good morning and welcome to the january garden at canterbury cathedral on this morning of sunday the 7th of november this lovely morning we've come up into the bastion garden and the sun is just rising over the wall this is a day when we are considering the health of the oceans of the world together with reflections on the scriptures in our normal way but wherever you are please bring your own concerns and feel welcome here as we say our morning prayers on this sunday morning the third sunday before advent so let's begin our prayers on this day oh lord open our lips and our mouth shall proclaim your praise send your holy spirit upon us and clothe us with power from on high alleluia blessed are you creator god to you be praise and glory forever as your spirit moved over the face of the waters bringing light and life to your creation pour out your spirit on us today that we may walk as children of light and by your grace reveal your presence blessed be god father son and holy spirit blessed be god forever the night has passed and the day lies open before us let us pray with one heart and mind as we rejoice in the gift of this new day say may the light of your presence o god set our hearts on fire with love for you now and forever are men our son this morning on this seventh morning of the month is psalm 36 sin whispers to the wicked in the depths of their heart there is no fear of god before their eyes they flatter themselves in their own eyes that their abominable sin will not be found out the words of their mouth are unrighteous and full of deceit they have ceased to act wisely and to do good they think out mischief upon their beds and have set themselves in no good way nor do they abhor that which is evil your love the lord reaches to the heavens and your faithfulness to the clouds your righteousness stands like the strong mountains your justice like the great deep you lord shall save both man and beast how precious is your loving mercy o god all mortal flesh shall take refuge under the shadow of your wings they shall be satisfied with the abundance of your house they shall drink from the river of your delights for with you is the well of life and in your light shall we see light o continue your loving kindness to those who know you and your righteousness to those who are true of heart let not the foot of pride come against me nor the hand of the ungodly thrust me away there are they fallen all who work wickedness they are cast down and shall not be able to stand a morning when we're thinking of oceans no oceans in the garden but the psalm has given us all kinds of uh watery images the biggest of course speaks of the ocean your justice like the great deep well that to the people writing that would have been the mediterranean sea the huge expanses of the atlantic ocean i suppose the the nearest to them maybe as one went around the world the the indian ocean in boats at that time but at the same time their consciousness would have been at the the river which they're speaking of that would have meant really the river jordan and at the same time the great deep the sea but with you is the well of life different sort of water source finding water from the depths of the earth itself and we're doing all our morning prayer this morning by water sources in the garden so i'm sitting by the pond here which has leaves falling in it from the trees above and the spring coming from behind down and running into it so i'm going to read this morning a special lesson it's a sunday morning from the 47th chapter of the book ezekiel and we're starting at verse 1 going up to the end of verse 12. then the only angel brought me back to the door of the temple and behold water was issuing from below the threshold of the temple towards the east for the temple faced east the water was flowing down from below the south end of the threshold of the temple south of the altar then he brought me out by way of the north gate and led me round on the outside to the outer gate that faces towards the east and behold the water was trickling out on the south side going on eastwards with a measuring line in his hand the man measured a thousand and then led me through the waters and the waters were ankle deep again he measured a thousand and led me through the water and it was knee deep again he measured a thousand and led me through the waters and it was waist deep again he measured a thousand and it was a river that i could not pass through for the water had risen it was deep enough to swim in a river that could not be passed through and he said to me son of man have you seen this then he led me back to the bank of the river as i went back i saw on the bank of the river very many trees on one side and on the other and he said to me this water flows towards the eastern region and goes down into the arabah and enters the sea when the water flows into the sea the water will become fresh and wherever the river goes every living creature that swarms will live and there will be very many for this water goes there that the waters of the sea may become fresh so everything will live where the river goes fishermen will stand beside the sea from engadi to enaglium it will be a place for the spreading of nets its fish will be of very many kinds like the fish of the great sea but its swamps and marshes will not become fresh they are to be left for salt and on the banks on both sides of the river they will grow all kinds of trees for food their leaves will not wither nor their fruit fail but they will bear fresh fruit every month because the water for them flows from the sanctuary their fruit will be for food and their leaves for healing we've changed our place in the garden to another spring of water gushing out to help us with the images of this morning and the water source begins up there behind me and the brooklyn is is running down across the stones rather like the trickle out of the side of the temple in the prophet ezekiel's marvelous vision ezekiel is full of pictures and and the way in which those pictures are used we come to us real signs of what god's gifts to us are i'm just going to read the four verses of the or something like that very very short gospel for this morning which complements that picture from the prophet isaiah ezekiel it's actually the first chapter of the gospel of saint mark and starts at verse 18 16 sorry passing alongside the sea of galilee jesus saw simon and andrew the brother of simon casting a net into the sea for they were fishermen and jesus said to them follow me and i will make you become fishers of people and immediately they left their nets and followed him and going on a little farther he saw james the son of zebedee and john his brother who were in their boat mending the nets and immediately jesus called them and they left their father zebedee in the boat with the hired servants and followed him just a short gospel but it complements that reading from ezekiel where water was coming in a small trickle to start with out of the side of the sanctuary in ezekiel's vision ezekiel in exile at the time having visions about the temple which will be rebuilt following the exile in jerusalem once again and we don't know whether the figure in his dream seemed to him like an angel or a man but whatever he had a guide rather like dante uh having virgil beside him through the journeys here and he had a a guide taking him through and as he goes through that vision he sees wonderful things but in the chapter we read this morning it's the story of water trickling from the side of the sanctuary and then as the story builds up the stream as rivers do grew bigger and bigger rivers grow as other tributaries add to them and then they flow through communities through woodlands down through mountainsides and down into flatter places always making their way to the sea and that's exactly how that great vision of ezekiel ends with the fresh waters from the sanctuary flowing from the side of the temple flowing down down down and everything on each side of the bank as the waters come through is given life all kinds of trees growing on either side of the banks and life is being given to the plants and the creatures and to the multitude of fish and as the trees as the stream go farther and farther and get uh wider and wider and until it's so deep a river that you'd have to swim in it you can't cross it anymore and then beyond beyond beyond until it goes down into the uh arabah and beyond and everywhere the river goes in this wonderful prophetic vision which ezekiel is having life is sweetened and refreshed and that's how one thinks of it entering but in the the oceans but when it gets to the oceans leaving salt marshes around for that kind of life too but at the same time entering the oceans and in ezekiel's vision the fresh streams coming from the sanctuary makes the ocean themselves sweet and fresh and at the same time on each side of the the waters grow trees bearing fruits in their seasons month by month and the fruit is for refreshment and and and feeding and the leaves of the trees are for healing now of course that vision is reflected right at the end of the new covenants writings in the revelation to john where the vision of the the eternal city has the waters flowing down through the city and on each side of the waters the tree of life bearing fruit and again the leaves of the tree for the healing of the nations remember our lesson yesterday at the end of that little bit of the exodus where the people have reached the oasis of elim it says i am the lord your healer and here we have the the leaves of the trees from the the for the healing of the nations this only actually as we'll reflect a bit later on goes to show that the the the planet in all its life has healing properties which people have discovered bit by bit through the centuries but for the moment let's just think of today's gospel which will be read at the eucharist which i've just read to you and it's a gospel about fishermen spreading their nets on the side of the sea of galilee which to them must have seen like a great sea those of you who've been there will know that you can't look across it it is an enormous sea and simon and andrew and james and john are called from their nets to follow jesus and become what she calls fishers of people there's so many reflections in all of that let's start with the simplest of them all and that is that the fish is the earliest sign which was written secretly just in two arcs crossing the points of one arc meeting as though the fish's nose and then the points of the back two crossing making the fish's tail and that sign apparently was given and left for christians at times of persecution but the fish was used very much as a word that was the sign of what they believed in the greek word ichthyos and the the the letters the first letter of each of the the the words that they wanted to say contained in that acronym really uh so iota the greek letters iota kai theta upsilon sigma jesus christos jesus christ god's son savior normally we say son of god but the greek words are the other way around so you get your your um chi fita for god upsilon his son and sigma and but they didn't need to put those letters down that was deep in their minds the corny greek was the language that they were speaking and the two arcs it's also said that if two people met them met each other on the road and one wanted to know if the other was a christian then one would draw the bottom ark maybe in the dust and the other would complete it by drawing the top ark and they would know then that they both believed in the message of the fish jesus christ jesus christ god's son savior but the lesson this morning is much more simple than that it shows how fishing and the waters were so much a part of life completely taken for granted and also all the sense of freshness with fresh springs coming from the ground among wellsprings from the psalmist but the psalms also speak of the great deep and the way in which the waves terrify the mariners on the great deep and there i think again we're talking about the great sea as it was called the mediterranean sea today though we are talking about the oceans but let's just go to one more sign a sacramental sign which is found in st john's gospel and that would be for me the evangelist standing at the foot of the cross when the spear lanced jesus side the side of jesus body after his death as he's hanging on the cross and from his side flowed blood and water the sign of sacramental life and all that water signifies and the wine of the new covenant signifies so the ezekiel and the sense of water and the sense of life from the water is full of signs both for old covenant and new covenant and don't forget that we always exult when the morning gives us psalm 87 because the last sentence of that is all my fresh springs are in you meaning all my fresh springs are in the life of the creator as shown by the eternal word made hume made of our own human kind in the life of jesus of nazareth all my fresh springs are in you so imagery but it's not imagery now that we want to talk about it's actually the way in which the oceans which were taken for granted because of their massive size that they would never ever change are now being so threatened and let's think about in the next part of our reflection as we go on so if we look at some statistics then 97 of the earth's water is salt water and only three percent of the earth's water is fresh water that's a a startling statistic to begin with but also it's startling um that the oceans which cover 71 of the earth's surface can possibly be in danger when you look at that their massive size the great deep it was uh spoken about in in the the lessons this morning you you think they are bound to be completely change free and protected surely nothing can happen to the oceans and yet terrible things are happening to the oceans in the same way as terrible things are happening to all life because of the climate change and oceans are being poisoned by all kinds of things which humankind have affected there are there are at the the same time um uh lots of different kinds of dangers so think of yourselves looking out at one of the great oceans and many of you will have seen the oceans of the world i think of looking out onto the atlantic ocean which is the one one knows best here in these islands think of looking out on the indian ocean when visiting there but thinking also of the pacific which is beautiful because when you're looking out from the west coast onto the pacific the sun sets across that vast expanse of water enormous beauty and it looks like a changelessness which can never never be affected and life within it we know uh was was was there to team with life both see creatures and see plants and the vegetation of the sea and as in all parts of this earth on land or sea the balance of all of that was crucial because if you work with the balance then the purity is maintained and one continues to have healing and and fresh springs in a metaphorical way let's look at some of the things though that have caused this degeneration uh and sadness for the oceans themselves one of them of course is over fishing the oceans and we've known about that for a long time but i was listening to someone uh this morning and this connected with the the cop 26 conference in trying to protect the oceans saying the old rule was you you never fish for anything that's older than you are because some of the sea creatures take and some of the the fish that have become uh because they're exotic they become much sought after and become very expensive to put on the table and yet they take years rather like our tortoises years to grow and develop so that the culling of one of those the catching of one of those means that a great piece of damage has been done but nevertheless for years the the seas were fished the the times of james and john and and andrew and simon fished in a way that caused them to be sustainable now the oceans are are losing fish stocks in a huge way because of overfishing also because of the way in which the oceans are poisoned by oil spills which they can't deal with and neither can marine life and we've seen more and more of that and every time we see it when a great tanker in some way is is holed and oil begins to spill it's seen as an international disaster we've i think come to terms with that that that that actually is a complete disaster in the same way that nuclear disasters on land i'm not talking about nuclear war i'm talking about meltdowns at nuclear power plants that we saw raging across the pacific and in a way affecting the oceans in a way that really can't be healed for a very very very long time the planet has a way of healing itself but it it often takes millennia with things of that kind in order to let the healing take place or we talk about habitat destruction by that pollution and that could be the way in which coral reefs are disappearing or it could be plant life absolutely out of our sight well under the sea because of the pollution coming into it or the warming the the variation of temperature which rather like the the creatures that we've been talking about the bumblebee yesterday can't adapt fast enough to survive with even little gradations in marine life of heat in the ocean so ocean warming and as a acidification the acid which is is being formed in the oceans then there are the the aspects of because of all this warming uh the algae and invasive species beginning to grow and develop in a way that then kills other forms of life now let's go on to something which is much more evident and that is those vast cities that we have built as huge huge cruise ships which go across with almost cities of people on them and all waste is dumped into the oceans and sea and that too is having a huge effect on poisoning the oceans as is also the noise that they make for the the sounds below the water we're used to the oceans being silent they're not they're not silent below the waters and and the the sound of whales and dolphins according to each other but also the way in which creatures find their way around and are stressed and begin to to to um lose themselves when there is noise but there is so much noise now on the oceans as the the vehicles that we've used get bigger and bigger the ships that we use get bigger and bigger and also the noise even created by a multitude of people on board those ships in the same way is creating that kind of noise in the oceans itself all of these things are feeding into an effect which is really damaging to ocean life and and needs to be the ocean life needs to be protected at the moment there's there's very few areas of protection for fishing and one of the aims of cop 26 is to have 30 percent of our oceans as protected areas from fishing as we protect areas for wildlife and this is a a real goal of cop 26 for the oceans themselves the great deep which is the the gift of the the creator to this this planet and then what we know all about this on beaches and in the seas themselves the prevalence of plastic which really doesn't go away and the way in which plastic is just there on the beaches and there in the waters and affecting and killing marine life and the cleaning of beaches as with the cleaning of oil the cleaning of beaches from plastic is something actually we can all take part in but in the ocean itself the marine creatures often are killed by what has been thrown into the oceans in a way that's that is beginning to have a terrible effect across the world other things we might say that dredging to find precious things out of the the seabed is stirring up all kinds of things below the ocean bed and also what people call nox and socks which is the release of nitrogen oxides and sulfur oxides from ships emissions that causes air pollution right across the oceans and is affecting the ozone layer which protects us this is a a catalogue of despair but at the same time we are at as we keep saying last chance corral and we can all take steps to ensure that this turns around the the melting of the the ice caps and the rising of the oceans and then also the land runoff from big agricultural uh endeavors near to the coast where chemicals have been used and the streams instead of bringing fresh water down begin to bring poison water down and flood it into the sea as well it's the same way when when raw sewage is is is just released into the water and we found that here with the oyster beds at whitstable work where water companies when they can't cope with it or are simply just release raw sewage into the water and that is affecting the whole of life that's a very very small problem compared with the problem right across the oceans but a huge problem from here so overfishing and climate change and pollution let's also talk about the mangrove forests the mangrove forests in so many parts of the world and many of you have been to places where the coastland is in parts still covered with mangrove forest but where it used to be covered great homes and places where people can go to the beach and everything else have been built and the mangrove forests have been taken away they're no longer doing their work being a buffer against the sea and that was proved even in huge tsunamis areas where the mangrove forests were still there on the side of the water where nature itself had provided that buffer those areas were not nearly as badly affected because there was a buffer against the sea and at the same time a filter against what was being put into the sea by the the things running down from streams those mangrove forests are there for a purpose and as they diminish and diminish and diminish then the dangers increase and increase and we see as the water runs along here uh as it flows so it's filtered in a natural way just pointing out a little illustration of how it flows and it's so the water flows down through in the rivers and then comes through many many uh miles down to the areas where the river begins to drop everything that is in it into to great ponds where sediment builds up and you see that on any any occasion we've got here at the end of this little little runnel there is a top pond which is full of sediment and that sediment is full of life it's a very sophisticated ecosystem imagining on a huge scale and it's dropping down through forests through the mangrove forests and the amazon basin all of those things and at the same time that's an area of teeming life and here all kinds of life is found in that top pond and and others come to use that life here before the water goes on in a purer way into the pond where the fish are beyond and then of course it goes out into the sea but if all those forests have gone and the mangrove swamps are no longer there the mangrove forests are no longer there then that's not doing its work and you've lost that ecosystem and that is happening quite a lot right across the world in different ways uh there's no time to to to go integrate seminars of the the uh what is happening here but we've just touched skimmed the surface of that and the cop 26 is teaching us many things but so too the prophet ezekiel teaching us many things about how that water coming from the sanctuary goes down through bringing sweetness and life and leaves for the healing of the nations and we well know that many leaves of the trees and plants and fungi and all sorts of things which the planet provides are the ways in which we find medicines for our sickness but at the moment we're looking for should we say a medicine to help the sickness of the ocean and the life that's found in that and we're using tiny images to to help you with that the guinea fowl have come here now to to drink from the fresh waters as they come down through so much to say about oceans but at the same time the biggest thing is we can't take them for granted they are at the moment in huge danger and the visions given to us not only by the prophet ezekiel which is a heavenly vision of sweet waters coming from the sanctuary and making fresh and healing the earth but also the little story on the side of the sea of galilee the calling of the fishermen in those days gives us simply a a prompt and an image of saying we must care for the earth and its oceans the atmosphere and its climate as we reach this middle sunday of cop 26 and continue to pray for the leaders who will resume their work there very much tomorrow let's then say our prayers on this sunday morning and we are praying actually today for the the province of uh airtel a airtia roar new zealand and polynesia so we're in an area of the world in the south pacific in our prayers and many islands attached to that and those islands some of them under great threat of the rising of the oceans so we pray for them and we also pray for justin our archbishop and for rose bishop of dover and emma bishop at lambeth and uh bring your own prayers for for whomsoever you want to pray for but we were talking with one of our friends about the fact that at the moment there is a new dean of adelaide cathedrals in peter's cathedral adelaide in australia and so we pray for dean chris mccloud in his new ministry and at adelaide cathedral this morning and all the people that he and his team will be looking after here's the prayer for today the third sunday before advent almighty father whose will is to restore all things in your beloved son the king of all govern the hearts and minds of those in authority and bring the families of the nations divided and torn apart by the ravages of sin to be subject to his just and gentle rule who is alive and reigns with you in the unity of the holy spirit one god now and forever amen so together we say thee our father the prayer our savior taught us in whatever language you like to use our father who art in heaven hallowed be thy name thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil for thine is the kingdom the power and the glory forever and ever are men moment now of reflection on this sunday morning my christmas [Music] r [Music] my soul [Music] r [Music] hey [Music] [Music] is [Music] me is [Music] is [Music] [Applause] is [Music] is [Music] is [Music] foreign [Music] is [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] the peace of god which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in the knowledge and love of god and of his son jesus christ our lord and the blessing of god almighty the father the son and the holy spirit be upon you from those whom you love and those whom you would pray for today and always amen recent global headlines underscore the important role that mangroves play in our daily lives research and studies have placed mangroves among the most important ecosystems on our planet they make up a transitional zone between land and sea anchoring shorelines while buffering coastal ecosystems against hurricanes and tsunamis mangroves protect coral reefs from sedimentation sequester massive amounts of carbon to combat climate change adapt to rising sea levels serve as nurseries and a vital food source for marine life while providing critical habitat for endangered species mangroves also provide invaluable green economy services for humans the future of mangroves very much depends on us and in fact our future is co-dependent on the survival of these critical habitats [Music] a typical early morning in southern thailand fishermen are out on boats often before sunrise [Music] a decent catch back on land and women are digging for shellfish during low tide [Music] once catches have been sorted out and any extras have been sold at the market preparations for dinner can be made people here are intrinsically connected to the sea their lives depend on it a key to happiness and life here is a healthy mangrove forest mangroves ensure the seas are rich and biodiverse they provide essential goods and food for locals and they also protect the land and coastal communities from rising sea levels and ever increasing storms mangrove forests are one of the world's most threatened tropical ecosystems not understood nor protected huge areas have been cleared to make way for urban and tourist developments and agricultural expansion at least half of all mangrove forests in thailand have been destroyed most of it for intensive shrimp farming businesses the steep decline of these habitats still continue today with little responsibility taken for the protection of existing mangrove forests recent studies and recognition of their importance has brought mangroves forward into the limelight of marine conservation and it's not just people in the tropics that benefit from these coastal forests mangroves serve as nurseries to a huge number of marine species and contribute to a significant part of our essential seafood resources all around the globe mangroves have also been found to sequester five times more carbon in its rich soils than tropical rainforests their important role in tackling climate change has resulted in increased global awareness and international support towards restoring and conserving these coastal forests mass planting projects have been very popular however the majority of seedlings die due to two main reasons planting the wrong species in the wrong locations or because the socio-economic issues causing mangrove loss haven't been solved prior to restoration now we see many failed plantations along the coast particularly on the mud flat areas planting alone if you're successful which rarely happens you end up with a monoculture plantation which is nothing like the original mangrove forest that existed before one organization has taken on a more holistic method of restoration with much better results it's called community-based ecological mangrove restoration and the key to the success is learning from nature and collaborating with local communities the mangrove action project in thailand has been able to demonstrate that their effective methods of mangrove restoration is in everyone's interests and eliminates the reasons for failure one of our main projects really is to show that the old abandoned shrimp ponds can be returned back to mangroves so we have now three 13 sites along along the andaman coast implementing the community-based ecological mangrove restoration method these are all really quite small sites and our mission is basically to demonstrate the methodology showing that these ponds can be restored a lot of research and analysis is involved at the start of any project knowledge of the local species the waterways and tides the context the communities is all taken into consideration when developing a plan any site that has experienced mangrove loss and clearing will have had its natural systems and terrain affected the waterways always need to be repaired and reconnected with surrounding areas with adjustments made to the disturbed topography this part of the project involves a lot of channel digging and earth shifting and it's an opportunity for volunteers from around the world to lend the communities a helping hand this method of restoration ensures that seeds and nutrients are naturally distributed and trees grow in their correct zones guaranteeing richer biodiversity and a true natural mangrove forest with all the benefits of [Music] monitoring and training workshops are held regularly with community members throughout the project to ensure a successful restoration whilst developing sustainable locally led conservation initiatives to benefit the communities and to take pressure off existing mangroves this empowering process creates a sense of ownership every project outcome is different depending on the area needs of the communities and potential opportunities people of nainang village in krabi province have created a sustainable and positive model for the management of their mangroves to support their restoration project the villagers here formed an apiculture group and used bees to assist with the pollination of certain mangrove species [Music] [Music] the village now has more than 300 beehives and generates an alternative and sustainable income from the various honey products with 10 percent of the profits going straight back into a community conservation fund and their activities aren't going unnoticed with neighboring communities interested in learning their new skills and visitors coming from around the globe to see their project and buy their products at we now recognize that a world without the rainforests by the sea wouldn't just mean a dismal scenario for coastal communities but would ultimately affect us all and our planet there is a growing urgency to increase the global area of mangrove forests and we are seeing bigger more ambitious projects to shift into a more positive direction globally much of it is about awareness and education knowledge exchange and bringing together partners for smarter more effective solutions to mangrove conservation and recovery our message would be to look more closely at nature and given the chance nature can self-repair and restore itself much better than we could ever attempt to recreate it we would love to see our methods of regeneration being implemented at a larger scale so that mangroves have a better chance of survival and coastal people a brighter future [Music] i think everyone has an interest in the oceans we all came from the sea initially we are creatures that evolved in the oceans we carry the oceans around inside us in a way i grew up in wick in the far north of scotland and in the middle of the 19th century wick was the biggest fishing port in the world all of that had gone by the time i grew up so i was always i felt a connection between people in the sea [Music] my name is callum roberts and i'm professor of marine conservation in the environment department at the university of york my research is about looking at the ways in which people influence the oceans the reason their oceans are changing around us so rapidly is simply put us it's the increase in human population size and the rapidly accelerating demand for energy and the three biggest impacts affecting the oceans today are overfishing climate change and pollution we've seen progressively the elimination of many species that were formerly common we're seeing the emergence of some serious problems such as plastic pollution where huge rafts of plastic are beginning to accumulate in the middle of the oceans and so i've been looking at the way in which these three great forces interact to influence life in the sea we're here in whitby which is on the yorkshire coast and whitby has for a long time been a major fishing port which was very active in the 19th century so in the past if you went out here with a little boat you would be able to catch 17 times more fish than we do today for the same effort it's easy to miss what's going on in the sea because it's out of sight out of mind well the first stage of recovery the oceans is to recognize that we do have a problem out here we need to change the way that we're exploiting the sea the old fisheries which used to be dominated by cod and haddock and whiting those have gone into a terminal decline so the fishing industry here is a fraction of what it used to be i think that the the problems of the marine environment in general are seen in microcosm here in this town [Music] my research has had an impact already in in some ways in that the research that we did in york has led to the creation of a network of six very large marine protected areas in the mid-atlantic they were established in 2010 they cover an area of something like 500 000 square kilometers which is a lot bigger than the size of the united kingdom so that's something i'm really proud of one legacy that i would really like to see from my research is a much greater amount of protection for the oceans some of the work that we have done has shown how if we protect something like a third of the oceans from exploitation we can maximize the benefits that we get across a whole range of things from conservation to tourism to fisheries at the moment only about two percent of the sea is given any form of protection bringing it up to 30 is something which is possible and i hope it will happen in my lifetime [Music] our oceans are under attack 71 of the planet is covered in water and much of it is in total danger of becoming unusable with entire species wiped out and the food chain disturbed beyond recognition the only good news if there is some is that we know the major culprits these are the 14 most immediate threats to our oceans number 14 overfishing there's a general rule of thumb that you shouldn't eat food that's older than we are and we've totally violated this mandate example overfishing many of the tasty creatures plucked from the deep are far older than we are making the supply completely unsustainable fishing used to be a primitive practice with fishermen staying close to the shore for fear of the deadly deep as fishing evolved we got bolder nowadays it's common for fishermen to dig deep and pull up creatures like orange ruffy which live a crazy 150 years what's more an orange ruffy doesn't generally mate until they're at least 20 years old whenever one of these scrumptious swimmers makes its way to a dinner plate the population takes an enormous dip number 13 mega oil spills make the news pumping hundreds of tons of toxic chemicals into our oceans but these accidents only account for 12 percent of ocean oil contamination it's the daily wear and tear that is crippling our defenseless seas and it's coming from the very things that we depend on for our economy to survive and thrive barges that ship goods are major culprits leaking oil into the oceans at every port it's death by a thousand cuts and one that our seas won't soon recover from since the watery depths of our planet can't break down oil it just becomes a sludgy death trap for the animals that live in that environment poisoning the water and cutting off the air supply if you think oil is the only type of energy that does major damage to our seas yeah think again our number 12 pick is a serious threat to the seven seas number 12 nuclear calamities are bad enough on land but when they affect the sea we have real trouble that's exactly what happened on march 11 2011 when an earthquake and tsunami triggered the fukushima daichi nuclear power plant meltdown the meltdown contaminated millions of tons of water gushing radiation into the nearby pacific ocean and triggering a macabre chain of reactions that affected fish plant life and everything else living in the waters of the deep we will be feeling the repercussions of fukushima daichi for years to come and once the radiation is in the ocean there's no going back number 11 nothing good has ever come from humans messing with the seas and one of the ways we've really screwed up is through habitat destruction our coastal pollution leaks into the deep and paralyzes coral reefs killing off the vulnerable animals inside wetland destruction is another huge problem because lots of marine animals move inland to give birth with huge swaths of the wetlands decimated they have no place to go and have to take their chances out in the open ocean our number 10 pick is one that you've heard a lot about but might not be aware of just how deadly it is number 10 ocean warming an increase of 0.1 degrees celsius over the course of a century might not sound like much but that's enough to put our seas right at the tipping point the temperature of our oceans is a fragile thing and it needs to be exactly right to maintain all of the planet and the animal life that lives in the seven seas one slip up or down spells doom for whole ecosystems over the last century we've seen species of algae be totally killed off arctic ice is in peril too with runoff seriously harming the local population there are nasty things locked in the ice deadly ancient diseases and huge amounts of heavy metal that we certainly don't want to be unleashed on our oceans or populations number nine remember how acid rain was a huge deal back in the day as it turns out the threat isn't from the skies but from the oceans themselves inter acidification the ugly side of increased carbon dioxide levels acidification occurs when the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere reaches critical levels and turns into carbonic acid in the ocean without getting too far into the scientific rabbit hole acidification is just flat out bad for marine life one of the major reasons that it wreaks havoc on sea life is by preventing animals from building shells leaving all kinds of marine critters without adequate protection like everything else related to our seas acidification has a domino effect that leads to habitat destruction the threatening of species and all sorts of other bad stuff number eight when rogue species invade entire ecosystems get completely turned upside down just introducing one new species to an environment is a total recipe for disaster nature works on a delicate balance and when one little cog is out of whack the whole thing falls into shambles algae is a massive culprit mucking up unfamiliar waters and suffocating all sorts of creatures that live there plant life is no exception when you introduce new strains of bacteria you are setting yourself up for a mass extinction of certain types of plants this causes problems for the marine animals that eat those plants and just shoots up the food chain from there dangerous nasties like cholera have crept into water systems posing a huge problem for the animals that live there as well as any humans that want to jump into the deep end of the water humans are one of the biggest culprits when it comes to unleashing invaders on unsuspecting waterways and oceans anyone who has ever let a pet turtle or snake go back into the wild has sent a foreign assassin far into the unknown reaches of peaceful lakes ponds or oceans number seven cruise ships are massive mini-cities that float around our oceans offering up all-you-can-eat buffets and drinks of the day what might seem like a boozy cruisy bit of fun can actually wreak havoc on the crystal clear waters after all all that cruise ship waste has to go somewhere picture thousands of people crammed into one ship bobbing around at sea thousands of toilets flushing grey water washing down the ink and petrol runoff from cruise ship gas not to mention the air pollution generated by these suckers sure there are regulations that guide cruise ships but these are easy enough to skirt and when you're dealing with a ship the size of a new york city borough you're going to get some real immediate pollution up in those seas cruise ships are one of the biggest pollutants on the planet a cruel little slice of irony when you consider that people regularly board these big boats of pleasure so that they can experience marine life at its finest oh the irony number six if there's one thing that has a serious stranglehold on our oceans and waterways it's plastics from microplastics that drift around in the churning seas of our blue world to big old plastic bags that get themselves tangled up in the fins and gills of sea creatures plastics are a big problem for water dwellers there's also a ton of plastic junk in the seas making these waters a veritable minefield for any and every animal that wants to cross them to give you an idea of scope nearly 13 million tons of plastic are dumped into our oceans every year plus 51 trillion micro plastic pieces gunking up the waves if you think that this one only affects the fishes think again anyone who has ever bellied up to a nice tasty meal of lobster or swordfish has consumed some of these plastic particles fish eat them we eat the fish and our bodies bear the brunt of it if you're not gonna go green for the sad sea creatures at least consider it so you can continue eating at red lobster number five cruise ships strike again not only are these behemoth bobblers culpable when it comes to spewing pollution into the sea but they also generate a whole less tangible form that's still just as harmful cruise ships are big noisy party ships and anyone who's ever taken a carnival booze cruise knows that apple bottom jeans plays on a loop during the dinner rush cruise ships are loud and all of that noise doesn't just stay on deck it dips below the waves and seriously messes with the creatures down below cruise ship cacophonies cause hemorrhages and marine animals internal organ failure and sheer panic think about it you're drifting around minding your own business and old town road comes barreling in to shatter your peace and quiet you would freak out too marine mammals have actually started changing their migration patterns to get away from the noise which causes disruptions in ecosystems and a whole host of unintended consequences number four mucking around at the bottom of waterways doesn't usually bode well for the creatures that live there and dredging is a great example of why not this common practice involves mining the floor for precious deposits usually by stirring up a whole bunch of top sediment in the process not only do underwater creatures have their world turned upside down by the sheer force of movement the deposits themselves can be highly toxic it's only a matter of common sense to assume that some of the material will leak into the ocean dredging is one of those things that you could argue is a necessary evil after all there is valuable stuff buried below those waves on the other hand it's hard to deny the damage being done to marine life draw your own line in the sand number three nitrogen oxides and sulfur oxides are two big bad bullies in the world of ocean pollution they are actually a slice of air pollution that drifts down into the ocean and clogs up the seas with oxygen choking chemicals that kill marine life not only do nox and socks suffocate undersea creatures with glee they also actively kill sea plants making them silent slaughterers that are exceptionally hard to control shipping emissions burp out millions of tons of both nox and socks every year and our precious oceans are simply no match compared to the onslaught number two sea water level rising surging sea levels are not just a threat to us humans they seriously mess up precious ecosystems too shifting seas and rising waters mean that delicate habitats are destroyed or moved altogether not to mention the temperature change as the glaciers melt and marine life needs to adjust seawater level rising alone could become responsible for any number of different species extinctions it's only a matter of when coastal creatures are also at risk as their land habitats could easily be overcome by the persistent flood waters number one what we do on the land affects our seas in serious ways runoff from big agriculture is one of the most alarming issues for our waterways chemical laced sediment flows into the oceans through the rivers and streams clogging up the seas with poison every single marine animal is affected by land runoff and humans are as well anyone who loves a dish of tasty shrimp scampi should be aware that those shrimp might have been sucking down phosphorus just a few days before which of these threats do you find the most concerning let us know in the comments below thanks for watching and don't forget to subscribe to what lurks below the united kingdom and its overseas territories constitute the world's fifth largest marine estate we are custodians of incredible biodiversity with more than 90 percent of the uk's unique species and our precious ocean ecosystems span the antarctic to the caribbean the south atlantic to the indian ocean but a new study shows these small communities and overseas are some of the most vulnerable to the impact of climate change climate change may bring increased storm activity sea temperature rise rising sea levels higher asset levels in the ocean and changes in the flow of the gulf stream these threats along with plastic pollution will put bermuda's ecosystem under extreme pressure [Music] the mediterranean is already suffering the impacts of climate change with warmer and more acidic waters affecting our marine ecosystems we're witnessing a rise in the spread of invasive species a clear example of this is the invasive seaweed roguelopteryx okumarai which has overtaken our beaches threatening the tourism industry and affecting marine biodiversity our fishermen having problems going to give their catch because of the increase in the amount of rough weather that we're seeing also there is some evidence of coral bleaching and this have a significant effect on of course our marine life and the uses of that industry in 2017 we were hit by hurricane irma the devastation brought our way of life to a complete standstill stronger hurricanes sea level rise flooding ocean acidification and climate change impacts on our biodiversity as severely affecting our ecosystems and economy the pit current islands beaches some of the most remote in the world are becoming saturated with the world's debris with tons of plastic and rubbish disrupting the habitats of the region's endemic species with unparalleled urgency territory governments are at the forefront of work on ocean management nature-based solutions adaptation and resilience this ambitious global network is essential to help deliver protection for 30 of the world's oceans and vital in the fight against climate change several territories have taken ambitious steps to protect and manage their marine environments through the blue belt initiative tristan dakuna's recent marine protection zone designation is the largest in the atlantic ocean we depend on our ocean and we want to keep it healthy for my generation and all generations that will follow us also as part of the blue belt initiative ascension island sent helena pitcher alongside the british indian ocean territory south georgia and the south sandwich islands as well as the british and arctic territory are protecting and managing over 4 million square kilometers of ocean we know the importance of the ocean it provides our oxygen it fuels our planet the blue belt program is designed to help the overseas territories protect their marine environment so by coming together and deciding to be part of the blue belt program and working with various government agencies and conservation groups these overseas territory governments have made massive commitments for biodiversity for sustainable fishing and for future protection the government of south georgia and the south sandwich islands declared a very large marine protected area extensive no-take zones where all fishing activities prohibited protect the most diverse and vulnerable marine habitats south georgia is now a global rarity an ecosystem in recovery scientists have now discovered that the southern ocean absorbs over twice as much carbon from the atmosphere as the amazon rainforest so by protecting these waters we are helping the entire planet in 2016 st leena designated a sustainable use marine protected area which affords protection to over 440 000 square miles of ocean it also sets out the marine environment's monitoring so that it can track change occurring to habitats and biodiversity through our network of marine and terrestrial protected areas we have given ascension's ecosystems a fighting chance of adapting to climate change these actions could be the difference between species extinction and preserving our precious biodiversity angola has done a lot of work to tackle climate change head on but perhaps one of the most instrumental steps in that direction we have taken is the development of the blue angola task force ensures that we focus on mitigation adaptation and building a climate resilient economy our fisheries are leaders in seabird and mammal bycatch mitigation and we are working towards designating our first marine managed areas in order to protect our valuable biodiversity we support scientific research and provide a critical gateway for the antarctic and south atlantic in order to better understand the environmental challenges we face and the resources needed to adapt to climate change we are doing our best to protect what we call these carbon sinks we know that mangrove wetlands are some of the best in terms of natural areas at storing and sequestering carbon seagrass beds also so the fact that we've protected more of our marine environment recently that's been a big stride the increased intensity of storms experienced by our island nation severely erodes our coastlines and causes damage to marine and terrestrial habitats and physical infrastructure to mitigate against this impact we have made it mandatory to have setbacks of at least 100 feet in developed areas to allow for coastal vegetation to remain intact we are strengthening our workforce and policies to better protect the coral reefs and mangroves that serve as front-line defenses to our islands during storm bermudez also launched the bermuda ocean prosperity program to protect our oceans while fostering the sustainable use of our ocean resources for present and future generations working collectively and with the support of the uk we are already leading on huge steps to protect the world's oceans and avoid climate breakdown together we've come so far but there's so much more to do our vision for healthy oceans unites us and inspires us we must continue to work together with renewed urgency to protect the world's oceans sustain our livelihoods and propel ourselves into a greener healthier age [Music] what you're looking at isn't some alien world [Music] this is here on planet earth extending beyond depths of 3000 meters the deep sea makes up half the ocean though it is a place we hardly know and almost never see it is in fact the largest habitable space for life on earth and yet with just over 20 percent of the sea floor mapped in any detail only a tiny fraction of this incredible environment has been explored and studied these animals and landscapes seem like the stuff of dreams but in reality these intricate and delicate systems play a vital role in sustaining life on earth and we are only just beginning to learn how vulnerable they are to climate change [Music] we humans have had an incredible impact on this space despite not being here despite not doing great job of exploring it the effects of a changing climate have already altered the deep sea and will continue to do so temperatures are estimated to rise by one degree celsius in the deep ocean by 2100 it is almost certain to have harmful effects on organisms so finely tuned to survive in such environments there are still countless undiscovered species dwelling in the abyss many of these organisms are so new to science that we are only just beginning to understand them while others remain completely unknown [Music] every time we go down into the deep ocean we discover something new there's something we haven't seen there's a new species a totally new type of habitat there's nothing like that feeling and that excitement of looking at something that you know is new and trying to figure out how this new piece of our planet works compared to conducting research on land the challenges for exploring the deep sea are immense exploration of this world has only just begun thanks to advancements in technology in recent decades okay here we go launching in three two one watch now [Music] the single greatest impediment to studying the deep ocean is that it's not as transparent as air i can look up with my own eyes and see the surface of the moon a quarter of a million miles away but i can't even see half a mile into the ocean that's why we have to develop technologies that can act as our eyes and ears ocean scientists are working with engineers and innovators to overcome the challenges of deep sea exploration and to prove that understanding this ecosystem is not only possible but essential we're developing exciting new technologies for oceanographic exploration which feed us valuable information on the current state of our oceans and it's been more than a decade of development to get these pieces of equipment to the point that they're at where you can go out and do an experiment like this and it's sort of long-term investment that i think is going to transform how we do ocean science one of the most fascinating aspects of oceanography for me is the discovery when we're looking for something and the question is always how do we find it from remotely operated and autonomous technology to listening devices and imaging systems a staggering array of innovative equipment is now at our disposal shining a light into the deep for the first time and the wondrous things we've illuminated have captured the world's attention every single time an rov dive takes place we see something amazing we see something we weren't expecting to see we see life in environments where we don't expect to see life the ocean is full of surprises and our exploration is so in its infancy as these submerged visions appear we realize that for every natural wonder on dry land there's countless more underwater waiting to be discovered i always find it amazing to think that no human eyes have actually looked at this piece of seafloor before [Music] most of us recognize the amazon rainforest yet in the depths of our oceans stand ancient coral forests teeming with life and far less explored [Music] just like we all know you cut down the rain forest a lot of important functions or loss that those rain forests provide including potentially new medicines and so the same kind of concepts apply here to the bottom of the ocean i've said this a few times today it's not every day you find a 500 meter tall reef in the great barrier reef new coral reefs are still being discovered thanks to the high resolution maps we do have but how many more are still hidden from us contrasting with these ancient coral ecosystems are bubbling superheated vent systems that support organisms right out of science fiction imagine a place so dark toxic and hot that the very idea of life proliferating there would seem absurd crazy hydrothermal rock full of noxious chemicals you know arsenic and selenium and it's potentially radioactive and yet it is taming with life and that's just astonishing to me and you think about what you can learn from studying something like that it's a tremendous opportunity [Music] from crushing pressures to pitch black darkness from inhospitable cold to superheated systems deep sea organisms are masterfully evolved to survive in places we originally thought life could not possibly exist there's all kinds of challenges living in an environment like this yet life proliferates until very recently these alien worlds remained isolated from human impact however as we further our understanding of the deep we are beginning to see just how vulnerable these environments are to the changes people are making to the planet [Music] it's devastating to see that impact on these ecosystems before we even fully understand them everything on earth is part of an interconnected system sea air land and ice are linked by important life-sustaining processes understanding what those processes are is incredibly important to how we understand how our climate of our planet works [Music] as we emit carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and our planet heats up these processes shift and change as the ocean warms the conditions and patterns which sustain life are altered and we may lose environments and species without knowing they ever existed we're the ones who are capable of having the greatest impact for good or for bad you wouldn't go and build a house on land that you haven't surveyed you don't know what's under there you wouldn't drink water that you haven't tested to see if it's clean or if it's poisonous studying the ocean and the way we're doing and many others do allows us to help us understand what our ocean is about what it takes to keep it healthy and how can we reap the greatest benefit from it through sustainable practices how do we do the best job that we can of being the caretakers of our world from hydrothermal microbes used in the development of one of the first covic drugs to clinical trials using deep sea compounds to treat lung cancer and alzheimer's there is an abundance of information in the oceans depths that could be vital to our survival and the deep may also hold solutions for mitigating the effects of climate change [Music] the importance of understanding these environments is paramount by coming up with new ways to explore this largest inhabitable volume on our planet we're essentially establishing a baseline biologically speaking of what's there and then from there understand what changes we're making to it the future is hopeful but there is still much more to discover and so much that we still need to learn some deep sea organisms are four thousand years old having started life when human beings were only just inventing how to write [Music] their environments have remained relatively stable for millennia and now we are accelerating change at an unprecedented rate we must dive deep and look into these worlds beyond imagining to discover what is there before they are lost forever people from all around the world are working together to create the tools and methods to better uncover what lies hidden in these most inaccessible depths of the ocean we still have time to address this problem to highlight and underscore ways to make things better to change the way people think about things through this vital work we hope to unlock a profound understanding of our planet our ecosystems and ourselves [Music] more than ever before the deep sea needs us and from the moment when life on earth began we need it too [Music] the oceans are in a dangerous situation someone who can tell me more is current so what can we do to protect our oceans better well there are so many things we can do but the most important thing we need to do is we need to get emissions down to net zero as quickly as possible climate change is the biggest threat to our ocean right now our ocean has already absorbed about 30 percent of all our carbon dioxide and it's absorbed over 90 percent of the heat from our emissions so things are getting hot there are oceanic heat waves the biochemistry is changing and this is having all kinds of impacts on marine life can you give me a concrete example what can be done on the very first quick step we need to think about what we consume we need to think about the fish that we consume we need to make sure that it's caught sustainably where it comes from and we need to check on that we also need to reduce our single-use plastics use and make sure that if we are using plastics that we are making sure that they are either being recycled or reused as much as possible as businesses we need businesses to make sure that they are checking throughout their supply chain in terms of what they are purchasing and how they are operating so that it isn't negatively impacting the ocean and then as governments we need governments to agree to strongly protect at least 30 percent of the ocean by 2030 we need them to act now where do you see the role of the financial industry the financial sector has a huge role to play we need to look at first uh what the banks asset managers and insurers are investing in and make sure that those are ocean positive and biodiversity positive investments that are also focused on net zero we need to support further investment into the marine and coastal space so that there are incentives to protect areas you know mangroves coral reefs sea grass beds they are incredible natural resilient solutions and they're very cost effective as an ngo does you always have to be critical [Music] we don't always have to be critical but we need to be critical where that criticism is needed and at this point uh when we are standing here at cop26 governments have made commitments to finance developing countries they haven't met those commitments governments have set targets they haven't met those targets businesses have done the same we've got no time left to lose this is about our common future it's about investing in our home our our planet there is so much power that sometimes we need the carrot sometimes we need the stick we've got to do whatever we can it's all hands on deck right now for our planet you can select on one of this which one do you like i think i'll take the [Music] the two okay my wish is that 100 billion dollar target is met and exceeded before the end of 2021 wow that's a vicious support definitely we've got to get big [Music] [Music] our planet is incredible [Music] every day it reminds us of its wonder its beauty and its power but it also warns us from pollution to climate we face unprecedented crises that threaten nature and every one of us never has it been so clear that we must act with urgency [Music] humans have an extraordinary ability to problem-solve and innovate in the face of great challenges in 2020 prince william and global alliance launched the most prestigious environment prize in history the earthshot prize a global prize designed to motivate and inspire a new generation of thinkers leaders and dreamers to help solve these challenges and repair our planet [Music] the earthshot prize is centered around five earth shots simple but ambitious goals for our planet which if achieved will improve life for all of us for generations to come [Music] protect and restore nature clean our air revive our oceans build a waste free world fix our climate every year for the next decade we will award the earthshot prize to the best solutions to the world's greatest environmental challenges and we will work with a coalition of partners to help scale the best solutions we uncover a decade of action to repair our planet the earth shark prize hello and welcome to the announcement of our first ever earthshot prize finalists when we launched the prize last year our ambition was to find the most innovative solutions to the world's greatest environmental challenges in our first year of the earthshot prize we've received over 700 nominations representing solutions from every continent these were submitted by over 200 nominating organizations who helped us search every corner of the globe for the inspiring innovative solutions to repair our planet the ambition quality and range of submissions has been amazing and should fit us all with optimism and hope that our goals for this decisive decade are achievable before revealing the finest of the earthshot prize 2021 i would like to take a moment to thank every nominee for their passion and ambition you are leaders in the greatest endeavor of our time the urgent work to repair our planet each nomination went through a rigorous review process led by a diverse group of respected experts before the final 15 were selected and now it is time to meet the first ever finest for the earthshot prize for the earth shot to revive our oceans the finalists are korovita from the bahamas my name is gator halpern coral vita and we're doing our part to help revive our oceans by growing climate change resilient corals to restore our world's dying coral reefs living sea walls from australia my name is mel from living sea walls and we are doing our part to revive our oceans by returning marine life to marine built structures our solution is modular habitat panels that convert concrete coastlines into vibrant habitats living seawalls panels are reinstating this protection and returning marine life to the most degraded environments on earth pristine seas from the usa my name is henrik sala of national geographic christensen our solution to this global crisis is marine protected areas with the goal of protecting at least 30 percent of the ocean by 2030. during the last decade christine sis has worked with local communities indigenous peoples and governments to create 24 of the largest marines reserved on the planet [Music] our oceans provide half the air we breathe supplies us with food and industries to feed our families and is home to our coral reefs coral reefs provide a home for marine life and act as a barrier against hurricanes and strong storms for decades while coral reefs have been dying this is accelerated by global warming and climate change but now the ministry for grand bahama celebrates with coral vita as we reverse these effects and it showcases all around the world what we can do when we work together as a community to make a better future here in the bahamas and to ensure that we have thriving beautiful ecosystems for decades to come thanks so much for all your support and hope to see you at our coral farm sometime soon coral vita established their first land-based coral farm on granbahama island where they perform micro-fragmentation to grow climate-resistant coral 50 faster than it does in the wild this profound establishment will generate marine life repair that not only affects grand bahama and the bahamas but the world coral vita was awarded 1.5 million dollars to expand their research and work via the earthshot prize a global climate change project set up by the royal foundation of the duke and duchess of cambridge the efforts of coral vita will positively affect the future for our kids and grandkids the ministry for grand bahama will continue to support these efforts and keep you posted on new developments in this endeavor this incredible coastline here and it really does need some help to restore and regenerate after all the storms that have happened and all the human damage as well and working together i'm sure that we can do some terrific things with coral vita in freeport grand bahama this amazing enterprise continues our pursuit to recover rebuild and revolutionize our quality of life and ecosystems in the bahamas and beyond you