LISBON, Portugal – Arriving at the 11th annual World Ocean Summit had me feeling like a kid again. Now we all know how dire the situation is – but just for a second – as I walked into the Lisbon Congress Center – I entertained the child in me. The child that wanted to be a marine biologist like so many do. That moment – where I realized I actually am living that dream, because the work we do will directly affect the oceans, gave me confidence.
Confidence to represent Pakka at a conference with over 1,500 delegates, where Jacques Cousteau’s grandson spoke about carrying on his grandfather’s legacy through his own project. And Sylvia Earle spoke about her career as a marine biologist, oceanographer and Hero for the Planet.
Their talks were beautiful and important – and set the framework for the event, as I learned and talked so much about the importance of turning off the tap.
Now I know I don’t need to tell anyone at Pakka that this is urgent – but this point was hit on a lot. And while this is nothing knew – what was being said was simple – our message needs to be louder and more urgent. We are currently in the middle of the UN Ocean Decade (2021 – 2030), and Life Below Water (SDG 14) is still one of the least funded UN Sustainable Goals.
The ocean is the world’s largest carbon sink and a home to incredible biodiversity. It could play a huge role in the battle against climate change, as according to The Economist – the ocean could make up to 21% of the emissions reductions needed to limit global warming by 2050.
So – how do we set this into action? Well, in Lisbon – the main points came from fixing the following: pollution reduction, storytelling and data.
As Pakka, we can take lessons from all of these. Pollution reduction is obvious and we can draw a direct line from our company to the health of the oceans – but where we can truly gain is from the relationship I saw in the power and importance of storytelling and measuring data.
As Fabian Cousteau said, “without the ocean, we do not exist. To protect our Ocean, we need to renew and reinnovate the storytelling”.
This struck a chord with me. A man who has such a storied history and relationship to the water, is saying we need to change our story. It was powerful, and so true. The ocean is universal and carries a huge narrative – that needs to be used to its full potential. But it cannot be doom and gloom.The story is often soaked with negativity. Horrible statistics lead the way. But this is not the way. It is overwhelming the world.
If there is anything I have learned from the Good Garbage podcast, it’s this: there are so many positive stories out there. Let’s lift the general public with them, and use this inspiration to make change happen. Negativity is hindering the process.
How do we build an effective narrative? Through numbers. Pure evidence will make our problems impossible to ignore. Tracking pollution and contaminants in our oceans needs to be a huge priority.
Pakka’s story and the ocean’s story are not separate, they are parallel and related. Our successes and failures are tied together. Action and collaboration are reasons why conferences like this one are so significant – and why I was so proud to represent and tell our story.
Our oceans play such an important role in our lives, all the way back to when we were kids and we first learned what a whale was, or saw all the elegant colors of the corals and fish. It gave me confidence walking into the World Ocean Summit – and I hope it gives you confidence as we continue to work together – to leave this planet cleaner.
