By Daniela Huson, Ocean Conservation Research
Swooshing winds weave through the swaying woods. Six-sided porous crystals silently sail through the sky. Soundwaves are absorbed by the snowfall, and nature surrenders to the crystalline silence.
Sorrow speaks in the Sierra Mountains – a story settled in her soil. Black bears bellowing, up to third-degree burns on their paws. Wild animals left behind their beloved backwoods, as they brutally burned away. The winds were howling. The clouds were smothered by smoke particles. Water droplets decreased in size, too small to stick together and become rain. Choked up, the clouds held back their tears of despair.
A desolate chimney now stands along the Highway 50 corridor, surrounded by the dead and damaged El Dorado Forest – a forest no longer a magnificent marvel – but an emblem of our exhausted blue marble.
In 2020, we experienced the largest wildfire year recorded in California history. Four million acres burned – an eerie trajectory. Indeed, California has always burned, but wildfires in the western USA are becoming more widespread. To fan the flames, humans are cutting down healthy forests for agricultural expansion instead of allowing the forests to mediate our climate.
The ocean and the trees are the lungs of our planet – and they are forever allied. The ocean cries for help, as she cannot continue absorbing this much carbon dioxide. She feels the warming waters occurring worldwide – and the changing chemistry that accompanies this warming.
Coral reefs are like the forests of the sea, and when healthy, they sound like a lively symphony. Shrimp are snapping, fish are crackling, and humpbacks are singing in the distance. But bleaching heat stress and carbon-induced acidification have impacted over two-thirds of our planet’s reefs. Drained of color and sound, nearly one-third of reefs have suffered mortality – and for those losses, I grieve.
But alas – the earth is resilient. She has weathered more violent assaults before and returned to life with even greater splendor. Although unlike the ancient meteor strikes, or the rapid primordial growth of cyanobacteria that triggered previous global mass extinctions, we humans can have a hand in mediating our impacts on our planet.
The Earth’s voice needs to be heard, and so does yours. Consider writing a letter to Representative Tom McClintock, Senator Alex Padilla, and Senator Dianne Feinstein, asking them to support the Administration in their efforts to protect 30% of ‘America the Beautiful’ by 2030. This collaborative and inclusive approach will conserve a third of our lands and waters for the benefit of all people – honoring tribal sovereignty and using locally designed and led conservation efforts.
Please consider contributing to Ocean Conservation Research this Earth Day. Your contributions will directly support our team on a trip to Washington D.C. for Capitol Hill Ocean Week. We will meet with members of Congress to lobby for the health of our beautiful blue planet and all of its inhabitants. If you have any particular concerns you’d like us to voice while we’re in D.C., leave your message with us here: info@OCR.org