we live
on this incredible unfamiliar blue
planet
the ocean is this magical complex
beautiful place
but almost nobody sees it
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the ocean protects us it feeds us
yet few can see how beautiful and
powerful that it can be
what we don't see we don't connect with
so we need to look so that we can change
that
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the diversity of life in the ocean is
like
no terrestrial place on earth
biodiversity is the collection of life
in all its shapes and forms
we depend on biodiversity for clean
water and air for food and medicine
and for the overall resilience of our
planet
at the heart of all of this diversity in
the ocean is one of the most amazing
ecosystems
on our planet coral reefs
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when you look at a coral reef what you
see is
really cathedral-like it's a huge
structure
corals they compete for space so they
grow
side by side one on top of the other
that now creates space for other
organisms to live in
sadly biodiversity in our oceans is
declining
rapidly we're losing species before we
even discover them
on coral reefs higher than normal ocean
temperatures are causing the corals
to turn white and die
sustained high temperatures stress out
the coral animals enough to expel their
symbionts
which are a type of specialized algae
that
live in the coral tissues and provide
food for their coral host
when these algae are gone you can see
through the clear
coral animals to their white calcium
carbonate skeleton
hence the term bleaching
so the major threats to coral reefs are
those associated with climate change
and so the responsibility to protect
coral reefs is not limited to the people
that live right beside them
we need to raise our voices for more
sustainable practice
and walk the talk when it comes to our
individual choices regarding
sustainability as consumers
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scientists have been carefully observing
coral reefs for decades
these ongoing monitoring programs have
measured
dramatic declines living coral cover has
decreased by about 50 percent
in the last 50 years
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much of this change occurred during the
global bleaching event
from 2015 to 2017 which was
unprecedented in scale and severity
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so for me as a scientist witnessing
first hand the coral bleaching in 2016
was
really life-changing but it wasn't until
i saw it with my own eyes
being out at sea and traveling hundreds
of miles every day
and seeing the same image of devastation
time after time
that's when it really hit home how
disastrous this event really was
what people need to know is they are a
part of nature
and as part of nature they depend on
coral reefs
education is everything and we failed to
educate people
that they are deeply indebted
what i find most hopeful is our youth
and their position towards climate
change
while many of our national leaders still
choose to conveniently ignore the harsh
realities of climate change
young people generally seem to get the
issue accept it as a fact
and want to tackle this global threat
the ocean is something that can protect
itself it just doesn't have a voice
i think the thing that gives me the most
hope
for the future and for our planet
is the expansion of the global movement
it's really beautiful to see these kids
completely transform
and get ready to take on these global
problems
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coral reefs are miraculous places
life in these ecosystems can reproduce
and persevere in amazing ways
corals can replenish themselves
through mass spawning events
each year when billions of gametes
are released after sunset and around the
full moon
the resulting larvae can drift with the
water
to settle and grow new corals
on degraded reefs
there's tremendous healing power that's
built into the
genetics and to the evolution of coral
reefs and if we give them half a chance
they can recover
the ocean grants you that kind of
magical feeling
that the land cannot really offer you
if we take it in a romantic way
the ocean is it's going to remain
my first love
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when you see the beauty and magic of the
ocean as closely
how could you not want to protect it
well i truly believe that the ocean
doesn't divide us that it's a
way of connecting all of us
it's not too big a problem and we can
solve it
we've managed systems from the brink of
extinction
we can do anything we just have to allow
ourselves to
begin and get busy you and i start today
that will make a difference and if we
talk to 10 other people
who will start today that will make a
difference
we will and we can start a movement
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there's so much magic on this blue
planet
you just have to look for it and take
people
along with you the ocean's too good not
to share
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[Applause]
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you