I voraciously pursue information and knowledge; I love history and spend a lot of time learning and understanding about the past - it helps make sense of the present - but I look for knowledge and understanding across a vast array of topics. I read a lot, am very proud of my personal library that could only be described as extensive, however I watch documentaries also.
Today I want to highlight one I recently watched that surprised and horrified me and which further cemented a long-held belief that humanity are destined for ultimate failure.
The documentary is called Seaspiracy (available on Netflix) and is about the ocean - it covers many issues and highlights fallacies and misperceptions, conspiracies and...well, I guess if you're interested you'll watch it and see for yourself.
Let me drop a few facts below though:
- Oceans hold around 80% of all life on Earth.
- Oceans absorb four times more carbon dioxide than the Amazon rainforest.
- Whales are pivotal to phytoplankton fertilisation.
- Around 85% of our oxygen comes from phytoplankton.
- The great Pacific garbage patch (plastic) is 1.6 million sq. kilometres in size.
- Around 50% of that plastic garbage is fishing gear, lines and nets.
- Commercial fishing sets enough long-line for fishing each day to wrap around the planet 500 times.
- 11,000 to 30,000 sharks are killed every hour opposed to the 10 or so humans sharks kill per year. Sharks keep the ocean clean.
- Some 40% of marine life pulled in by commercial fishing each year is thrown overboard as by-catch (unwanted species).
- Dolphin friendly labels on tuna fish cans are not accurate.
- 300,000+ dolphins, porpoises and whales are killed as by-catch yearly.
- Annually 1,000 sea turtles are killed by plastic but 250,000 are captured, injured or killed by commercial fishing in the USA alone.
- Studies show the oceans will be virtually empty by 2048.
These are just some of the facts researched and outlined in the documentary and should be confronting to every one...but context will be needed...which you'll get by watching the ninety minute documentary - The thing is that one element leads to another, dominoes falling so to speak.
There's much more revealed in the documentary like how a halibut fisherman would bring in about 1.2 tonnes per day in 1830 and these days (even with modern fishing techniques) it's about 1.2 tonnes a year because the population is decimated and on the verge of extinction...but the fishing of them continues. Eradicating a species from the food chain and a delicate ecosystem has implications for the entire ecosystem (and planet usually), like sharks or whales for instance. It's untenable.
As I said, there's much to unpack from the documentary; you'll see if you watch it.
It was a confronting documentary for many reasons such as how commercial fishing is destroying the oceans (and the planet), how commercial enterprise supports and thrives from that destruction with impunity whilst fabricating concepts like dolphin friendly tuna fish can labels to make them look responsible, and how governments lie and deceive about ocean conservation zones and so much more. You know, only 0.5% of the oceans of the world are conserved form commercial fishing; unsustainable and reprehensible.
Look folks, I know people have to eat and that's something I was left thinking about...the population of humans on the Earth and how it's unsustainable. Yes, I believe there's too many people, I'm not afraid to say it.
Ok, so we fish-out the oceans - we'll just eat food from the land right? But meanwhile we are busy with deforestation and covering the land with concrete, cities for people to live in...is it feasible to think the world could survive without harvesting from the sea and that we won't simply over-use the land to compensate? We better learn fast I think, the implications of not doing so won't go so well for humanity. And that's not even to mention the carbon dioxide absorption/oxygen issue.
Oh, and for those who suggest we eat insects or only eat plant life...great...until there's no insects or plant life left either. Overuse of something is never going to work well, it's unsustainable.
Countries make a huge issue of banning plastic straws when commercial fishing is causing so much damage, companies make tuna can labels but continue to throw unwanted species caught in commercial fishing back into the ocean (they're not alive when thrown back folks), lay waste to the seabed with drag-net fishing nets and a multitude of other evils...it's take take take, and that is not sustainable.
It's not for me to list everything here especially considering the ninety minute documentary will give you the facts (and images) of the reality of the situation. My recommendation is you watch it, ninety minutes of your day, and see for yourself.
You can find out how to get more information at the Seaspiracy website here if you would like to investigate a little more deeply and get the latest news, events or updates.
I'm not a scientist so have not done the research on the things I've seen in this documentary but with the (limited) understanding I have gained through reading and other means I feel I'm somewhat qualified to have an opinion, which is that human beings since around the 1850's (and possibly even earlier) have been overusing the planet's resources, behaving irresponsibly and greedily without care for the future, and with relative impunity, money talks right?...also, that it cannot continue unabated without serious ramifications. People may say, humans have to eat, that is of course a known fact but emptying the oceans and dropping the forests without a thought to how that impacts the future is unsustainable and there will be a reckoning.
Whether you agree or not doesn't matter, whether I am right or not is inconsequential...time will reveal the truth of the matter - maybe this generation or maybe the next will see it and have to deal with it - make no mistake though, humans will find out in years to come what we have done to our planet.
If you have any thoughts or comments please leave them below and if you happen to watch the documentary and want to comment on it specifically please do so below or write your own post.
Design and create your ideal life, tomorrow isn't promised - galenkp
[Original and AI free]
All images in this post were taken by me - Cairns Aquarium, Queensland, Australia
Those are some staggering numbers... See I try to lessen my carbon foot print everywhere I go but with life it's hard... Because buying a pair of shoes adds more to environmental damage than a whole tank of gas.... Also everything one buys at shops adds to that contribution....
We have a problem, a dire one but no one seems to care... Although they will care soon enough, when the oceans run dry, the air becomes harder to breath and when it comes it'll be too late to react.
Honestly I think earth can do without us for a thousand years! Imagine how big the forests will grow 😳 I wish I could live to see that 😂
It's a massive problem for sure and the scenarios (like the shoes/gas thing you mention) are extremely confronting. You also comment on something I believe to be the way forward, that is, no humans. and to be honest I believe it will happen. I mean, how can it not the way we burn through the planet's resources, destroy its fauna and flora and treat it like a garbage bin?
Seeing the numbers, watching the footage on that documentary...confronting and it's difficult to see it as anything but unsustainable.
As you say, we'll be gone...but I think people alive today will, in their lifetimes, begin to see the decline...or should I say suffer the decline. The latter I think.
The thing is there will always be a few humans surviving, always. That's our base instinct right. 😂 But even if everything is can reset.
We are really destroying our planet and take a look at our barbarism throughout the world. Look at how we are behaving towards genders... And the fact that we allow people to believe stupid shit.
Anyways I'm straying off topic.
I've watched a film called The 11th Hour a few years back and that really opened up my eyes. I do want to watch night on earth and I know Netflix has a few ocean documentaries they have tucked away. But every time I find myself drawn to World War 2 documentaries.
What you said about sustainability, it's not impossible for us to go sustainable. Especially with the technology we have.... The industrial age was the mark of a horrible decline in earth's atmosphere but from that better was born. We wouldn't have ever had such amazing green energy production if we didn't find crude oil all those years back. But now we are staying on crude when we can go so much farther. Does this make sense?
Basically what I'm trying to say is that we have the ability to still maintain these lifestyles of ours, we just need change it a little... Start recycling and cleaning more. But people would rather slop up on some McDonald's watching there favorite Netflix show.
Such a shame what we do with potential
Humans seem to have a way of surviving, you're right; and you're right about the population, if 75% of it disappeared overnight tonight the planet would be in a better place the next morning. Maybe 90% would be a better drop.
I commented on another comment on this post about what humans feel comfortable to do to each other, no wonder the plants, animals and planet don't stand a chance. Also, I'm a history guy man, war history is something I spend a lot of time on, among other things of curse. So, I get what you say about WW2 docos.
On sustainability, I don't know man, I'm just not that smart and certainly am not a scientist, I just don't see how our voracious overuse of things, the way we want more and more, could be sustainable in a world that's teetering on the brink as it is. Massive change is needed, I just don't see it being done. A thing here or there sure, but massive change (in better directions), nope. I hope you're right though, and it can be done.
We have the potential to be an amazing species, we just. Goose not to. Greed and hubris are two factors of why.
Time will tell, the next fifty years.
A lot of media has already said this, but Humans are just a virus/parasite in this world. We multiply, destroy the resources, kill a lot of other living organisms to extinction, etc. The state of the planet will only get worse unless we change. The only silver lining is we are capable of doing it. We saved the ozone layer.
I agree, parasites indeed, the sooner humans become extinct the sooner the planet can get back to what it should be.
I'm not sure how 8saved8 the ozone layer is, although change is certainly without humankind's ability; what remains to be seen is will it be done in the massive way required, soon enough, to make a difference?
Yep, we did save the ozone layer. It will take a while to heal, and as long as we don't use/introduce things that will hurt it again, it should be ok:
Countries just need to do something similar and put out a global treaty and a global effort to do so.
Stopping commercial fishing will be a good start, but I can't see it happening. Making 50% of the ocean a non-commercial-fishing zone could work, but I can't see it happening.
Let's just say, I can't see it happening.
Time will tell. I wonder if the last human left alive will say, Ah fuck, now I get it, right before dying.
My best bet will be lab grown food. Artificial meat and fish. The meat industry is also a big problem when it comes to air pollution. Once it gets mass produced and very cheap, as long as the taste is similar, it can replace the real thing.
If there's no air to breathe food won't be required.
Money and not carrying is the root of the evil we wreak on the planet. It's disgusting and you know you are totally right. We can't just skip to the next resource when one is done. The planet is an ecosystem and the Domino collapse has already started!
It's bonkers that people thing there's an endless supply of resources to draw on and continue to overuse despite the warnings; no one wants to miss out I guess.
The collapse is indeed well-advanced.
Humans just suck a lot. I have seen the documentary as well and it is definitely not a pretty business. But the farmed salmon is ugly as well, and by farmed shrimps they remove an eye of the shrimp because they give more product that way.
Only in Maldives I found they are not allowed to use nets to fish the tuna, there they try to protect the ocean (they only throw a lot of garbage in the sea but that's an other story)
I agree.
They touch on the sea lice issue with salmon farming, the Scottish farms as you know from the documentary; shameful indeed. Have you seen how caviar is produced, equally bad. You mention shrimp too, another good example as is slicing off shark fins for shark fin soup...do the research on that...it's disgusting. So many other cases.
Drag-net fishing is indiscriminate, as is net fishing in general and with so much bycatch being tossed back dead into the ocean it has a massive negative effect as you know from the documentary...shameful, irresponsible behaviour; but that's humans for you.
Thanks for commenting, I'm Glad you've seen the documentary.
It's not difficult to find out what's happening and how bad things really are, a person just needs to do it. The really sad thing is that people just don't care; they say they do, but their actions show differently.
Becca 🌷
It is incredibly sad that humanity treats something that is so critical to the planet's well-being (and their own) with such contempt. Money is a powerful motivator.
Becca 🌷
Money, always money. Well, people and money.
In one of the recent case, when I was in beach, a jelly fish swam near to beach and people started to play with it...they even pullednit outside ...May be it isbthe curiosity but somewhere they are harming the sea life...that pretty piece doesn't harmed anybody still people played with jntill.my interference led it to release....forget sea...even the land animals are not safe...just came across this little while ago...it was poisonous but no waynitbwas suppose to die....it was found dead near the jungle....
Humans have a feeling of superiority I think, 'we have cognitive thought and so have to dominate everything else,' and so take or show little care to other species. *I speak generally here of course, there are exceptions. People can be very badly behaved, I mean look at how human beings treat each others for fuck sake.
I don't know what the answers are and I guess this post sort of goes hand-in-hand with my last entitled what's the point in that people can say and do one thing publicly but it's what they do when no one is looking that can also matter greatly - most do the wrong thing.
Its really very sad to hear about these facts. Only if the government take some strict action against these commercial fishing, can save whales and Dolphins from getting extinct. If the ocean becomes empty by 2048, so will be the end of the life of humans to a certain extent. Some people opt this profession for fun hunting. Its really sad.
Here, eve after repeated warnings also the plastics still float in water. Only if the punishments are made rigorous we can expect a change. A very valuable and informative documentary.
Sad indeed and some of the other facts (many) are just as terrible.
No ocean (no healthy ocean) and humans will eventually become extinct, there is no doubt. Unfortunately governments allow unsustainable activities to continue unabated so there'll be little choice. Everyone should be watching this documentary even just as a vehicle to carry their thought towards further research of the situation, an eye-opener as such.
Humans are irresponsible and we tend to forget that every action we carry out has a subsequent reaction, either good or bad. If we thought along this line, maybe... Just maybe we would be a little bit more responsible.
The earth people destroy today is going to end up destroying people tomorrow.
For our continued existence, let's think of ways to give back to the earth, in all its form, which has given so much to us and this is not asking for too much
The good thing about the future is that humans won't be a part of it...then the planet can get back to being healthy.
I agree that humans have been abusive of our mother earth's natural resources. Maybe we can mitigate this by educating more people about sustainability of resources so they can be aware of these facts. Ofcourse this is in addition to the efforts of the government to regulate natural resources and also the efforts of NGOs who are advocate of saving mother earth😊
Heyy there fellow reader😊 i have a mini library in my room too. But i bet your collection is bigger and wider 😊
Maybe, but this post (and the documentary) indicates that's just not happening in any valid way.
The governments, as I said in this post and you would see in the documentary, are ineffectual.
As for my library...it's a whole room, many books which I've collected over my lifetime and continue to. It pleases me. Having said that, I applaud anyone who actively seeks information and understanding through books, so well done - I'm sure you'll add to your library over time.
Or maybe penalty could be impose for the violators. Any thoughts on this?
Possibly, but money talks and the law-makers (governments) often benefit from the poor commercial fishing practices (and bribes I guess). In the documentary they talk about some fishermen being stolen and worked as slaves on fishing boats (unable to leave) for years on end...it's all there to see and yet governments do nothing. The overfishing of oceans is there to see, plainly, and no (or ineffective) measures are in place...like protecting only 0.5% of the worlds oceans from commercial fishing. So penalties? Nah, I don't think that'll work. Humans have to learn a lesson, even if it comes through extinction.
Hopefully, human beings are aware of the importance of the ocean for the life of the planet. Beyond the marine life, the oxygen it produces and the food it provides, there is what it means for the ecological balance.
This publication is a reflection of life that should be studied in schools so that children can teach their elders the urgent need to take care of the oceans because it is the way to save life. Happy day. Greetings and best regards.
Hopefully, I agree...but it was quite apparent from the documentary that if humans are aware, they don't care, because the abuse continues at an alarming and unsustainable rate.
The facts say you are right and it hurts.
Everything that has to do with the environment and its protection interests me because as a Geography teacher these are some of the things I have tried to instill in my students.
It's sad indeed; humans know the damage we cause, the unsustainable practices...but money talks I guess and little to nothing is done, just cursory and often hollow efforts that are ineffectual.
I can't - just can't - watch it. I think I know enough about it anyway and it'd just be torture to watch it for me and have it break my heart yet again.
Just a query - do you eat much meat? I know one of the biggest things we CAN do is to reduce our meat consumption, even if it's limiting to once a week. It's frustrating I reckon to have to be conscious about everything we eat because of where it comes from and how it might impact the planet and our environment in many ways. We can but try, I guess.
Dad always gets upset about the lack of fish around these days. He used to fish a bit with my nephew but never catch anything like he did when he was a kid. It made him feel sorry for my nephew who ended up giving it up because there jsut wasn't enough fish around to keep him interested and it was kinda sad.
I know we've got so much ability to change things - I guess it'll just take everyone to change their habits. Not bloody easy with a cost of living crisis - being sustainable isn't at the top of everyone's priorities I guess.
I know, it's probably not something you're feel comfortable watching, rather brutal in places.
Meat? I probably eat chicken and beef about five to seven times a month, seafood maybe ten times and plant-based the rest. I was raised as vegetarian for the first 17.5 years if my life so eating meat only occasionally isn't an issue for me, I actually prefer it that way.
The word sustainable is a bit of a joke to me, a convenient word used to make people feel better rather than an actual reality.
Humans have a choice to make, massive action in the right direction or continue the downward spiral with an ultimate end as the reward for it. Now is the time to choose.
Reading you I remembered the movie Soylent Green by Richard Fleischer. With the passage of time the movie has been losing science fiction and gaining realism. And I think I agree with you: greed. Have a nice day
It's sad that humans don't tend to want to do much about this situation, the habit of consuming with impunity is too deeply ingrained I think, generally speaking of course. I wrote this, and my last post called what's the point to purposely follow after the other because I see a lot of people doing a lot of talking but, when no one is looking, they do something different, counter-productive and just plain destructive in respect of the environment. This documentary shows it in living colour where the ocean and commercial fishing practices are concerned.
In truth, I don't see much hope...sure there's a few people out there doing some good, talking about it, recycling...but they're drops in the ocean compared to what's not being done and, of course, the wrongs being done by governments and corporations. Thanks greed and hubris.
Anyway, I'll be dead by 2048 I guess, or so old and decrepit that I'll not care...but I believe there are people alive today that will see a sharp decline and some terrible moments before the end of their lives.
Have a nice day.
I understood what you said in your previous post about whether we are capable of doing good things without anyone looking at us. Arrogance is something I didn't see and you are right, it is about arrogance and greed. Thanks for the response
Thank you @galenkp for showing us this. I grew up in the heart of Mediterranean Sea and I'm really into this topic. I will definitely watch the documentary, thanks for recommendation and, above all, thanks for this precious consideration about sustainability. I agree with you, and personally I'm already changing my dietary habits :)
It's an important topic that every person on the planet should be focused on; the environment.
Sadly, most people are so caught up in in their own needs it's forgotten about, or thought about only in cursory ways. If we destroy the environment humanity is doomed and we are destroying it on multiple fronts which is only getting worse as time goes by. Sad really.
Thanks for your comment, I appreciate it.
I am so eager for knowledge and this documentary looks so interesting to watch @galenkp, i should watch this with my toddler. Ahha thank you for the useful insights about this film 😊
No worries, I hope you take the time to watch it.
Super, especially with a curious toddler 😊😁
The image is beautiful but more valuable is all the information you are providing, I really did not know almost everything.
Thank you for sharing it
You're welcome.
I was aware of several of the points you raise, especially that more than the Amazon, the oceans are the lungs of the earth, I love documentaries and my brother is totally fanatical about them, we often talk about it.
People have been using everything inappropriately for decades...., and governments... well... governments love money, it's all about power and money, they don't give a damn about anything else.
Now they say farming is bad... crazy things while they are going around the world with aeroplanes dropping chemtrails, I don't know if you saw them. A striped sky everywhere... not only affects the health of people with allergies for example, but they leave fields unusable, generate droughts etc etc etc etc. Many consequences.... the reason? Power, control and money.
In the seas the same thing, indiscriminate fishing... killing species. They do it again and again...
The human species... it's a disaster. I don't know what will be left in a few years...
There's many problems and few solutions, or people willing to actively pursue the solutions that are there. It's on all of us really, but the individual doesn't have the ability to stop commercial fishing, (for instance), so the little people are a bit helpless. However, people could stop eating seafood...that'll render the commercial fishing industry redundant...it'll not happen though.
Humanity is on a fast-track to its own demise. No one wants to make enough changes...when it all comes crashing down I wonder if there'll be anyone left to say, I told you so. Probably not.
You are absolutely right... perhaps there is no one to say that, or few thinking minds. Sad future, isn't it? Maybe we don't see it, but... what about those to come?
As far as you are concerned make sure you leave this earth better than you found it.I will try from my side too. It is a polite advice though.
Let me know how things go over your side of the world as your endeavours roll out over time.
I will my friend.
Meanwhile I am educating these poor and vulnerable children.
I have a school for them. Education can change their lives.
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such a depressing read. we can be so.. disgusting as species. holy shit.
Yep, disgusting creature should be every human beings middle name. I'm not exempt either, we are all to blame...although, I secretly think I was sent here from another planet to observe humans, so maybe I get a free pass? (I'm kidding here...or am I?)
I watched that one a while back. Scary stuff, and one of the reasons I'm interested in Seasteading.
I think we're irresponsible because it's somewhere out there off the coast. If we're actually living out there in small groups, tending kelp gardens and growing our own reefs, then we can bring what's currently desert back to life.
It sure was an eye opener.
There's probably a lot we can do, we just need to do it I guess. Trillions spent on military technology and armaments...bugger all on the important things like saving the planet.