Innovation at Sea

Welcome to Idea Evolution, your hosts are Melanie and Rachel. Today we are talking about Marine Conservation.

Or to put it another way, we are going to go on the journey to really discover our oceans.

Because once upon a time, we didn’t really care that much about the oceans. Or the environment at all actually.

Imagine you are on a rocket, blasting off our planet and travelling into space on an incredible adventure.

And as you get higher and higher, you look back down on the planet you call home and what do you notice?

You see blue. Across our galaxy and solar system, we are called the Blue Planet, or the Blue Marble.

Because unlike any other planet we have been able to observe, Earth is special. Earth has water.

And that water “will determine the survival of our species.”

As humans, we haven’t always realized the importance of our waters, our understood the pivotal role our oceans have to play. And I’d have to say, by accounts from early society, we didn’t really care.

The oldest known rules about the ocean were set around 900 to 300 BC. That’s like 3000 years ago. This law started out as just a basic verbal agreement between the people whose lives revolved around the oceans and seas. It set out rules about the trade and the movement of ships on the oceans. And … that was about it.

The first society that seemed to officially have any maritime law written down was a tiny island in Greece called Rhodes. I should point out, it may be a tiny island, but it has some major historical significance. Their maritime law influenced the entire European area for generations. But it really only covered the cargo of ships and to some extent had some consideration of the sailors.

It recognized that the sailors who worked on the ships had an increased risk of injury, illness or even death. Their lives were in the hands of the shipowners and even the ship builders – those who needed to make sure the ships were seaworthy and safe.

And the water, well it was just there for our use.

Over time, the Laws of the Sea evolved. For a time, Spain kind of considered the Pacific Ocean theirs. And then in 1455 a Papal Bull – basically a law the Pope creates – said that the Crown of Portugal owned everything south of a certain point in Africa.

This kind of lit a fuse with people who lived and relied on the oceans.

As more countries started discovering the wonders of distant shores the oceans provided, pressure and tensions increased.

Hugo Grotius was a genius of his times and is still considered The Father of International Law to this day. At the age of 15 he was introduced to the King of France, Henry the 4th , who called Hugo the “miracle of Holland.” What do you expect to be doing when you’re 15?! I know I wasn’t being introduced to the Queen or being called a miracle for any country!! Anyway, In 1608 Hugo wrote “The Freedom of the Seas”… although he called it Mare Liberum. In this he claimed that, like the air above the land which is there for all, the oceans should also be free for all to use.

While Hugo’s work created a foundation, not everyone agreed. A kind of compromise came a little under 100 years later, in 1702. A Dutch legal theorist by the name of Cornelius Bynkershoek proposed a compromise which seemed to calm everyone down. He stated that a country could “own” the sea around their country, for a distance that a cannon ball could be fired from the edge. This was about 5.5 kms and became known as the Cannon Shot rule.

So Hugo and Cornelius’ work combined. Countries owned the water around them up to a certain distance, but everything else was considered International Waters, Free to all nations, but belonging to none of them.

And still no one really cared about what was being done to the oceans by human activity.

All through this history, you’ll notice that there was no concept of human’s impact on the health of the oceans. There was consideration to ensure various countries had fair access to the fish that they claimed was swimming in their waters. There is also an understanding, especially after some very bad diseases swept across towns, on the importance of drinking clean water and keeping their waterways healthy.

As early – or maybe as late – as the mid 1700’s, people finally started campaigning their governments to extend protection to the land and the water. Even the great inventor, Benjamin Franklin, led multiple attempts to control the dumping of waste as well as removing other activities which were considered harmful to the environment.

However the governments of the time didn’t really heed these cries. It’s safe to say that nothing was really done.

During the 1800’s there were a lot of people talking about the need to keep nature pristine. Still, only very minor nods were given towards protecting the environment. And when accidents happened that really caused damage to the environment, these were just dealt with on an ad hoc basis.

But over these 2 centuries, there was a groundswell of change. And the first real, international attempt to protect the oceans finally came in 1958. The United Nations held a conference called the UN Convention of the Law of the Sea or UNCLOS for short. This convention defined the rules of who had control over how much of the sea. So, where you were allowed to fish and who had rights to certain parts of the ocean. A good step, and considered a success, but there wasn’t any consideration for the health and conservation of the oceans.

The real awakening of environmental awareness for the oceans came in 1972 in Stockholm. Once again, the UN held a conference, this time called the UN Convention of the Law of the Sea, or UNCLOS 2. Around this period, the need to protect the marine environment was becoming a broadly accepted objective. And in UN resolution 2750 (XXV) of UNCLOS2 it states, “that the problems of ocean space are closely interrelated and need to be considered as a whole”.

Another great step. But more was needed.

The really solid confirmation of the need to protect and manage the oceans occurred at yet another UN Convention of the Law of the Sea, or UNCLOS 3. This time held in New York. And this time, clearly written on the agenda was “the protection of the marine environment”. There were many other items on the agenda, and it actually took 9 years for the many Member States of the United Nations to all come to an agreement. But agreed they mostly all did.

And for the first time, written into a treaty agreed by more than 150 countries of this planet, there was a series of very detailed, and sometimes future-looking articles dealing with the protection of the marine environment.

The year was 1982 and humanity had taken its first step towards agreeing that we not only had the right to use the oceans, but we also had a responsibility to protect the oceans of the world.

Wow. I’m just going to pause there to take a breath. What a truly momentous occasion. After centuries and centuries of misuse and uncaring pollution, the world all agreed that the oceans required protection. How would you celebrate such a big achievement? Maybe a big party with all your friend, some cake. I wonder what the UN did?

So, that was 1982. Well before most of you were born I’d say. And unfortunately, the story doesn’t end here.

I wonder.. what would it be like right now if UNCLOS 3 had actually stopped all the pollution going into our oceans? That if not another poison washed off the land and ended up in the sea. If no more oil tankers crashed and spewed crude oil all over the oceans. I wonder…

Because you see, pollution and problems are still affecting the oceans.

And we can’t give up. We just can’t. Because like Peter Thomson says…

<”the oceans is the source of the oxygen we breathe”>

I’ll get to Peter Thomson in a little bit, because he is doing some wonderful things.

But for now, we know… It’s just too important to stop fighting to help the ocean.

So.. what happened next?

Well, over the 1980s and into the 1990s there were a number of Acts and agreements about the ocean and the environment taking place all around the world. And then the world discovered Climate Change. Well, perhaps first they discovered a hole in the Ozone Layer, realized it was made by humans and had a panic. An agreement, called the Montreal Agreement was formed saying that everyone had to stop releasing harmful gases into the atmosphere. It wasn’t really fully agreed, but it calmed people down a little.

The realization that humans weren’t just impacting the land and the ocean, but actually the thin film of atmosphere that protects us from the harshness of space, well, let’s just say that we’ve now hit the era of the realization of climate change.

Slow moving, but ultimately a deadly enemy…. Climate Change. And along with many other parts of this planet, the ocean has fallen victim of this climate change.

Two organisations within the United Nations in 1988 created The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change or IPCC…. This is the centre for all the scientific research on climate change, every year evaluating and reviewing the knowledge that humanity gains around this topic.

World Oceans Day was created and first celebrated on Monday, the 8th of June 1992. Really an important milestone because it’s allowed various agencies around the world to put the ocean into the spotlight. It has allowed people to realise just how important the oceans are to humanity’s survival. Because, while the ocean has been a victim of this climate change, it also potentially holds the key to the solution.

In 2000 the Millennium Development Goals (or MDGs) were created by the UN. These goals mostly considered humans needs and various infrastructure. However, Goal number 7 of the MDGs was entitled “Ensure environmental sustainability”. It set some goals around sustainable fishing practices, protection areas and such.

The world realized that for oceans, there was more that needed to be done

The activities under the MDG’s lasted 15 years and was the starting point for what is now called, the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, or the UN SDGs.

At a conference on Sustainable Development, in Rio de Janieiro, in 2012, the idea of the SDG’s were born. These were created to progress the earlier Millennium Development Goals and to broaden them significantly. A working group was formed to create “The Future We Want”.. and they set to work to create the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. In the end 17 goals for global sustainable development were identified. And in 2015 a universal call to action was proclaimed, the official 17 United National Sustainable Development Goals were launched. And incredibly, all UN Member States agreed to the 15 year plan to achieve these goals. All of them!

This is such an amazing development because within the 17 goals, there’s one very special one. Sustainable Development Goal number 14 which is called life below water. It’s all about the careful management of the world’s oceans and waters.

NOW, While the SDGs are not legally binding, governments are expected to take ownership and establish national frameworks for the achievement of the 17 Goals. And they have! When you can, take a look around at various companies and locations in your town. You’ll see lots of different communities and companies using these 17 goals as a focal point or charter. Every episode in our first season had a focus on a different goal. Even the Sydney Opera House has updated some policies to align with the UN SDGs.

Let’s stop for a second. Because this is a huge development. In less than 100 years, humanity has gone from realizing the natural environment needed protection from human’s actions, to creating a special and specific target just for the protection of the ocean. Get the cake out again, because it is time to celebrate!!

Now, this could definitely be our happily ever after moment. But this isn’t the end yet.

Last year, in September 2019, a Decade of Action was officially called.

< UN Secretary-General : UN call for decade of action>

The plan is that the next 10 years, between 2020 and 2030, the world needs to supercharge ideas to create solutions. And the oceans weren’t forgotten in this declaration.

The UN Decade of Oceans was created, led by Peter Thomson. Peter is a Fijian and has been made the UN Special Envoy for the Oceans. And coming from an island in the pacific, he is very passionate about understanding the oceans and the impact humans are having on them.

That was Peter again.

I wonder… will the UN SDG’s for Life under water be successfully reached, as planned, by 2030. Are the activities taking place under the Decade of Oceans going to be enough?

Society has really come a very long way in our care for marine conservation.

It seems pretty clear that looking after our oceans is an important task. But one of the biggest questions we could ask is “what can we do about the problems?”

I mean, they just seem so big.

You may actually be surprised to learn that things you do, no matter how little you are, or how far you live from the ocean, can have a really big impact.

As the innovators of the future, I want you to have a bit of a brainstorm with the people around you. If land-based pollution – plastics and too many harmful nutrients – and global warming are some of the biggest problems effecting the oceans, what could you do to help?

Hit pause now and have a go at coming up with at least three ideas.

So, what did you come up with? Here are some ideas we came up with.

The way most houses get electricity to power everything is through the burning of fossil fuels, like coal. If you could reduce the amount of electricity you use, for example switching off lights when you leave a room or using cold water to wash clothes, you are actually helping to reduce the power needed and the coal that’s being burned.

Plastic waste in the ocean can be reduced if we just stop using plastic so much. Even if you live nowhere near a beach, plastics that are not properly disposed of can wash into waterways and travel long distances to wind up in the ocean.

If you wanted to go even further, you could possibly organise clean-up groups in your neighbourhood to go around collecting rubbish and disposing of it properly so that it never makes it into the waterways. There’s a group called Take 3 for the sea which simply urges everyone that when you visit the beach or any waterways, make it your mission to collect 3 pieces of rubbish with you and dispose of it properly. If everyone did that… how much better would this world be?

Those were just a few of our ideas. What did you come up with? We’d love for you to share it with us by sending us a message through our website www.ideaevolution.com.au or posting your thoughts and pictures on Facebook or Instagram. Be sure to tag us!

Society has come such a very long way in understanding and appreciating the role oceans have in the survival of humans on Earth.

As the Innovators of the future we know that you will take all the progress that has been done in the past and work to improve upon it in the future.

Please join us for the rest of the week as we take you on a journey of more Innovations at Sea. We will be exploring innovations within submarines, scuba diving, medicines and even the coral reefs.