Eco anxiety

Climate change is severely affecting people and nature, with a shrinking window of time to prevent planetary tipping points. As we wake up to the depth and breadth of the crisis, many of us are experiencing a phenomenon called “eco-anxiety.” How can we channel our climate anxiety into action, and help others do the same?

Fredy Guardia is a 75-year-old fisherman and poet. For six decades, he has taken his boat out on the ocean near Lima, Peru, to bring home the daily catch—to Sonia, his wife and partner in one of the city’s best-loved ceviche restaurants. “Home at Dawn” is Guardia’s meditation on a life at sea, the power of memory, and the tragedy of dwindling ocean resources. / Film by Guille Isa and Billy Silva Reddington

In this episode of The Living Ocean series, we dive into the vibrant world of coral reefs. Discover the importance of these underwater ecosystems and the diverse array of marine life that call them home, and learn about the threats facing coral reefs today — and what we can do to protect them for future generations.

4 reasons to add your name to a petition today to help save the planet

Farming under the sea? Meet Bren Smith, the ocean farming pioneer whose vertical kelp and shellfish farms can transform the way food is produced. As a commercial fisherman, Bren’s career was nearly wrecked by the crashing cod stocks in the North Atlantic; he then turned to oyster farming, just in time for catastrophic, climate-driven storms to show him there wasn’t a solid future in that, either. Unwilling to tether himself to land, he took the hard lessons learned and returned to the sea with a new method of restorative ocean farming. What he discovered is a way to produce large quantities of nutritious food that fights the climate crisis, cleans the ocean, creates aquatic habitat, and sustains his sea-going way of life.

Whether you’ve just started out or are a seasoned environmentalist, there’s always something new to learn about protecting the ocean’s extraordinary creatures.

A 2018 Ocean Heroes Bootcamp Champion, Dyson Chee goes into schools to raise awareness of the issues of a plastic-filled ocean. Here he shares his experience of helping successfully pass Bill 40, a landmark comprehensive ban on single-use plastics in his home state of Hawai‘i.

Underwater, landscape, and travel photographer Kelsey Williamson — who is based on the island of Oahu, Hawaii — is passionate about raising awareness of ocean issues. She spoke to us about ways people can help stop plastic from flowing into our ocean.

For Nikita Shiel-Rolle, science is a tool we can use to advance climate solutions and social justice. Through her work with the Cat Island community, she is helping Bahamians learn to fall in love with themselves through the lens of the ocean.

Alannah Vellacott is a Bahamian marine ecologist who has spent the past decade working in ocean research, conservation, and education in the Bahamas and the Caribbean. Currently, she is the Coral Restoration Specialist at Coral Vita and a member of Diving With a Purpose.

Katie Storr is a Bahamian photographer, PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer, and coral conservationist based in Nassau who is seeking to protect the Bahamas’ bountiful reefs for generations to come. Through her photos, she strives to connect people who have never been beneath the waves to the vital importance of preserving marine biodiversity and coral health.

Niel Leadon is a Bahamian writer, conservationist, and photographer based in Nassau who operates at the nexus of creative storytelling and cultural representation. Through his conservation writing and photography, he unpacks hot-button social issues like white supremacy, the climate movement, and Black LGBTQ+ representation.

At the intersection of equity and environmentalism, the organization Queer Surf Club is ensuring that people of all identities are being invited into the ocean, knowing it will take full inclusion to save our seas.

For Argentine photographer and filmmaker Camila Torres, living within touching distance of the ocean is what gives her peace. She spoke to us about her determination to free our seas from plastic.