WE’VE GOT A BIG PROBLEM. About 71 per cent of the Earth’s surface is water, and our oceans hold about 96.5 per cent of all the water on the planet. The trouble? While we’re all familiar with the impacts of cli­mate change on land these days, many don’t appreciate the catastrophic damage being done to our marine environments.
Ten years ago, Canadian Geographic magazine con­tributing editor Alanna Mitchell wrote Sea Sick: The Global Ocean in Crisis, a book that detailed the emerging crisis then unfolding in the world’s water. It explored much of the earliest science being conducted to establish baselines for the impacts of the industrial revolution on oceans. It became an international bestseller.
I asked Mitchell to revisit some key items from her book in this issue (page 38). Here’s a glimpse into her insights a decade later: “The oceans and the climate are changing faster than ever as we pump even more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere,” writes Mitchell. “Today, the carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere is 415 parts per million by volume. When Sea Sick went to press, it was 387.”
So, as you read Mitchell’s story and peruse the other great pieces here, such as the feature on wolf behaviour (page 28) or the wildlife photography of the year compe­tition (page 58), remember that the ocean is Earth’s life support system. And I urge you to do whatever you can to help save it. The existence of everything is at stake. Editor -Aaron Kylie