Oceans are the largest ecosystem of our planet. They have always played a key role for life on earth and yet we are just now beginning to understand their significance for our existence. In his lecture, marine conservation biologist and author Callum Roberts (University of York, England), describes the distressing dimension that the relatively short human rule of the seas has reached throughout the past decades: we overfish the seas and pollute them with toxic and plastic waste. Deep-sea mining is destroying marine biodiversity. Climate change is threatening the entire ecosystem: oceans become acidic and oxygen-deficient - almost a quarter of all coral reefs have already died. Yet there is little public awareness of our seas' alarming condition. Protection and sustainable management of the oceans are not on the global political agendas.
As a dedicated environmentalist, Callum Roberts thus calls for A New Deal for the Oceans: expanding the network of marine protection areas, reducing CO2 emissions and an end of destructive fishing methods.
Audio: Lecture by Prof. Callum Roberts: Ocean of Life (English)
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Video: Lecture and Discussion (English and German)
