Protect the Antarctic

The Antartic Ocean is one of the last virgin expanses on the planet.
Its depths are an unexplored final frontier.
An ocean full of life, of biodiversity
essential for the health of the planet and our viability as a species.
I went there to try to get to know its beauty,
its importance, its fragility,
and the urgent need for us all to come together to protect it.
Just like we did in the 80's with the frozen landmass of Antarctica.
In this video, I invite you to accompany me on a journey through the Antartic Ocean
and to learn some facts that will help us understand
what we are gambling with as a species,
and why this place is so important,
in case its beauty alone isn't enough.

It is amazing.
There's an iceberg there that has the most beautiful shape I've ever seen.
It's like a cave of ice.
We're going to get close to it.
A few hours ago, we sighted seals and whales
navigating among the icebergs in Cierva Cove.
Our jaws dropped and we were speechless
at the sight of these extraordinary castles and cathedrals
the wind ans water have carved from the blue ice.
We were amazed by the dull cracking sound they make as they break apart,
which can be heard from far away in the overwhelming silence of Antarctica.

I've traveled a lot,
I've been to marvellous corners of the planet,
and I have witnessed humanity's history
through its art and architecture.
But nothing has ever moved me as much as the artworks made by nature herself:
floating, fearless, alive, crackling,
constantly changing.
What I saw here surpasses anything else.
Others have explained to me clearly
the geological, climatic, atmospheric, and biological processes
that come together here to create these palaces and sculptures of ice.
And yet...
... there's something in this silence and this immensity
that speaks directly to your soul
and brings you into conversation with yourself.
Asking that this be protected.
That it be protected from us.
Because there is, in this landscape, a voice underground,
a cry in the wind that tells us
this is not our place.
This is not a place for man,
but a place to be studied, documented, protected.
Human activity is the origin of many environmental and climatic problems.
And that means it is the human conscience that must come together,
take responsibility, and look for a solution.
Emotions are powerful, and they often lead to action.
Positive emotions should lead to positive actions.

This is being in contact with the highest expression of nature, right?
The whale, the biggest animal in the world,
with 12 of them, seeing how they eat the krill,
turning around, blowing bubbles, drawing them to the surface,
the relationship between this and other animals, with birds.

I'm about to get into this tiny thing,
I barely fit in.
Good thing I'm with John.
John's the bus driver!
According to Jeff,
fewer than 50 people have been in these waters in a submarine.
Being one of them is a privilege.

Incredible, we have to protect this.
We can't not protect this wonder.
The surprises of the sea floor, the life...
... I never thought there could be so much life in a place like this,
under these waters, so much colour.
It's impressive, impressive.
Without protection, industrial fishing crews will have access to these waters.
One of their goals is to come through with enormous nets
and suck up krill by the tonne.
This small crustacean is the base of the entire Antartic food chain.
Here, everything eats krill,
or eats something that eats krill.
Without krill, everything is done for.
A sanctuary would prevent industry from robbing the basic food source of
pinguins, birds, and whales,
and would relieve the pressure on populations,
so these creatures could recover.

We have climbed the mountain
and behind us are the 'chinstrap penguins',
penguins with this line on their chin.
We're not going to bother them because they're with their babies.
Here comes one.
More than 300,000 pairs of Antarctic petrels
raise their young on the coasts of this potential sanctuary.
One third of all Emperor penguins are born on ice floes in these waters.
To date, six species of seals and twelve species of whales
have been documented in this zone.
Sanctuary status would protect them from man,
so they could feed and reproduce.
These species and many others are suffering the impact of
climate change, contamination, and overfishing.
Marine sanctuaries would permit them to recover.

The scientific community is beginning to understand now the role
that healthy oceans play in the absortion of carbon dioxide
and how they help keep climate change in check.
Sanctuaries don't only protect biodiversity,
they also assure food security for billions of people who depend on the seas.
A healthy ocean is one of the greatest defences against climate change.
There is evidence that krill help capture surface carbon
and deposit it deep on the ocean floor.

If we do not come together in October 2018
to create the Antarctic sanctuary
we will also lose faith in the ability of
national governments to protect the oceans.
Why should we celebrate the Antarctic Treaty
if the twenty-four menber states of the
European Union can't come together?
Let's make this the first of many ocean sanctuaries.
Let it be an international judicial precedent
applicable to many other marine environmentes.
The eyes of millions of citizens of the world are on us.
Here, in the Antarctic Ocean,
we are gambling our future.
Nothing less than the future of humanity.
And as we've repeated many times these days,
there is no plan B,
because there is no planet B.
Now is the time to act.

Thank you for your help.