:44:48,465 --> 00:44:51,768
that is responsible for 50%
of the oxygen we breathe.

904
00:44:51,801 --> 00:44:54,904
And for the vast food
chains in our polar oceans,

905
00:44:54,938 --> 00:44:56,439
are beginning to struggle

906
00:44:56,473 --> 00:44:58,608
to make their delicate
calcium carbonate skeletons.

907
00:44:58,641 --> 00:45:00,944
- Our study has found
that phytoplankton levels

908
00:45:00,977 --> 00:45:05,048
have diminished by up to
40% over the last 50 years,

909
00:45:05,081 --> 00:45:06,416
so since 1950.

910
00:45:06,449 --> 00:45:07,751
Phytoplankton is important

911
00:45:07,784 --> 00:45:09,385
because it's the base of
everything in the ocean

912
00:45:09,419 --> 00:45:12,122
and the ocean is the base
for everything on the planet.

913
00:45:12,155 --> 00:45:15,425
- If we start losing the
plankton of the southern oceans,

914
00:45:15,458 --> 00:45:18,228
we start losing the capacity
of the southern oceans

915
00:45:18,261 --> 00:45:20,930
to support just about
all their marine life.

916
00:45:20,964 --> 00:45:23,700
- It can completely
change ocean ecosystems,

917
00:45:23,733 --> 00:45:26,536
starting with the
ocean microorganisms

918
00:45:26,569 --> 00:45:29,405
in the ocean surface waters,

919
00:45:29,439 --> 00:45:31,207
which are those
that are actually

920
00:45:31,241 --> 00:45:33,243
pumping carbon
from the atmosphere

921
00:45:33,276 --> 00:45:35,812
into the oceans
through photosynthesis.

922
00:45:35,845 --> 00:45:40,416
If the oceans were to go beyond
a certain level of acidity,

923
00:45:40,450 --> 00:45:41,985
well paradoxically,

924
00:45:42,018 --> 00:45:43,987
they could actually destroy
some of these organisms

925
00:45:44,020 --> 00:45:47,290
that are actually helping
us to keep carbon levels

926
00:45:47,323 --> 00:45:50,827
in the atmosphere lower than
they would otherwise be.

927
00:45:52,862 --> 00:45:54,931
- The only thing we can do,

928
00:45:54,964 --> 00:45:57,901
which will control
ocean acidification,

929
00:45:57,934 --> 00:46:00,603
is to stop burning fossil.

930
00:46:02,138 --> 00:46:05,041
(exciting music)

931
00:46:07,544 --> 00:46:10,213
(exciting music)

932
00:46:12,649 --> 00:46:14,517
- Besides plastics,

933
00:46:14,551 --> 00:46:17,187
what else is
polluting the ocean?

934
00:46:17,220 --> 00:46:19,956
Some other major sources
of pollution are:

935
00:46:19,989 --> 00:46:23,126
toxic metals, like
mercury from mining,

936
00:46:23,159 --> 00:46:25,929
fertilizers and
herbicides in farm runoff,

937
00:46:25,962 --> 00:46:27,864
and oil.

938
00:46:30,867 --> 00:46:32,135
- Oil spills

939
00:46:32,168 --> 00:46:34,470
are one of the most visible
threats to the ocean.

940
00:46:34,504 --> 00:46:36,372
Who has not seen the
gut-wrenching pictures

941
00:46:36,406 --> 00:46:37,707
of helpless seabirds

942
00:46:37,740 --> 00:46:39,909
stuck in the deadly
mess of spilled oil?

943
00:46:40,743 --> 00:46:42,378
However, below the surface,

944
00:46:42,412 --> 00:46:45,548
there is even more
destruction going on.

945
00:46:45,582 --> 00:46:46,482
- [Dean] A spill that happens

946
00:46:46,516 --> 00:46:48,284
in a matter of hours or days

947
00:46:48,318 --> 00:46:52,021
can devastate the fragile
ocean ecosystem for years.

948
00:46:52,055 --> 00:46:53,957
According to the US
Department of Energy,

949
00:46:53,990 --> 00:46:56,492
1.3 million gallons of oil

950
00:46:56,526 --> 00:46:58,995
are spilled into US waters alone

951
00:46:59,028 --> 00:47:02,031
from vessels, pipelines,
and drilling rigs

952
00:47:02,065 --> 00:47:03,800
in a typical year.

953
00:47:03,833 --> 00:47:06,269
(rig explodes)

954
00:47:09,172 --> 00:47:11,040
- On April 20th, 2010,

955
00:47:11,074 --> 00:47:13,476
41 miles off the
Louisiana coast,

956
00:47:13,509 --> 00:47:15,678
the Deepwater
Horizon drilling rig

957
00:47:15,712 --> 00:47:18,047
exploded in the Gulf of Mexico.

958
00:47:19,015 --> 00:47:20,416
There were months
of cleanup efforts,

959
00:47:20,450 --> 00:47:22,886
but still, it turned
into one of the largest

960
00:47:22,919 --> 00:47:26,322
environmental catastrophes
in US history.

961
00:47:26,356 --> 00:47:29,058
To keep the oil from moving
to fragile coastlines,

962
00:47:29,092 --> 00:47:31,094
air crews sprayed the oil slick

963
00:47:31,127 --> 00:47:35,098
with over 1 million
gallons of dispersants.

964
00:47:35,131 --> 00:47:36,699
Unfortunately, dispersants

965
00:47:36,733 --> 00:47:39,269
do not remove the
oil from the water.

966
00:47:39,302 --> 00:47:41,404
They just break the
huge oil slicks down

967
00:47:41,437 --> 00:47:43,506
into small droplets.

968
00:47:43,539 --> 00:47:45,108
Floating plankton and algae

969
00:47:45,141 --> 00:47:47,210
were so stressed
by the dispersants

970
00:47:47,243 --> 00:47:51,080
that they released streams of
sticky mucus into the water.

971
00:47:51,114 --> 00:47:54,217
This sticky mixture of
the oil, dispersants,

972
00:47:54,250 --> 00:47:56,052
dead plankton, and
other particles

973
00:47:56,085 --> 00:47:59,422
sunk from the surface all
the way to the bottom,

974
00:47:59,455 --> 00:48:01,057
covering the ocean floor

975
00:48:01,090 --> 00:48:04,627
in what has become known
as a dirty blizzard.

976
00:48:04,661 --> 00:48:08,364
Organisms that couldn't
escape its path suffocated.

977
00:48:08,398 --> 00:48:11,200
When researchers returned
to the site 10 years later,

978
00:48:11,234 --> 00:48:14,037
they were shocked by the
devastation that still remained.

979
00:48:14,070 --> 00:48:17,206
- The oil and the dispersants
are a toxic mixture, right?

980
00:48:17,240 --> 00:48:21,311
And so by having all that oil
deposited on the sea bottom,

981
00:48:21,344 --> 00:48:23,279
it's going to interact
with all the creatures

982
00:48:23,313 --> 00:48:25,481
that live at the
surface of the sediment

983
00:48:25,515 --> 00:48:28,084
and also the creatures
that live in the sediment.

984
00:48:28,117 --> 00:48:30,920
And so that created
a lot of mortality.

985
00:48:32,121 --> 00:48:33,623
- [Dean] Clearly we
need a better way

986
00:48:33,656 --> 00:48:36,993
to respond to the inevitable
spills that will occur

987
00:48:37,026 --> 00:48:40,229
as long as oil is a part
of our global economy.

988
00:48:40,263 --> 00:48:42,098
One company has a creative idea,

989
00:48:42,131 --> 00:48:44,233
using not only their brains,

990
00:48:44,267 --> 00:48:46,469
but something else from
their bodies as well.

991
00:48:47,804 --> 00:48:50,006
- So Clean Wave is our program.

992
00:48:50,039 --> 00:48:51,774
We've been doing it
for over 20 years

993
00:48:51,808 --> 00:48:55,278
and it's where you take
hair from hair salons,

994
00:48:55,311 --> 00:48:58,514
hair clippings, fur
clippings from pet groomers,

995
00:48:58,548 --> 00:49:02,118
waste fleece and fiber
from alpaca farms

996
00:49:02,151 --> 00:49:05,288
and sheep farms and buffalo
herds and everything.

997
00:49:05,321 --> 00:49:07,290
And you can take
all of this fiber,

998
00:49:07,323 --> 00:49:09,325
which would normally
go to a landfill,

999
00:49:09,359 --> 00:49:13,029
and we felt it into mats
that soak up oil spills.

1000
00:49:13,062 --> 00:49:15,131
And we do that because
hair collects oil.

1001
00:49:15,164 --> 00:49:17,166
- [Dean] A pound
of hair can soak up

1002
00:49:17,200 --> 00:49:19,902
around five times
its weight in oil.

1003
00:49:21,237 --> 00:49:24,140
The finished product could
be mistaken for a doormat.

1004
00:49:24,173 --> 00:49:27,777
Hair is acquired from
salons in over 30 countries.

1005
00:49:27,810 --> 00:49:31,014
- And so it's one way to
use a renewable resource

1006
00:49:31,047 --> 00:49:34,283
to suck up oil spills and
everybody who gets a haircut

1007
00:49:34,317 --> 00:49:36,285
can participate in this.

1008
00:49:36,319 --> 00:49:37,520
And it's free

1009
00:49:37,553 --> 00:49:39,322
and just you mail in the hair.

1010
00:49:39,355 --> 00:49:40,523
So it's the cost of a
postage stamp or whatever,

1011
00:49:40,556 --> 00:49:41,891
and it helps us.

1012
00:49:41,924 --> 00:49:45,461
And so that's a way
everybody can help.

1013
00:49:45,495 --> 00:49:48,197
- [Dean] Oil spills are
just one of the great costs

1014
00:49:48,231 --> 00:49:51,334
of our dependence on
fossil fuels for energy.

1015
00:49:51,367 --> 00:49:54,203
To support our growing
world population,

1016
00:49:54,237 --> 00:49:57,874
other things we need come with
their own costs to the ocean.

1017
00:49:57,907 --> 00:50:00,476
One is probably something
that may surprise you.

1018
00:50:00,510 --> 00:50:03,513
It's the second-most
consumed natural resource

1019
00:50:03,546 --> 00:50:04,414
on the planet.

1020
00:50:04,447 --> 00:50:06,716
Only water is used more.

1021
00:50:06,749 --> 00:50:08,051
It's sand.

1022
00:50:08,084 --> 00:50:10,186
- We are using a
huge amount of sand.

1023
00:50:10,219 --> 00:50:13,489
In fact, our entire
development is based on sand.

1024
00:50:13,523 --> 00:50:15,358
- [Dean] Yes, sand.

1025
00:50:15,391 --> 00:50:18,728
- We are using 50 billion
tons of sand per year.

1026
00:50:18,761 --> 00:50:21,330
And that's just to
give a rough idea.

1027
00:50:21,364 --> 00:50:24,100
This is the equivalent of
the wall of 27 meter high,

1028
00:50:24,133 --> 00:50:27,203
27 meter wide, or around
planet Earth every year.

1029
00:50:27,236 --> 00:50:28,905
That's the amount of
sand we are using.

1030
00:50:28,938 --> 00:50:30,673
We need sand for construction,

1031
00:50:30,706 --> 00:50:32,442
we need sand for
land reclamation,

1032
00:50:32,475 --> 00:50:34,010
we need sand for windows.

1033
00:50:34,043 --> 00:50:35,378
Glass is made of sand.

1034
00:50:35,411 --> 00:50:38,881
Even computer screen and
chips are made of sand.

1035
00:50:38,915 --> 00:50:40,249
- [Dean] Now, it would seem

1036
00:50:40,283 --> 00:50:42,385
with vast deserts around
the world filled with it,

1037
00:50:42,418 --> 00:50:44,787
there would be no
shortage of sand.

1038
00:50:44,821 --> 00:50:48,391
The problem is that desert
sand caused by wind erosion

1039
00:50:48,424 --> 00:50:50,693
is almost useless to us.

1040
00:50:50,726 --> 00:50:53,463
It's too smooth for what
most sand is used for,

1041
00:50:53,496 --> 00:50:55,064
concrete production.

1042
00:50:55,098 --> 00:50:57,967
That requires sand
grains eroded by water

1043
00:50:58,000 --> 00:51:00,436
with sharper edges
that can lock together

1044
00:51:00,470 --> 00:51:02,405
to form stable concrete.

1045
00:51:02,438 --> 00:51:05,408
This sand is found in
riverbeds and beaches.

1046
00:51:05,441 --> 00:51:07,577
But those resources have
been tapped to the point

1047
00:51:07,610 --> 00:51:11,214
where fierce competition has
pushed even criminal gangs

1048
00:51:11,247 --> 00:51:13,282
to traffic in sand.

1049
00:51:13,316 --> 00:51:15,218
Now some companies are looking

1050
00:51:15,251 --> 00:51:18,121
to a new area for
sand extraction.

1051
00:51:18,154 --> 00:51:21,257
- One big thing that is
happening now is dredging sand.

1052
00:51:21,290 --> 00:51:23,893
Imagine a giant vacuum cleaner

1053
00:51:23,926 --> 00:51:25,294
that goes at the
bottom of the sea

1054
00:51:25,328 --> 00:51:26,929
and suck all the sand

1055
00:51:26,963 --> 00:51:29,232
and then all the
microorganisms that live there

1056
00:51:29,265 --> 00:51:30,800
get basically destroyed.

1057
00:51:30,833 --> 00:51:33,269
And it change the
turbidity of the water.

1058
00:51:33,302 --> 00:51:36,606
That has an impact on
biodiversity and on fisheries.

1059
00:51:36,639 --> 00:51:37,974
- [Dean] What is the solution

1060
00:51:38,007 --> 00:51:40,476
to our growing sand problem?

1061
00:51:40,510 --> 00:51:42,245
A number of scientists
are working on ways

1062
00:51:42,278 --> 00:51:45,615
to replace sand in concrete
with other materials,

1063
00:51:45,648 --> 00:51:49,218
including shredded plastic,
crushed palm shells,

1064
00:51:49,252 --> 00:51:50,419
and rice husks.

1065
00:51:50,453 --> 00:51:54,157
Others are trying to
recycle old concrete.

1066
00:51:54,190 --> 00:51:56,926
Sand highlights the fact
that almost anything we do

1067
00:51:56,959 --> 00:51:59,162
comes with a cost
to the environment

1068
00:51:59,195 --> 00:52:01,430
that we need to recognize
and account for.

1069
00:52:01,464 --> 00:52:04,634
Even as we address the issue
of fossil fuel dependence

1070
00:52:04,667 --> 00:52:08,271
and carbon emissions by
moving to electric vehicles,

1071
00:52:08,304 --> 00:52:10,239
it comes with
costs to the planet

1072
00:52:10,273 --> 00:52:12,308
we must carefully consider.

1073
00:52:12,341 --> 00:52:16,145
- We need a lot more of
cobalt as well as lithium

1074
00:52:16,179 --> 00:52:20,149
and other metals to make
batteries for electric vehicles.

1075
00:52:20,183 --> 00:52:22,018
- [Dean] To supply
the growing demand,

1076
00:52:22,051 --> 00:52:24,687
mining companies are
moving to new technology

1077
00:52:24,720 --> 00:52:28,291
that is of special concern
to ocean scientists.

1078
00:52:28,324 --> 00:52:30,760
- These mining
companies are gearing up

1079
00:52:30,793 --> 00:52:33,829
to put huge machines
on the seabed floor

1080
00:52:33,863 --> 00:52:35,631
and rip up the seabed floor.

1081
00:52:35,665 --> 00:52:38,034
- When we look at
the deep sea mining,

1082
00:52:38,067 --> 00:52:40,636
the problem is we have
to be extremely careful

1083
00:52:40,670 --> 00:52:43,706
when we are taking material
from this environment.

1084
00:52:43,739 --> 00:52:45,708
- The stakes are so high.

1085
00:52:45,741 --> 00:52:47,210
When you've ruined the ocean,

1086
00:52:47,243 --> 00:52:49,612
you've ruined life
on earth effectively.

1087
00:52:49,645 --> 00:52:51,180
We've already pushed the ocean

1088
00:52:51,214 --> 00:52:53,716
to the absolute brink
through over-exploitation.

1089
00:52:53,749 --> 00:52:55,218
We're now gonna feed in

1090
00:52:55,251 --> 00:52:58,054
an industrial activity
under the water

1091
00:52:58,087 --> 00:53:01,457
and it may just be the thing
that pushes the ocean over.

1092
00:53:01,490 --> 00:53:04,060
It may be that straw that
breaks the camel's back.

1093
00:53:04,093 --> 00:53:07,163
- So there's gonna be a
ship at the sea surface.

1094
00:53:07,196 --> 00:53:11,167
That ship is going to lower a
machine down onto the seabed.

1095
00:53:11,200 --> 00:53:13,236
These are huge machines

1096
00:53:13,269 --> 00:53:14,637
with traction wheels

1097
00:53:14,670 --> 00:53:16,239
that are going to
move along the seabed.

1098
00:53:16,272 --> 00:53:18,541
- Basically sterilizing
the bottom of the sea

1099
00:53:18,574 --> 00:53:20,309
and it's creating a plume.

1100
00:53:20,343 --> 00:53:22,311
- So there'll be a continuous,

1101
00:53:22,345 --> 00:53:25,748
non-stop plume of
sediment particles

1102
00:53:25,781 --> 00:53:27,216
being released for up to, say,

1103
00:53:27,250 --> 00:53:30,186
30 years per mining operation.

1104
00:53:30,219 --> 00:53:32,555
These little particles
are really destructive

1105
00:53:32,588 --> 00:53:34,323
to a lot of marine species.

1106
00:53:34,357 --> 00:53:36,025
They get into their gills,

1107
00:53:36,058 --> 00:53:38,561
get into basically what
is their way of breathing.

1108
00:53:38,594 --> 00:53:43,165
These plumes get suspended
into the water column

1109
00:53:43,199 --> 00:53:45,067
and there are currents
in the water column

1110
00:53:45,101 --> 00:53:46,902
which will take these plumes,

1111
00:53:46,936 --> 00:53:49,505
they're thinking up to a
hundred kilometers out.

1112
00:53:49,538 --> 00:53:51,007
- [Dean] Deep sea
mining companies

1113
00:53:51,040 --> 00:53:54,010
have often proclaimed
themselves to be eco-warriors

1114
00:53:54,043 --> 00:53:56,212
because the materials
they plan to mine

1115
00:53:56,245 --> 00:53:58,714
can be used in electric
vehicle batteries.

1116
00:53:58,748 --> 00:54:00,249
But this type of mining

1117
00:54:00,283 --> 00:54:03,419
could actually be
catastrophic for the climate.

1118
00:54:03,452 --> 00:54:07,423
The largest active carbon
sink on Earth is the deep sea.

1119
00:54:07,456 --> 00:54:10,459
Carbon will be released
back into the environment

1120
00:54:10,493 --> 00:54:13,896
if the sediment on the
ocean floor is stirred up.

1121
00:54:13,929 --> 00:54:16,565
The deep ocean's ability
to sequester carbon

1122
00:54:16,599 --> 00:54:18,301
could be severely damaged

1123
00:54:18,334 --> 00:54:22,204
and cause seawater to
become even more acidic.

1124
00:54:22,238 --> 00:54:24,240
Yes, we need electric vehicles,

1125
00:54:24,273 --> 00:54:26,442
but to build them
we must avoid using

1126
00:54:26,475 --> 00:54:29,779
what might be the easiest or
most profitable technology

1127
00:54:29,812 --> 00:54:32,948
in favor of what's
best for the planet.

1128
00:54:32,982 --> 00:54:35,985
Unfortunately, a closer look
at the land-based sources

1129
00:54:36,018 --> 00:54:40,323
for one metal needed for clean
vehicle batteries, cobalt,

1130
00:54:40,356 --> 00:54:42,258
exposes a dirty secret.

1131
00:54:42,291 --> 00:54:45,227
Most of it comes from the
Democratic Republic of the

1132
00:54:45,261 --> 00:54:47,430
Congo, where mines
have been linked

1133
00:54:47,463 --> 00:54:49,899
to a long list of
environmental damage,

1134
00:54:49,932 --> 00:54:52,468
safety issues, and
human rights abuses

1135
00:54:52,501 --> 00:54:56,605
involving child laborers
as young as six years old.

1136
00:54:56,639 --> 00:54:58,507
The good news is
that some companies

1137
00:54:58,541 --> 00:55:01,744
have vowed to stop using
cobalt-based batteries,

1138
00:55:01,777 --> 00:55:03,179
sending manufacturers

1139
00:55:03,212 --> 00:55:06,282
racing to develop
cleaner alternatives.

1140
00:55:06,315 --> 00:55:10,753
Batteries using manganese,
iron, and boron hold promise.

1141
00:55:10,786 --> 00:55:13,422
But most recently,
in September 2022,

1142
00:55:13,456 --> 00:55:17,460
an even more sustainable and
biodegradable battery component

1143
00:55:17,493 --> 00:55:18,661
was unveiled.

1144
00:55:18,694 --> 00:55:23,265
And it comes from a
surprising source, shellfish.

1145
00:55:23,299 --> 00:55:26,135
Yes, as outlined in
the journal Matter,

1146
00:55:26,168 --> 00:55:29,538
a University of Maryland
scientist created a battery

1147
00:55:29,572 --> 00:55:33,376
using chitosan, a
derivative of chiton,

1148
00:55:33,409 --> 00:55:34,777
as the electrolyte.

1149
00:55:34,810 --> 00:55:37,380
The most abundant
source of chiton?

1150
00:55:37,413 --> 00:55:39,615
The exoskeletons of crustaceans,

1151
00:55:39,648 --> 00:55:42,785
including crabs,
shrimps, and lobsters,

1152
00:55:42,818 --> 00:55:45,888
which can easily be
obtained from seafood waste.

1153
00:55:45,921 --> 00:55:49,492
Yes, once again, a solution
for a human problem

1154
00:55:49,525 --> 00:55:51,861
comes from the ocean.

1155
00:55:51,894 --> 00:55:53,462
Undoubtedly, the future holds

1156
00:55:53,496 --> 00:55:56,031
even better and cleaner
battery advancements.

1157
00:55:56,065 --> 00:55:57,400
But right now,

1158
00:55:57,433 --> 00:56:01,137
many ocean scientists say we
need to stop deep sea mining

1159
00:56:01,170 --> 00:56:03,372
in its tracks
before it's too late.

1160
00:56:03,406 --> 00:56:06,575
- If there was ever a future
problem that we can stop now,

1161
00:56:06,609 --> 00:56:07,810
it's this.

1162
00:56:07,843 --> 00:56:09,478
We don't need to deep-sea mine.

1163
00:56:09,512 --> 00:56:10,880
We shouldn't be doing it.

1164
00:56:10,913 --> 00:56:13,382
Let's stop it before it happens.

1165
00:56:13,416 --> 00:56:17,420
That would be, that would be a
genuine win for humanity.

1166
00:56:17,453 --> 00:56:20,956
It would be a win on a par
with saving the Amazon.

1167
00:56:22,758 --> 00:56:26,095
(instrumental fanfare)

1168
00:56:28,531 --> 00:56:31,734
(instrumental fanfare)

1169
00:56:31,767 --> 00:56:33,536
- How many people in
the world depend on fish

1170
00:56:33,569 --> 00:56:35,337
as a food source?

1171
00:56:35,371 --> 00:56:38,741
For 2.6 billion
people, a major part

1172
00:56:38,774 --> 00:56:41,043
of the protein in their
diet comes from fish.

1173
00:56:43,412 --> 00:56:45,714
- Today, overfishing
and illegal fishing

1174
00:56:45,748 --> 00:56:48,284
are threatening the
world's food supply.

1175
00:56:48,317 --> 00:56:50,219
By disrupting the
delicate balance

1176
00:56:50,252 --> 00:56:51,754
of its fragile ecosystems,

1177
00:56:51,787 --> 00:56:53,889
they also threaten
the ocean itself.

1178
00:56:53,923 --> 00:56:56,392
- [Narrator] Since the beginning
of our time on the planet,

1179
00:56:56,425 --> 00:56:59,462
fish have been a major
food source for humans.

1180
00:56:59,495 --> 00:57:02,298
But now with our exploding
global population

1181
00:57:02,331 --> 00:57:04,567
approaching eight
billion people, we are

1182
00:57:04,600 --> 00:57:07,269
in danger of depleting
that important resource

1183
00:57:07,303 --> 00:57:09,572
beyond the point of recovery.

1184
00:57:09,605 --> 00:57:12,441
- So, over-fishing is when
you are taking more fishes

1185
00:57:12,475 --> 00:57:13,943
than they can
reproduce themselves.

1186
00:57:13,976 --> 00:57:16,579
Once your population
start to decrease,

1187
00:57:16,612 --> 00:57:19,281
the entire supply of
fish is going to go down.

1188
00:57:19,315 --> 00:57:21,383
So at one stage, if the
entire fishes collapse,

1189
00:57:21,417 --> 00:57:24,587
and we saw that happening
in several places already,

1190
00:57:24,620 --> 00:57:25,621
you have no more fishes.

1191
00:57:25,654 --> 00:57:27,122
- [Narrator] All
across the earth,

1192
00:57:27,156 --> 00:57:30,226
fish populations are threatened
by not only overfishing

1193
00:57:30,259 --> 00:57:33,596
but also what's
called IUU fishing,

1194
00:57:33,629 --> 00:57:36,799
illegal, unreported
and unregulated.

1195
00:57:36,832 --> 00:57:39,635
Of the world's 17
main fisheries,

1196
00:57:39,668 --> 00:57:42,338
13 are facing serious decline.

1197
00:57:42,371 --> 00:57:45,908
The Mediterranean, the
North Sea, the Grand Banks,

1198
00:57:45,941 --> 00:57:48,777
the Baltic, the ocean
around Australia,

1199
00:57:48,811 --> 00:57:52,648
the Gulf of Thailand, and
the waters of Southeast Asia

1200
00:57:52,681 --> 00:57:54,583
are all in a critical state.

1201
00:57:54,617 --> 00:57:56,819
If fishing is not
effectively regulated,

1202
00:57:56,852 --> 00:57:59,455
scientists warn that
many fish populations

1203
00:57:59,488 --> 00:58:01,824
may never recover.

1204
00:58:01,857 --> 00:58:05,661
Seychelles is well known as
a place to enjoy the sun,

1205
00:58:05,694 --> 00:58:09,365
crystal clear turquoise
waters, and beautiful beaches,

1206
00:58:09,398 --> 00:58:11,367
but there's something
else going on here.

1207
00:58:11,400 --> 00:58:14,169
It's a battle between
David and Goliath.

1208
00:58:16,405 --> 00:58:18,474
These huge industrial
fishing vessels

1209
00:58:18,507 --> 00:58:23,212
can hold 280 tons
of tuna at one time.

1210
00:58:23,245 --> 00:58:24,547
- We used to go
fishing for a day

1211
00:58:24,580 --> 00:58:27,816
and we'd catch enough fish
to sell at the market.

1212
00:58:27,850 --> 00:58:31,787
But nowadays, we're lucky if
we can bring in one or two.

1213
00:58:31,820 --> 00:58:33,155
How can I call
myself a fisherman

1214
00:58:33,188 --> 00:58:34,423
if there's no fish to catch?

1215
00:58:35,925 --> 00:58:39,662
You know, it's clear that
the stock is depleting

1216
00:58:39,695 --> 00:58:42,531
and it's mainly because
of these vessels,

1217
00:58:42,565 --> 00:58:47,069
these industrial vessels
that you see around me.

1218
00:58:47,102 --> 00:58:49,138
- [Narrator] They are
constantly unloading

1219
00:58:49,171 --> 00:58:53,742
and can haul in 2,000 tons
of the fish in a year.

1220
00:58:53,776 --> 00:58:56,879
From here, the tuna goes
to Seychelles' cannery.

1221
00:58:56,912 --> 00:58:58,914
It's one of the
biggest in the world,

1222
00:58:58,948 --> 00:59:02,918
producing 1.5 million
cans of tuna per day.

1223
00:59:04,086 --> 00:59:06,155
The global demand for
tuna has now risen

1224
00:59:06,188 --> 00:59:08,991
to over $40 billion per year.

1225
00:59:09,024 --> 00:59:11,060
Most of the tuna
caught around the world

1226
00:59:11,093 --> 00:59:13,429
is eaten far away
from its source,

1227
00:59:13,462 --> 00:59:17,132
with the European
Union, the USA and Japan

1228
00:59:17,166 --> 00:59:18,934
the biggest importers.

1229
00:59:18,968 --> 00:59:21,804
Thousands of miles
away from Seychelles

1230
00:59:21,837 --> 00:59:23,839
is General Santos City,

1231
00:59:23,872 --> 00:59:27,176
known as the tuna capital
of the Philippines.

1232
00:59:27,209 --> 00:59:30,279
Here, local fishermen
are also seeing a decline

1233
00:59:30,312 --> 00:59:32,081
in tuna catches.

1234
00:59:32,114 --> 00:59:34,149
The fish are getting
harder to catch

1235
00:59:34,183 --> 00:59:36,485
and everyone here
is affected by it.

1236
00:59:36,518 --> 00:59:37,853
- There's a nice fish.

1237
00:59:37,886 --> 00:59:40,956
This will be good
enough to ship directly

1238
00:59:40,990 --> 00:59:43,192
to the United States today.

1239
00:59:43,225 --> 00:59:44,593
- [Narrator] In
less than 48 hours,

1240
00:59:44,627 --> 00:59:47,763
this tuna will be in a
fashionable sushi restaurant

1241
00:59:47,796 --> 00:59:49,198
in the USA.

1242
00:59:49,231 --> 00:59:51,166
John has noticed a
concerning trend.

1243
00:59:51,200 --> 00:59:53,802
It is apparent that
the fish just can't

1244
00:59:53,836 --> 00:59:56,939
reproduce fast enough to
keep up with the demand.

1245
00:59:56,972 --> 00:59:59,008
Scientists say that
in our lifetime,

1246
00:59:59,041 --> 01:00:02,211
some tuna populations are
in danger of extinction.

1247
01:00:02,244 --> 01:00:05,214
John puts the problem
in perspective, simply.

1248
01:00:05,247 --> 01:00:08,550
- Too many people, too many
boats catching the fish.

1249
01:00:08,584 --> 01:00:11,387
- [Narrator] General
Santos City is located

1250
01:00:11,420 --> 01:00:13,155
in a part of the
world where the ocean

1251
01:00:13,188 --> 01:00:16,025
is especially rich
in marine life.

1252
01:00:16,058 --> 01:00:19,061
It lies in what is known
as the Coral Triangle,

1253
01:00:19,094 --> 01:00:21,964
located between the
Pacific and Indian Oceans

1254
01:00:21,997 --> 01:00:25,868
and spanning a 2.3
million square mile area

1255
01:00:25,901 --> 01:00:28,504
from Indonesia to
the Solomon Islands.

1256
01:00:28,537 --> 01:00:31,340
This is the most diverse
marine region on earth,

1257
01:00:31,373 --> 01:00:35,044
home to 75% of the
world's coral species

1258
01:00:35,077 --> 01:00:37,846
and some 3,000 species of fish.

1259
01:00:37,880 --> 01:00:41,250
Across the Coral Triangle, fish
populations are under threat

1260
01:00:41,283 --> 01:00:43,519
and not just because
of their value

1261
01:00:43,552 --> 01:00:46,155
when packed in ice and shipped.

1262
01:00:46,188 --> 01:00:48,257
Fish bring a price
many times higher

1263
01:00:48,290 --> 01:00:50,759
per pound when
they're sold live.

1264
01:00:50,793 --> 01:00:54,163
This started 40 years ago
as a new demand emerged

1265
01:00:54,196 --> 01:00:57,900
providing live reef fish to
restaurants in Singapore,

1266
01:00:57,933 --> 01:01:01,437
Hong Kong and more
recently, mainland China.

1267
01:01:01,470 --> 01:01:04,773
Driven by the high prices
and unending demand,

1268
01:01:04,807 --> 01:01:08,210
poor fishermen have not
abided by any laws or quotas.

1269
01:01:08,243 --> 01:01:13,215
Their tool of choice:
usually, cyanide.

1270
01:01:13,248 --> 01:01:16,085
It can take all day
to catch a fish or two

1271
01:01:16,118 --> 01:01:19,121
with a hook and line, but
by crushing a cyanide tablet

1272
01:01:19,154 --> 01:01:21,690
in a squeeze bottle and
squirting it at the fish,

1273
01:01:21,724 --> 01:01:26,128
you can capture dozens of the
stunned but still live fish

1274
01:01:26,161 --> 01:01:27,429
in a few hours.

1275
01:01:27,463 --> 01:01:30,132
- Normally, if you export
fish from Indonesia,

1276
01:01:30,165 --> 01:01:31,934
you should report how
much you take out,

1277
01:01:31,967 --> 01:01:35,904
where you're taking it to,
and also where it's come from.

1278
01:01:35,938 --> 01:01:37,372
So there's these
Hong Kong boats,

1279
01:01:37,406 --> 01:01:41,043
they come here every month
and they come into this place,

1280
01:01:41,076 --> 01:01:43,212
take all the fish
and leave from here.

1281
01:01:43,245 --> 01:01:44,546
And that's illegal.

1282
01:01:45,948 --> 01:01:48,717
So if you look at this fish,

1283
01:01:48,751 --> 01:01:50,652
you actually see a
lot of the evidence

1284
01:01:50,686 --> 01:01:53,088
that this was
caught with cyanide.

1285
01:01:53,122 --> 01:01:55,057
Start with the eye.

1286
01:01:55,090 --> 01:01:57,259
It's completely damaged.

1287
01:01:57,292 --> 01:01:58,727
It is, this is a milky eye.

1288
01:01:58,761 --> 01:02:01,063
You can't see anything
with that anymore.

1289
01:02:01,096 --> 01:02:03,232
And then if you
look real carefully,

1290
01:02:03,265 --> 01:02:07,836
you see that the skin is sort
of scarred like it was burned.

1291
01:02:07,870 --> 01:02:11,306
For every fish that
makes it to Hong Kong,

1292
01:02:11,340 --> 01:02:15,244
there's a lot of
dead fish and reefs.

1293
01:02:15,277 --> 01:02:17,780
You know, corals are are
dead from the cyanides

1294
01:02:17,813 --> 01:02:19,181
that stay behind.

1295
01:02:19,214 --> 01:02:23,585
So the impact of this industry
is actually really large.

1296
01:02:23,619 --> 01:02:25,254
- [Narrator] The live
fish market has grown

1297
01:02:25,287 --> 01:02:27,189
to billions of
dollars worldwide.

1298
01:02:27,222 --> 01:02:29,324
Although Asian
restaurants demand most

1299
01:02:29,358 --> 01:02:32,461
of the edible live fish,
the largest percent

1300
01:02:32,494 --> 01:02:37,466
of ornamental fish
go to U.S. aquariums.

1301
01:02:37,499 --> 01:02:39,601
In a warehouse, Lida is shocked

1302
01:02:39,635 --> 01:02:40,502
by the magnitude of the trade.

1303
01:02:40,536 --> 01:02:42,371
- Wow, that's a lot of fish.

1304
01:02:42,404 --> 01:02:43,639
I hadn't seen that before.

1305
01:02:45,040 --> 01:02:47,276
So, many of these bags
have just one fish

1306
01:02:47,309 --> 01:02:51,647
but some of the bigger
bags have at least 10.

1307
01:02:51,680 --> 01:02:52,981
You can see them from here.

1308
01:02:53,015 --> 01:02:56,051
I see so many fish that are
going out here tomorrow.

1309
01:02:56,084 --> 01:02:59,021
Probably many more from
the companies next door.

1310
01:02:59,054 --> 01:03:00,656
Sure looks like a lot of fish.

1311
01:03:02,257 --> 01:03:04,693
- [Narrator] Our understanding
of the ocean's ecosystems

1312
01:03:04,726 --> 01:03:08,030
makes clear the potential
for great harm that can come

1313
01:03:08,063 --> 01:03:11,066
from overfishing
and illegal fishing,

1314
01:03:11,099 --> 01:03:13,035
but there is one
marine ecosystem

1315
01:03:13,068 --> 01:03:15,337
we know almost nothing about

1316
01:03:15,370 --> 01:03:18,207
and that may make it even
more urgent to protect it

1317
01:03:18,240 --> 01:03:20,909
before it's too late.

1318
01:03:20,943 --> 01:03:23,212
It is called the midwater layer

1319
01:03:23,245 --> 01:03:26,481
and also known as
the twilight zone,

1320
01:03:26,515 --> 01:03:29,251
the ocean's last frontier.

1321
01:03:29,284 --> 01:03:32,588
It is an entire layer
that starts 200 meters

1322
01:03:32,621 --> 01:03:36,191
below the surface
down to 1,000 meters.

1323
01:03:36,225 --> 01:03:39,228
Only recently have researchers
been able to explore

1324
01:03:39,261 --> 01:03:41,063
this deep in the ocean.

1325
01:03:41,096 --> 01:03:42,531
- You're in the pitch black

1326
01:03:42,564 --> 01:03:44,433
in the middle of the
ocean twilight zone.

1327
01:03:44,466 --> 01:03:47,169
The sub lights come
on and what you see

1328
01:03:47,202 --> 01:03:49,872
looks like a blizzard of snow.

1329
01:03:49,905 --> 01:03:52,407
When you look even closer,
you can see there are

1330
01:03:52,441 --> 01:03:54,710
tiny microscopic
plankton jumping

1331
01:03:54,743 --> 01:03:56,912
from one particle to another.

1332
01:03:56,945 --> 01:04:00,582
- [Narrator] Here, animals
have adapted in amazing ways

1333
01:04:00,616 --> 01:04:04,519
such as huge eyes to
capture scarce light

1334
01:04:04,553 --> 01:04:07,456
and bioluminescence
to attract prey.

1335
01:04:07,489 --> 01:04:09,725
This ocean layer actually
holds the largest

1336
01:04:09,758 --> 01:04:13,595
and least understood ecosystem
on the entire planet,

1337
01:04:14,796 --> 01:04:18,066
with more species and biomass
than anywhere on earth.

1338
01:04:18,100 --> 01:04:20,636
In fact, it might
contain more fish

1339
01:04:20,669 --> 01:04:22,604
than the rest of
the ocean combined.

1340
01:04:22,638 --> 01:04:25,607
Also, we are now beginning to
understand that the animals

1341
01:04:25,641 --> 01:04:28,777
of the midwater twilight
zone play an important role

1342
01:04:28,810 --> 01:04:30,812
in the ocean's
ability to pull carbon

1343
01:04:30,846 --> 01:04:35,751
out of our atmosphere by eating
carbon-filled phytoplankton.

1344
01:04:35,784 --> 01:04:38,220
Eventually, when
the animals die,

1345
01:04:38,253 --> 01:04:41,590
they sink to the bottom and
safely store the carbon there

1346
01:04:41,623 --> 01:04:44,126
where it cannot contribute
to global warming.

1347
01:04:46,662 --> 01:04:49,097
But a serious threat
looms that has scientists

1348
01:04:49,131 --> 01:04:51,099
racing against time.

1349
01:04:51,133 --> 01:04:53,302
- The more we learn about
the ocean twilight zone,

1350
01:04:53,335 --> 01:04:56,071
the more important we are
finding it seems to be

1351
01:04:56,104 --> 01:04:58,473
for the whole ocean ecosystem.

1352
01:04:58,507 --> 01:05:00,142
- The animals that live
in the twilight zone

1353
01:05:00,175 --> 01:05:02,778
almost certainly
play a major role

1354
01:05:02,811 --> 01:05:04,780
in regulating our
planet's climate.

1355
01:05:04,813 --> 01:05:07,416
- And if we took all
of the marine life

1356
01:05:07,449 --> 01:05:10,018
out of the twilight zone,
that would have huge impacts

1357
01:05:10,052 --> 01:05:12,688
on the ocean's ability
to sequester carbon.

1358
01:05:12,721 --> 01:05:15,991
- It will be a critical
piece of how humans

1359
01:05:16,024 --> 01:05:20,195
both sustain and hopefully
thrive in the following century.

1360
01:05:22,397 --> 01:05:25,734
(instrumental fanfare)

1361
01:05:27,869 --> 01:05:31,139
(instrumental fanfare)

1362
01:05:31,173 --> 01:05:33,809
- Is there life in the
deepest parts of the ocean?

1363
01:05:33,842 --> 01:05:35,677
Yes, it's amazing.

1364
01:05:35,711 --> 01:05:37,179
Even though the pressures
down there can be

1365
01:05:37,212 --> 01:05:40,349
up to 15,000 pounds
per square inch,

1366
01:05:40,382 --> 01:05:42,117
scientists have
found small organisms

1367
01:05:42,150 --> 01:05:44,720
in the mud at the very
bottom of the ocean.

1368
01:05:47,823 --> 01:05:50,792
- So far, scientists have
identified over 240,000

1369
01:05:50,826 --> 01:05:53,662
different species of plants
and animals in the ocean.

1370
01:05:53,695 --> 01:05:57,499
(dramatic instrumental music)

1371
01:06:00,836 --> 01:06:02,804
- [Narrator] And while
that is a huge number,

1372
01:06:02,838 --> 01:06:07,843
it may only be 10% of
those that actually exist

1373
01:06:08,844 --> 01:06:10,045
since there is so
much of the ocean

1374
01:06:10,078 --> 01:06:11,580
we have not yet been
able to explore.

1375
01:06:15,717 --> 01:06:18,353
Of the incredible array of
diverse plants and animals

1376
01:06:18,387 --> 01:06:20,889
found in the ocean,
there are certain ones

1377
01:06:20,922 --> 01:06:22,924
that have been singled
out by scientists

1378
01:06:22,958 --> 01:06:26,828
as keystone species,
organisms that are essential

1379
01:06:26,862 --> 01:06:30,399
to the health of the
entire marine ecosystem.

1380
01:06:31,233 --> 01:06:33,902
(water burbling)

1381
01:06:38,206 --> 01:06:40,208
- Sharks, by feeding themselves,

1382
01:06:40,242 --> 01:06:41,743
they are feeding on big fishes

1383
01:06:41,777 --> 01:06:45,414
that are themselves
fishing other small fishes.

1384
01:06:45,447 --> 01:06:48,383
And so by maintaining that
population of predators,

1385
01:06:48,417 --> 01:06:51,086
they can maintain a bigger
population of the fishes.

1386
01:06:51,119 --> 01:06:53,088
If you remove the shark,
if there are no more

1387
01:06:53,121 --> 01:06:56,358
sharks the one,
the level just below

1388
01:06:56,391 --> 01:06:59,061
will multiply and they
will eat more fishes

1389
01:06:59,094 --> 01:07:01,430
and they will, could
potentially come to

1390
01:07:01,463 --> 01:07:03,298
a collapse of the
fish population.

1391
01:07:03,331 --> 01:07:07,636
So the shark has been
hunted a lot for their fins.

1392
01:07:07,669 --> 01:07:09,771
Traditional food
that is taking fins

1393
01:07:09,805 --> 01:07:13,275
and makes fin soup,
and it's very popular.

1394
01:07:13,308 --> 01:07:17,946
They basically cut it off and
just leave the shark dying.

1395
01:07:17,979 --> 01:07:20,148
The shark population
is also declining

1396
01:07:20,182 --> 01:07:22,050
because we are
taking more fishes

1397
01:07:22,084 --> 01:07:24,586
than they can
reproduce themselves.

1398
01:07:24,619 --> 01:07:26,221
We tend to be afraid of shark,

1399
01:07:26,254 --> 01:07:29,324
but sharks are very
important in the ecosystem.

1400
01:07:29,357 --> 01:07:31,927
- [Narrator] Montel Williams
hosted a groundbreaking event

1401
01:07:31,960 --> 01:07:34,830
in the Bahamas to
educate a special envoy

1402
01:07:34,863 --> 01:07:36,932
of United Nations
representatives

1403
01:07:36,965 --> 01:07:38,967
about this essential
ocean animal.

1404
01:07:39,000 --> 01:07:40,769
- Jaws came out.

1405
01:07:40,802 --> 01:07:44,172
We take the top of the
food chain, vilify it

1406
01:07:44,206 --> 01:07:46,441
and then think that the
rest of the food chain

1407
01:07:46,475 --> 01:07:47,809
will sustain itself.

1408
01:07:47,843 --> 01:07:49,277
And we want you to
have an experience

1409
01:07:49,311 --> 01:07:51,480
over the next couple days
that's gonna blow you away

1410
01:07:51,513 --> 01:07:53,615
and make you go back
to the halls of the UN

1411
01:07:53,648 --> 01:07:56,918
and say, you know, they're
doing something here, guys.

1412
01:07:56,952 --> 01:07:58,787
In 2011, The Bahamas became

1413
01:07:58,820 --> 01:08:00,789
only the fourth
country in the world

1414
01:08:00,822 --> 01:08:02,357
to establish a shark sanctuary

1415
01:08:02,390 --> 01:08:04,993
prohibiting the commercial
fishing of sharks,

1416
01:08:05,026 --> 01:08:07,462
thus protecting the
more than 40 species

1417
01:08:07,496 --> 01:08:09,831
of the animal found
in its waters.

1418
01:08:09,865 --> 01:08:12,934
A much needed measure since
sharks face extinction

1419
01:08:12,968 --> 01:08:16,404
primarily due to overfishing
and illegal shark finning.

1420
01:08:18,306 --> 01:08:20,142
But sharks know no boundaries

1421
01:08:20,175 --> 01:08:22,010
and the need to protect them

1422
01:08:22,043 --> 01:08:24,946
goes far beyond Bahamian waters.

1423
01:08:24,980 --> 01:08:28,049
So throughout the week, the
UN delegates learned firsthand

1424
01:08:28,083 --> 01:08:30,352
about the importance
of shark preservation,

1425
01:08:30,385 --> 01:08:31,820
a win for the sharks

1426
01:08:31,853 --> 01:08:34,356
and for the countries
that protect them.

1427
01:08:34,389 --> 01:08:37,993
- A shark life can bring
a huge, huge income

1428
01:08:38,026 --> 01:08:39,861
for the economy of a country.

1429
01:08:39,895 --> 01:08:42,964
- In The Bahamas
alone, shark tourism

1430
01:08:42,998 --> 01:08:48,003
and research adds some $80
million U.S. dollars annually

1431
01:08:48,904 --> 01:08:52,174
to the national economy.

1432
01:08:52,207 --> 01:08:54,176
- [Montel] Led by Bahamas
ambassador to the UN

1433
01:08:54,209 --> 01:08:55,577
and chair of the
Shark Coalition,

1434
01:08:55,610 --> 01:08:58,213
Dr. Elliston Rahming,
delegates listened

1435
01:08:58,246 --> 01:09:01,550
as experts at the Island
School in Cape Eleuthera

1436
01:09:01,583 --> 01:09:04,219
debunked myths of the
misunderstood shark,

1437
01:09:04,252 --> 01:09:07,389
including the notion
that sharks hunt humans.

1438
01:09:07,422 --> 01:09:10,992
- You've been diving for
certain number of years?

1439
01:09:11,026 --> 01:09:12,260
- [Woman] Yes, I have.

1440
01:09:12,294 --> 01:09:13,361
- And sharks have
been all around you

1441
01:09:13,395 --> 01:09:14,996
and you've never
had an incident.

1442
01:09:15,030 --> 01:09:17,566
- They're just curious
more than anything else,

1443
01:09:17,599 --> 01:09:18,934
so they might bump you.

1444
01:09:18,967 --> 01:09:21,770
- [Montel] The truth is, shark
attacks are extremely rare,

1445
01:09:21,803 --> 01:09:24,172
yet the role the shark
plays in the ocean is vital,

1446
01:09:24,206 --> 01:09:26,408
from controlling
fish populations

1447
01:09:26,441 --> 01:09:28,543
to maintaining healthy reefs,

1448
01:09:28,577 --> 01:09:30,946
a lesson ambassadors
took to heart.

1449
01:09:30,979 --> 01:09:34,216
- Preserving the shark
preserves the ocean.

1450
01:09:35,750 --> 01:09:39,721
So the same care we take,
you know, for our land,

1451
01:09:39,754 --> 01:09:41,856
we have to become aware

1452
01:09:41,890 --> 01:09:44,426
that we must do
likewise for our seas.

1453
01:09:44,459 --> 01:09:48,063
- Protection of oceans is one
of the most important subject

1454
01:09:48,096 --> 01:09:49,564
United Nations is debating.

1455
01:09:49,598 --> 01:09:51,132
It's extremely important for us

1456
01:09:51,166 --> 01:09:52,767
actually to be well-educated.

1457
01:09:52,801 --> 01:09:54,402
- [Montel] And for these
delegates, the education

1458
01:09:54,436 --> 01:09:57,005
goes beyond the classroom
and into the ocean.

1459
01:10:00,075 --> 01:10:02,277
Next, delegates were able
to enrich their knowledge

1460
01:10:02,310 --> 01:10:04,646
by diving or snorkeling
and observing

1461
01:10:04,679 --> 01:10:07,916
the magnificent creature
in the deep water.

1462
01:10:07,949 --> 01:10:09,918
- [Woman] How was it
looking at the sharks?

1463
01:10:09,951 --> 01:10:11,486
- Really extraordinary.

1464
01:10:13,421 --> 01:10:15,824
Oh, it's wonderful,
you get addicted to it.

1465
01:10:15,857 --> 01:10:16,958
I didn't wanna come out.

1466
01:10:16,992 --> 01:10:18,159
- Great experience.

1467
01:10:18,193 --> 01:10:20,095
I did it. I jumped in the water.

1468
01:10:20,128 --> 01:10:22,063
- I went down there
with the sharks

1469
01:10:22,097 --> 01:10:25,133
because I want my
country to protect them.

1470
01:10:25,166 --> 01:10:26,501
- While there is much to learn

1471
01:10:26,534 --> 01:10:29,271
as we work to understand the
bewildering shark species,

1472
01:10:29,304 --> 01:10:32,674
what is clear is that we
must move beyond our fears

1473
01:10:32,707 --> 01:10:35,477
and learn to coexist with
this incredible creature

1474
01:10:35,510 --> 01:10:37,812
to ensure the future
of our oceans.

1475
01:10:39,714 --> 01:10:43,051
(instrumental fanfare)

1476
01:10:45,053 --> 01:10:49,024
(instrumental fanfare)

1477
01:10:49,057 --> 01:10:51,192
How fast is the ocean rising?

1478
01:10:51,226 --> 01:10:53,028
It's hard to know
for sure because the

1479
01:10:53,061 --> 01:10:54,195
rate is accelerating,

1480
01:10:54,229 --> 01:10:56,865
but current estimates
are, by 2050,

1481
01:10:56,898 --> 01:10:59,467
sea levels will rise from
three feet to six feet.

1482
01:11:02,203 --> 01:11:04,005
- There are many potentially
devastating effects

1483
01:11:04,039 --> 01:11:05,840
of rising sea levels.

1484
01:11:05,874 --> 01:11:09,110
To put it in perspective,
according to a recent study,

1485
01:11:09,144 --> 01:11:11,146
a two meter or six
foot sea level rise

1486
01:11:11,179 --> 01:11:14,449
could displace over
187 million people

1487
01:11:14,482 --> 01:11:17,018
and destroy more than half
a million square miles

1488
01:11:17,052 --> 01:11:18,987
of essential farmland.

1489
01:11:19,020 --> 01:11:21,323
- [Narrator] In the tiny
island nation of Kiribas,

1490
01:11:21,356 --> 01:11:23,625
the residents are
facing rising sea levels

1491
01:11:23,658 --> 01:11:26,194
never experienced
by their ancestors.

1492
01:11:26,227 --> 01:11:28,330
- My first house
is in the water.

1493
01:11:28,363 --> 01:11:32,367
My second house is
also in the water.

1494
01:11:32,400 --> 01:11:37,405
And then my last house was
here, just on the beach here.

1495
01:11:40,041 --> 01:11:41,576
- [Man] Where do you live now?

1496
01:11:41,609 --> 01:11:46,614
- Now I live inland,

1497
01:11:47,849 --> 01:11:49,217
just to move away
from the ocean side.

1498
01:11:52,620 --> 01:11:53,922
- I'm afraid.

1499
01:11:53,955 --> 01:11:56,191
What about our future,
even our children?

1500
01:11:56,224 --> 01:12:00,562
What is the future of our
children, our grandchildren?

1501
01:12:01,763 --> 01:12:02,597
So sad.

1502
01:12:04,232 --> 01:12:07,202
- [Narrator] Why is Kiribas
being swallowed up by the ocean?

1503
01:12:07,235 --> 01:12:09,537
Again, it's all because
of global warming

1504
01:12:09,571 --> 01:12:12,107
caused by the burning
of fossil fuels.

1505
01:12:12,140 --> 01:12:15,377
As the ocean's temperature goes
up, the warmer water expands

1506
01:12:15,410 --> 01:12:18,613
and takes up more space, and
the polar ice is melting,

1507
01:12:18,646 --> 01:12:20,482
adding more water to the ocean.

1508
01:12:22,050 --> 01:12:26,454
This is Antarctica, containing
over 90% of the world's ice,

1509
01:12:26,488 --> 01:12:30,091
but the ice has gotten
thinner over the last 25 years

1510
01:12:30,125 --> 01:12:33,194
and all that added water
has brought up sea levels,

1511
01:12:33,228 --> 01:12:35,130
and the melting is accelerating

1512
01:12:35,163 --> 01:12:37,065
and could become even faster.

1513
01:12:37,098 --> 01:12:39,100
One of the most
important tipping points

1514
01:12:39,134 --> 01:12:42,036
is the leading edge of
the Thwaites Glacier,

1515
01:12:42,070 --> 01:12:45,039
a giant ice formation with
a frightening nickname,

1516
01:12:45,073 --> 01:12:46,674
the Doomsday Glacier

1517
01:12:48,176 --> 01:12:51,946
- Thwaites is called the
Doomsday Glacier because

1518
01:12:51,980 --> 01:12:55,216
if this glacier
completely retreats,

1519
01:12:55,250 --> 01:12:59,421
the world's oceans go up
by 60 centimeters at least.

1520
01:12:59,454 --> 01:13:03,091
But if this system
really does collapse,

1521
01:13:03,124 --> 01:13:06,161
we're more likely gonna
look at a couple of meters

1522
01:13:06,194 --> 01:13:09,431
of sea level rise,
and that's scary.

1523
01:13:11,466 --> 01:13:13,101
- [Narrator] While
that specific scenario

1524
01:13:13,134 --> 01:13:14,469
sounds frightening enough,

1525
01:13:14,502 --> 01:13:17,472
what seems to concern
many scientists the most

1526
01:13:17,505 --> 01:13:19,674
is three degrees.

1527
01:13:19,707 --> 01:13:22,444
Now that might sound
insignificant, but it's not.

1528
01:13:22,477 --> 01:13:24,446
It is the three degrees Celsius

1529
01:13:24,479 --> 01:13:26,247
average global temperature rise

1530
01:13:26,281 --> 01:13:30,084
we're on track to hit
unless we do something fast.

1531
01:13:30,118 --> 01:13:32,921
- If you have three degrees more

1532
01:13:32,954 --> 01:13:34,989
as compared to
preindustrial level,

1533
01:13:35,023 --> 01:13:37,125
we are heading to, that's
where we are heading to

1534
01:13:37,158 --> 01:13:39,127
if we don't make more efforts.

1535
01:13:39,160 --> 01:13:41,296
Then, we are talking
about seven meters more.

1536
01:13:41,329 --> 01:13:44,899
Imagine New York, imagine Miami.

1537
01:13:46,234 --> 01:13:48,603
Imagine all the
small islands states

1538
01:13:48,636 --> 01:13:52,207
where some of the point is at
1.4 meters above sea level.

1539
01:13:52,240 --> 01:13:53,541
That's all gone.

1540
01:13:53,575 --> 01:13:55,143
- [Narrator] It's not
just the ice in AntArctica

1541
01:13:55,176 --> 01:13:56,211
that we have to worry about.

1542
01:13:56,244 --> 01:13:57,445
On the other side of the earth,

1543
01:13:57,479 --> 01:14:00,281
the Arctic is also
in a critical state.

1544
01:14:00,315 --> 01:14:03,518
Monaco's Prince Albert II
has been sounding the alarm

1545
01:14:03,551 --> 01:14:04,819
for years.

1546
01:14:04,853 --> 01:14:07,722
Back in 2005, he led an
expedition to document

1547
01:14:07,755 --> 01:14:09,657
the rapid loss of Arctic ice.

1548
01:14:09,691 --> 01:14:12,293
He returned to the exact
spot where his grandfather

1549
01:14:12,327 --> 01:14:15,063
had stood 100 years before.

1550
01:14:15,096 --> 01:14:17,332
Using a photo taken on
his grandfather's visit,

1551
01:14:17,365 --> 01:14:19,033
the scientists were shocked

1552
01:14:19,067 --> 01:14:22,303
by the graphic proof they
saw with their own eyes.

1553
01:14:22,337 --> 01:14:24,205
- Exactly. And right
now, it looks like

1554
01:14:24,239 --> 01:14:26,241
it's more like 30,
40 meters height.

1555
01:14:26,274 --> 01:14:27,075
- Yeah.

1556
01:14:29,210 --> 01:14:32,213
- So that is significant there.

1557
01:14:32,247 --> 01:14:34,716
- The glacier has
receded, you know,

1558
01:14:34,749 --> 01:14:39,354
anywhere from three
to six kilometers.

1559
01:14:39,387 --> 01:14:42,023
It's just mind boggling.

1560
01:14:42,056 --> 01:14:44,225
And the picture from
a hundred years ago

1561
01:14:44,259 --> 01:14:48,429
is extremely clear
and some specialists

1562
01:14:48,463 --> 01:14:50,932
even here in Norway had
never seen that picture.

1563
01:14:50,965 --> 01:14:55,570
And to be able to use
that, first of all,

1564
01:14:55,603 --> 01:14:56,738
makes me very proud.

1565
01:14:57,906 --> 01:14:59,374
- [Narrator] Since
then, the loss of ice

1566
01:14:59,407 --> 01:15:01,276
has even accelerated.

1567
01:15:01,309 --> 01:15:04,679
This NASA graphic shows
the shrinking Arctic ice

1568
01:15:04,712 --> 01:15:08,449
over from 1984 to 2018.

1569
01:15:08,483 --> 01:15:10,385
The difference is striking.

1570
01:15:10,418 --> 01:15:14,455
By 2050, Arctic sea ice
may disappear altogether

1571
01:15:14,489 --> 01:15:16,090
during the summer months.

1572
01:15:16,124 --> 01:15:18,893
Many animals depend
directly on sea ice.

1573
01:15:18,927 --> 01:15:21,796
Polar bears for instance,
hunt seals from the ice

1574
01:15:21,829 --> 01:15:24,232
and gain most of their
weight in winter,

1575
01:15:24,265 --> 01:15:26,935
but with the ice declining
and breaking up earlier,

1576
01:15:26,968 --> 01:15:28,703
bears have less time to hunt.

1577
01:15:28,736 --> 01:15:30,371
Because their
habitat is melting,

1578
01:15:30,405 --> 01:15:32,273
polar bears and
other Arctic life

1579
01:15:32,307 --> 01:15:35,276
are in danger of extinction
in the near future.

1580
01:15:35,310 --> 01:15:40,315
The melting of the Arctic ice
also adds to sea level rise.

1581
01:15:40,348 --> 01:15:42,750
- The iceberg and
the floating sea ice

1582
01:15:42,784 --> 01:15:46,454
is not contributing
directly to the increase

1583
01:15:46,487 --> 01:15:50,224
of sea level rise, but
indirectly it is so

1584
01:15:50,258 --> 01:15:53,494
because the whiteness
of the Arctic sea ice

1585
01:15:53,528 --> 01:15:55,730
is reflecting the sunrise.

1586
01:15:55,763 --> 01:15:57,832
When you remove
the Arctic sea ice,

1587
01:15:57,865 --> 01:16:00,401
the water is absorbing the heat.

1588
01:16:00,435 --> 01:16:02,136
And then through
thermal expansion,

1589
01:16:02,170 --> 01:16:03,805
you are back to this
thermal expansion,

1590
01:16:03,838 --> 01:16:06,107
so indirectly, it is
still contributing.

1591
01:16:06,140 --> 01:16:07,742
- [Narrator] The Arctic
is actually warming

1592
01:16:07,775 --> 01:16:10,612
four times as fast as
the rest of the planet.

1593
01:16:10,645 --> 01:16:12,080
On the other end of the earth,

1594
01:16:12,113 --> 01:16:15,817
Antarctica is also experiencing
accelerating warming.

1595
01:16:15,850 --> 01:16:18,920
The higher temperatures at the
poles and in the polar oceans

1596
01:16:18,953 --> 01:16:21,656
spell big problems for
the rest of the planet,

1597
01:16:21,689 --> 01:16:24,826
and not only because they
are raising sea levels.

1598
01:16:24,859 --> 01:16:27,662
- The ocean is probably
the most important element

1599
01:16:27,695 --> 01:16:29,163
of the climate system.

1600
01:16:29,197 --> 01:16:32,700
In fact, the ocean is basically
the planet's thermostat.

1601
01:16:32,734 --> 01:16:34,869
- [Narrator] The ocean can
perform this essential role

1602
01:16:34,902 --> 01:16:38,172
because rather than being
a still body of water,

1603
01:16:38,206 --> 01:16:40,808
it is a constantly
moving system.

1604
01:16:40,842 --> 01:16:42,844
In much the same way
that heat is transferred

1605
01:16:42,877 --> 01:16:45,480
around your home
through pipes or ducts,

1606
01:16:45,513 --> 01:16:46,981
the ocean moves heat around

1607
01:16:47,015 --> 01:16:49,384
using a system of
ocean currents.

1608
01:16:49,417 --> 01:16:52,487
It's known as the
ocean conveyor.

1609
01:16:52,520 --> 01:16:53,688
In a home heating system,

1610
01:16:53,721 --> 01:16:56,824
the circulation is accomplished
by a fan or a pump.

1611
01:16:56,858 --> 01:16:59,127
Ocean currents are
driven by two things:

1612
01:16:59,160 --> 01:17:01,496
temperature and salinity.

1613
01:17:01,529 --> 01:17:02,997
The concept is simple.

1614
01:17:03,031 --> 01:17:05,166
Denser water sinks.

1615
01:17:05,199 --> 01:17:07,835
The colder the water is
and the saltier it is,

1616
01:17:07,869 --> 01:17:10,038
the more dense it becomes.

1617
01:17:10,071 --> 01:17:12,407
Denser waters from
the polar oceans sink

1618
01:17:12,440 --> 01:17:15,410
and flow southward
toward the equator.

1619
01:17:15,443 --> 01:17:18,646
Warm surface waters from the
tropics are drawn northward

1620
01:17:18,680 --> 01:17:21,015
and keep the conveyor moving.

1621
01:17:22,216 --> 01:17:24,419
The problem is that
now at the poles,

1622
01:17:24,452 --> 01:17:27,488
the seawater is warming
and the polar ice

1623
01:17:27,522 --> 01:17:31,192
made of freshwater is melting
and mixing into the ocean,

1624
01:17:31,225 --> 01:17:33,428
causing it to be less salty.

1625
01:17:33,461 --> 01:17:36,397
These two things are reducing
the ability of the conveyor

1626
01:17:36,431 --> 01:17:38,833
to drive the ocean currents.

1627
01:17:38,866 --> 01:17:42,503
One well-known current
within the ocean conveyor

1628
01:17:42,537 --> 01:17:44,872
is called the Gulf Stream.

1629
01:17:44,906 --> 01:17:47,675
- The Gulf Stream, it
starts in the Gulf of Mexico

1630
01:17:47,709 --> 01:17:49,877
and there's a place where
we've got lots of heat,

1631
01:17:49,911 --> 01:17:54,849
and that current is
migrating north eastward

1632
01:17:54,882 --> 01:17:58,419
up to England and way higher.

1633
01:17:58,453 --> 01:18:02,757
And then the water is going
down because it's getting colder

1634
01:18:02,790 --> 01:18:05,359
close to the Greenland
and then sinking.

1635
01:18:05,393 --> 01:18:07,929
And that sinking is
enabling that circulation.

1636
01:18:07,962 --> 01:18:12,300
- Which actually explains
why this northernmost part

1637
01:18:12,333 --> 01:18:15,970
of Europe remains ice free even
in the middle of the winter.

1638
01:18:16,003 --> 01:18:17,872
- [Narrator] Now as
the Arctic is warming,

1639
01:18:17,905 --> 01:18:20,408
the Earth's temperature
differential becomes less.

1640
01:18:20,441 --> 01:18:22,577
- Because the poles
have become warmer

1641
01:18:22,610 --> 01:18:24,912
and even moreso
than the tropics.

1642
01:18:24,946 --> 01:18:27,615
So you need to
transfer less heat

1643
01:18:27,648 --> 01:18:29,550
to balance these two systems.

1644
01:18:29,584 --> 01:18:32,053
And of course, this
means that ultimately,

1645
01:18:32,086 --> 01:18:33,421
the Gulf Stream in
the North Atlantic

1646
01:18:33,454 --> 01:18:37,492
and the other ocean currents
can start slowing down.

1647
01:18:37,525 --> 01:18:40,428
- It means that it will be
warmer in the United States

1648
01:18:40,461 --> 01:18:43,164
and cooler in Europe,
but way cooler.

1649
01:18:43,197 --> 01:18:45,399
- [Narrator] The Gulf Stream
is part of what is called

1650
01:18:45,433 --> 01:18:49,904
the Atlantic Meridional
Overturning Circulation, AMOC.

1651
01:18:49,937 --> 01:18:53,574
And we now believe it may be
approaching a tipping point.

1652
01:18:53,608 --> 01:18:56,511
- I mean, there's this, I
guess by now famous saying

1653
01:18:56,544 --> 01:19:00,448
that climate has always
changed for the earth

1654
01:19:00,481 --> 01:19:02,450
or on Earth, and that is true.

1655
01:19:02,483 --> 01:19:06,754
But the AMOC has been stable
for a very, very long time.

1656
01:19:06,788 --> 01:19:09,757
And in that sense, we
humans are adapted to it

1657
01:19:09,791 --> 01:19:13,494
but not what just we humans,
like the whole marine ecosystem

1658
01:19:13,528 --> 01:19:17,665
of the Atlantic is adapted
to the current being there.

1659
01:19:17,698 --> 01:19:20,134
We know if it gets weaker,

1660
01:19:20,168 --> 01:19:23,137
this could enhance
the sea level rise

1661
01:19:23,171 --> 01:19:27,308
at U.S. East Coast cities
like New York or Boston.

1662
01:19:27,341 --> 01:19:30,444
A weaker AMOC is linked
to enhanced storminess

1663
01:19:30,478 --> 01:19:31,779
over the North Atlantic,

1664
01:19:31,813 --> 01:19:36,050
so this could worsen winter
storms for Northwestern Europe.

1665
01:19:36,083 --> 01:19:39,187
There also seem to
be links to the AMOC

1666
01:19:39,220 --> 01:19:41,489
and the position
of weather patterns

1667
01:19:41,522 --> 01:19:43,157
in the northern hemisphere.

1668
01:19:43,191 --> 01:19:45,126
Once we cross this
tipping point,

1669
01:19:45,159 --> 01:19:48,629
there is no going back for
a very, very long time.

1670
01:19:48,663 --> 01:19:51,999
(instrumental fanfare)

1671
01:19:54,435 --> 01:19:57,505
(instrumental fanfare)

1672
01:19:58,739 --> 01:20:01,008
- How is the ocean
able to produce

1673
01:20:01,042 --> 01:20:04,679
over half of the
oxygen we breathe?

1674
01:20:04,712 --> 01:20:07,982
Well, the answer lies in
marine photosynthesis.

1675
01:20:08,015 --> 01:20:11,986
From long kelp strands
down to microscopic algae

1676
01:20:12,019 --> 01:20:15,323
and even some bacteria
that can photosynthesize,

1677
01:20:15,356 --> 01:20:20,261
the ocean is full of life that
creates life giving oxygen.

1678
01:20:20,294 --> 01:20:23,464
So with every breath you
take, thank the ocean.

1679
01:20:26,534 --> 01:20:28,736
- As I said at the
beginning of this program,

1680
01:20:28,769 --> 01:20:30,004
the greatest threat to the ocean

1681
01:20:30,037 --> 01:20:32,673
is the lack of awareness
of its vital importance.

1682
01:20:32,707 --> 01:20:36,210
The only way we can fight
that is through education.

1683
01:20:37,745 --> 01:20:40,114
- People here, they have
a big gap of information.

1684
01:20:40,147 --> 01:20:42,116
They don't know much
about climate change.

1685
01:20:42,149 --> 01:20:45,920
- The question now is, who
believe in climate change?

1686
01:20:45,953 --> 01:20:47,622
Hands up, high, high, high.

1687
01:20:47,655 --> 01:20:49,557
Hands up, hands up.

1688
01:20:49,590 --> 01:20:53,127
- If you try to explain to
someone here who's, you know,

1689
01:20:53,160 --> 01:20:55,363
like, lived in this
environment their whole life

1690
01:20:55,396 --> 01:20:59,267
that giant icebergs are melting,

1691
01:20:59,300 --> 01:21:01,802
it's not something
they can really picture

1692
01:21:01,836 --> 01:21:04,572
because, you know,
it's an iceberg.

1693
01:21:04,605 --> 01:21:05,907
There's no icebergs here

1694
01:21:05,940 --> 01:21:08,442
and it's hard to imagine
the magnitude of an iceberg

1695
01:21:08,476 --> 01:21:10,945
when you're on an
island that's so small.

1696
01:21:10,978 --> 01:21:12,747
- [Narrator] First of
all, we must realize

1697
01:21:12,780 --> 01:21:14,382
that every one of
us on the planet

1698
01:21:14,415 --> 01:21:16,817
will suffer the consequences
of this problem.

1699
01:21:19,520 --> 01:21:21,322
- I think what the world
has got to understand

1700
01:21:21,355 --> 01:21:23,724
is we would be the
first of the people

1701
01:21:23,758 --> 01:21:26,127
who would be
dislocated as a result

1702
01:21:26,160 --> 01:21:28,095
of what is happening
on climate change.

1703
01:21:28,129 --> 01:21:30,731
But I can guarantee you,
we will not be the last.

1704
01:21:30,765 --> 01:21:34,635
- Then we must recognize that
it will take every one of us

1705
01:21:34,669 --> 01:21:35,636
to solve it.

1706
01:21:36,604 --> 01:21:39,807
Like Mary, Boyan, Ben, Crystal

1707
01:21:39,840 --> 01:21:41,943
and so many others
in this program,

1708
01:21:41,976 --> 01:21:44,478
we should do what
we can on our own

1709
01:21:44,512 --> 01:21:47,114
and let our words,
actions and energy

1710
01:21:47,148 --> 01:21:49,750
build the momentum
for change we need

1711
01:21:49,784 --> 01:21:52,486
throughout our communities
and governments,

1712
01:21:52,520 --> 01:21:55,756
in our own country and
throughout the world.

1713
01:21:55,790 --> 01:21:57,191
- We know the solutions.

1714
01:21:57,224 --> 01:21:59,260
We have a set of
solutions that are there.

1715
01:21:59,293 --> 01:22:02,663
It's not that we are going
to go back in caveman time.

1716
01:22:02,697 --> 01:22:06,834
It just takes a transformation
of our industry.

1717
01:22:06,867 --> 01:22:07,969
We should, for example,

1718
01:22:08,002 --> 01:22:10,705
stop subsidizing
the fishing industry

1719
01:22:10,738 --> 01:22:13,808
so that the fleet
will be reduced.

1720
01:22:13,841 --> 01:22:16,811
We should, of course, reduce
our consumption of fishes

1721
01:22:16,844 --> 01:22:20,314
and get more protein
from vegetables.

1722
01:22:20,348 --> 01:22:23,784
We should move into
renewable energies.

1723
01:22:23,818 --> 01:22:26,387
Business could take
on those solutions

1724
01:22:26,420 --> 01:22:28,522
and make a profitable economy.

1725
01:22:28,556 --> 01:22:31,692
But what is needed is this
transition from this old economy

1726
01:22:31,726 --> 01:22:35,196
that has invested so
much on fossil fuel

1727
01:22:35,229 --> 01:22:36,630
and do not want to change,

1728
01:22:36,664 --> 01:22:39,400
into this new era
of renewable energy.

1729
01:22:39,433 --> 01:22:41,402
- [Narrator] Education
will be the driving force

1730
01:22:41,435 --> 01:22:43,904
that moves the world
to that new economy

1731
01:22:43,938 --> 01:22:46,707
and the new paradigm
of protecting the ocean

1732
01:22:46,741 --> 01:22:48,843
instead of just taking from it.

1733
01:22:48,876 --> 01:22:52,813
And the facts are clear.
We must do it now.

1734
01:22:52,847 --> 01:22:56,217
It was the uniquely human
capability for problem solving

1735
01:22:56,250 --> 01:22:59,553
that brought us from cave
dwellers to where we are today,

1736
01:22:59,587 --> 01:23:02,356
and that is what we
must rely on to solve

1737
01:23:02,390 --> 01:23:05,860
the massive environmental
challenges that we now face.

1738
01:23:05,893 --> 01:23:07,728
- The solution is
in our hands, right?

1739
01:23:07,762 --> 01:23:10,031
We need to change
our habit on land.

1740
01:23:10,064 --> 01:23:11,832
We need to change our behavior

1741
01:23:11,866 --> 01:23:15,936
because that impacts directly
the state of the ocean.

1742
01:23:15,970 --> 01:23:20,107
- I remain optimistic
because of the success

1743
01:23:20,141 --> 01:23:25,146
of our efforts and because
of all the wonderful people

1744
01:23:26,747 --> 01:23:30,718
and the joy that they get by
being part of this solution.

1745
01:23:31,786 --> 01:23:32,853
- [Boyan] Now, we can do this.

1746
01:23:32,887 --> 01:23:34,221
We have the technologies
to solve it.

1747
01:23:34,255 --> 01:23:36,323
I'm pretty sure that
it's going to happen.

1748
01:23:41,395 --> 01:23:43,798
- As human beings, we are
fortunate to have inherited

1749
01:23:43,831 --> 01:23:46,734
this amazing planet
with its wondrous ocean.

1750
01:23:46,767 --> 01:23:49,203
We must act now
before it is too late

1751
01:23:49,236 --> 01:23:51,772
and put all our
energy and creativity

1752
01:23:51,806 --> 01:23:54,809
toward preserving it for
ourselves and our future.

1753
01:23:55,943 --> 01:23:57,278
Thank you for joining us.

1754
01:23:58,779 --> 01:24:02,583
(dramatic instrumental music)