Ocean Ignorance
Chappaqua, NY
2021, Junior, Creative Writing
I like to remind myself of a seven-year-old me viewing the world with innocence. I reminisce about days at the beach consisting of intricately sculpting sandcastles and then skipping to the shore to clean my feet with clear ocean water that would wash away the sand stuck between my toes. I reminisce about ordering fish at dinner and being able to view it as a meal to make my tastebuds happy and nothing more.
Now my eyes meet the ocean and my thoughts jump to the doubled pace of global sea level rise between 2006 and 2015. My eyes meet seafood and my brain can’t hold itself back from thinking about the industries that are overfishing and destroying our oceans. And I know that without our oceans to absorb 25% of the world’s carbon dioxide emissions, without our oceans to contribute to the water cycle and provide life for every living being, we are nothing.
It feels unfair that I’ve been robbed of my innocence, the rawness from which I once viewed the world. There are certainly people who choose to stand with theirs.
I live in New York, and walking through the city looking out on the Hudson River, it feels as if there is no need to panic. When the sun glistens on the water and the sound of birds chirping rings in my ears, nature seems to be thriving. When the sky is clear and the flowers have bloomed, why would one worry? Everything seems okay.
And that’s the problem.
Walking through the city looking out on the Hudson River, it’s not clear that it is predicted to rise between 15 and 75 inches by 2100. When the sun beats onto the shoulders of those biking and jogging through Central Park, they don’t realize that the mean temperature in New York has risen with each passing year.
And that’s the problem.
We don’t feel it yet, so we aren’t panicking yet. Because why would we when it’s human nature to not care until it affects us directly? But once you inevitably move on from seven years old, that innocence becomes ignorance as you make the active choice to not educate yourself. Here in New York, along with many other places, we have the privilege to continue looking at the world with ignorance.
But the problem with ignorance is that it fosters inaction. And with inaction, a dark reality takes over, and it is impossible for the world to be beautiful no matter what lens it is viewed through.
I like to think that there will be seven-year-olds in the future who never have to grow out of seeing beauty and feeling security in nature, rather than seven-year-olds who are faced with the reality of severe natural disasters, frequent flooding, and lifeless oceans.
And I feel for the seven-year-olds around the world who don’t get the privilege of innocence because of damage done to our oceans. They are living the future that we fear due to fossil fuel emissions, overfishing, and careless day-to-day practices.
Lakes in Bolivia are literally disappearing. The Great Barrier Reef is bleaching. Vicious cycles of floods and droughts make agriculture almost impossible in places such as Central America and Kenya.
We are all water. And without water, we are all nothing. Protect what we are made of. Protect what is keeping us alive. Protect our oceans.
Reflection
Reflection
I have always been an advocate for climate change, but my focus was never on oceans. I used my activism mainly towards reducing fossil fuel emissions, because I just assumed that made the most sense. After learning more about the ocean’s role, I realized that water, being the center of life, is key to preserving our planet and fighting climate change. I use my writing as my main form of activism, and I knew the best way I could help others raise their awareness of the ocean's importance was with words. Instantly after researching, with feelings of enlightenment and anger inside me, I wrote. I wrote to alert others of the urgency that needs to be taken to protect our oceans.