June 8, 2023

Like Earth Day in April, we have a day for the Ocean in June.

One Day.

I have a few journalists call me up to ask if we have a anything special planned for World Ocean Day.

I am not a big advocate for either Earth Day or Ocean Day.

I spend 365 days a year working to defend and protect the planet and the Ocean, so I am not doing anything special except:

Heading to Iceland to defend endangered Fin whales.

Our Ocean is dying. Since 1950 we have lost some 40% of the phytoplankton in the sea and these tiny aquatic plants produce up to 70% of the oxygen in the air we breathe, and sequester enormous amounts of CO2.

This one fact is the most serious threat to survival of life on this planet.

We do not live on a planet with a dead ocean and the ocean cannot support life, diversity and interdependence without phytoplankton.

Which means that when the Ocean dies, we all die!

Back in 2015 I was invited to speak at World Ocean Day at the United Nations. After that speech, I was told that I would never be welcomed back to speak at World Ocean Day at the UN again.

Why? Because the major sponsor for World Ocean Day was the Nippon Foundation and they were not very happy with my criticisms of Japanese whaling.

Just like Coke bought out COP 26 in Egypt, the Nippon Foundation had bought out the United Nations.

This is however a day for non-profits to ask for donations and to sell merchandise, so I guess I will hop on the band wagon as my ship heads northward towards Icelandic waters.

So, I guess this would be a good day I suppose to push two of my books. Urgent! Save Our Ocean to Survive Climate Change and my children’s book, We Are The Ocean. http://bit.ly/43LrIF0