What Whales Can Teach Us About Climate Science
By Jacob Devaney
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As we seek solutions to our climate crisis, we have a lot to learn from the wisdom of Nature.
Planet Earth is a finely-tuned living organism with a delicately balanced ecosystem that has reached a tipping point due to human activity. If you balance a scale at the center, you can easily see that the slightest force exerted at either end can shift the balance. Humans are not the only source of greenhouse gases, but the gases we have added to the atmosphere have become enough to upset our global climate in profound ways. In order to correct our course, we may need to understand how nature has kept this delicate balance that has allowed all of life to flourish for millennia. We must protect, preserve, and understand the beings that have lived harmoniously with their environment long before humans came along. One such creature, a mammal like us, is the whale.
Many of us saw the viral video, “How Wolves Change Rivers” that was created by Sustainable Human and narrated by George Monbiot (remixed from a TED Talk). The video was viewed more than 18 million times, whereas the original TED Talk was viewed about 85,000 times. Besides being an extraordinary video, it is a media collaboration that has done wonders to inspire and educate millions of people. The next video in this series, How Whales Change Climate is ripe for a global conversation as people are beginning to wake up to our shared responsibility to address climate change.
“By changing the story, we change our world.” – Sustainable Human
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The video is packed with great information, stunning footage, and creative animations. It will certainly be enjoyed by anyone who loves our oceans. Organizations like Sea Shepherd understand the importance of whales and dolphins to the oceans’ eco-system. Sustainable Human has also included educational tools that make this scientific research easy to digest, which allows everyone the opportunity to participate in sharing the the message.
“Our mission is to end the destruction of habitat and slaughter of wildlife in the world’s oceans in order to conserve and protect ecosystems and species.” – Sea Shepherd
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Whales fertilize plankton, allowing them to flourish alongside the fish that eat them. The plankton also sequester carbon from the atmosphere, helping to keep the delicate balance of our climate in check. More plankton means more fish to feed the whales, so long as humans stop killing the whales. Nature works in beautiful harmony when we let it.
The return of the great whales, if they are allowed to recover, could be seen as a benign form of geoengineering. It could undo some of the damage we have done, both to the living systems of the sea, and to the atmosphere.
Humans are also learning to apply nature’s wisdom through technologies like bioremediation. This is a technique that utilizes naturally occurring organisms to break down hazardous substances into less toxic or non-toxic substances. Practices like permaculture and biomimicry are associated with this idea. For non-scientists, some quiet time in a forest or sitting on a beach will demonstrate the incredible healing power and wisdom in nature. The time to end our conquest of nature and begin living in harmony with our environment is upon us.
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Though the video mentions just how potent whales are in fighting climate change, it is important to note that we are still engaging in many practices that are contributing to our climate problems, and that they will need to end. Coal and fossil fuels are at the top of the list, as they create more carbon than even a healthy ocean or whale population could help to mitigate. Deforestation, fracking, and extractive industries are also major problems for our environment, but luckily there are plenty of solutions waiting for us if we are willing to make a change. You are officially invited to deepen your commitment to the small changes in your lifestyle as well as to take action to hold industry and political leaders accountable. Together with our whale friends, we can protect our oceans and planet.
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*Article written by Jacob Devaney (co-founder of UNIFY), originally appearing on Culture Collective*