Sylvia Earle Quotes & Sayings (Page 3)

“Ocean acidification - the excess carbon dioxide in the atmosphere that is turning the oceans increasingly acid - is a slow but accelerating impact with consequences that will greatly overshadow all the oil spills put together. The warming trend that is CO2-related will overshadow all the oil spills that have ever occurred put together.”

“Bottom trawling is a ghastly process that brings untold damage to sea beds that support ocean life. It's akin to using a bulldozer to catch a butterfly, destroying a whole ecosystem for the sake of a few pounds of protein. We wouldn't do this on land, so why do it in the oceans?”

“Like a shipwreck or a jetty, almost anything that forms a structure in the ocean, whether it is natural or artificial over time, collects life.”

“I've always said, 'Underwater or on top, men and women are compatible.'”

“For humans, the Arctic is a harshly inhospitable place, but the conditions there are precisely what polar bears require to survive - and thrive. 'Harsh' to us is 'home' for them. Take away the ice and snow, increase the temperature by even a little, and the realm that makes their lives possible literally melts away.”

“America gains most when individuals have great freedom to pursue personal goals without undue government interference.”

“When I arrived on the planet, there were only two billion. Wildlife was more abundant, we were less so; now the situation is reversed.”

“We have been far too aggressive about extracting ocean wildlife, not appreciating that there are limits and even points of no return.”

“If you think the ocean isn't important, imagine Earth without it. Mars comes to mind. No ocean, no life support system.”

“I actually love diving at night; you see a lot of fish then that you don't see in the daytime.”