Despite taking up most of the planet, the ocean probably doesn’t cross your mind much unless you live close to the coast, or you’re a regular beachgoer. For most of us, we only really think about it when we’re planning a holiday.
But the truth is, it serves a bigger purpose than scenic strolls or destination weddings. The sea plays a critical role in balancing the planet’s climate. That’s why this week we’re casting the spotlight on the ocean and discovering how the stories we tell about it can change how we treat it.
Spotlight
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The ocean covers roughly 360-million square kilometres and takes up 70% of the Earth’s surface. It is split into five major oceans – the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Arctic and the Southern (or Antarctic) Ocean. Each contributes to climate regulation by storing and distributing heat from the sun around the globe. The ocean is also the largest carbon sink on the planet, removing around 25% of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere every year. |
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This is a critical function at a time when temperatures are heating up. In fact, many authoritative sources report that we experienced some of the highest temperatures on record during 2025.
The ocean does a lot of behind-the-scenes work to control our climate, so what can we do to honour it? Reducing pollution is an obvious and essential step towards respecting the ecosystems that call it home. But, perhaps the first and most lasting way to instill respect is through open communication and education to ensure everyone is aware of the important role the ocean plays in our lives on Earth.
Storytelling
Someone who has dedicated his life to educating others about the Earth in general is Sir David Attenborough. At 99 years old he has just released his latest and some say his most powerful body of work, Ocean with David Attenborough.
In the 95-minute film, which was released on 8 May 2025, he says:
“After living for nearly 100 years on the planet, I now understand the most important place on Earth is not on land, but at sea.”
The film showcases gripping footage of the damage that people have inflicted on the ocean through common practices like bottom trawling, a type of industrial fishing where a boat drags a weighted net across the ocean floor to catch species that live close to the seabed.
What’s the problem with this practice? Because the nets are so large, bottom trawling is an effective way to catch many fish all at once, but this also means untargeted fish or by-catch end up getting caught without a purpose. Not only is this wasteful, but endangered species risk ending up in the net because of the uncontrolled nature of the practice. Additionally, the nets scrape and damage the seabed destroying habitats along the way.
Deep-sea trawling vessel
Every year, around a quarter of the fish we eat is caught through bottom trawling, including 83% of South Africa’s beloved hake, according to the South African Deep Sea Trawling Industry Association.
The conversation about ocean conservation, led by Sir David Attenborough, has been opened at a crucial time, just before the 2025 UN Ocean Conference, set to take place in June. The main theme of the conference is to focus on conserving the ocean while using it sustainably.
Showcase
How we communicate about the ocean plays a vital role in shaping public attitudes, which is why researchers at Cornell University studied its impact on ocean health outreach efforts.
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Psychological distance: People are mentally disconnected from the importance of ocean issues, making them seem less real or serious. |
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Unfamiliarity: Some people live far from the sea and have never even experienced it, so ocean issues can feel foreign, making it difficult to understand what happens beneath the surface. |
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Politicisation: People’s opinions on climate change are often influenced by political figures and their biases. |
The study highlights various methods to get around these communication challenges, namely, focusing on framing messages, using data and metaphors about land (which are more familiar) to help people relate to the ocean challenges and re-framing environmental issues as ‘public health’ issues.
The study highlights various methods to get around these communication challenges, namely, focusing on framing messages, using data and metaphors about land (which are more familiar) to help people relate to the ocean challenges and re-framing environmental issues as ‘public health’ issues.
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The study also mentions how visits to aquariums can promote attitudes that are “more supportive of marine stewardship”. A study done at South Africa’s very own uShaka Sea World aquarium proved just that. It looked at how much visitors knew about marine protected areas (MPAs) before and after exploring an interpretive exhibit on the subject. |
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What researchers found was that after interacting with the installation, there was a surprising level of engagement, positive and passionate perceptions and a deeper understanding of MPAs.
Links we love
- Visual experiences
- Technology may have its faults, but when it lets you experience the wonders of the ocean live, from the comfort of your own home, it’s hard to complain. Explore offers free access to live streams of marine life, both in aquariums and the wild.
- Have you ever thought of what our world would look like according to fish? The Spilhaus projection places Antarctica in the center of the map, thereby showing how the oceans are linked from the point of view of its inhabitants – not the land mass. Perspective is important in visualisation and leads to deeper understanding of its data.
- Science communication and storytellingThe ocean has inspired many thrilling tales and stories. There is just something about its extreme depths and the dangerous (or beautiful) creatures that lurk below the surface that stimulate the imagination.
- Gaia is the goddess of the Earth. Tales for Gaia is a multi-disciplinary storytelling project, based in Canada, developed by three friends who care deeply about the ocean. Access some of the materials that they have developed over time on their colourful website.
- And now, a Beam favourite! The Shipping News by Annie Proulx is not about the ocean in an adventurous or mythical sense, but rather, it is about living with and through the ocean. It focuses on journalism by (and on) the sea, second chances in love and on the folklore and legends which surround the sea.
The International Coastal Cleanup encourages people worldwide to collect trash from beaches. Using the Clean Swell app, every item picked up is recorded, giving us access to eye-opening data. So, what was the most collected item on beaches around the world in 2024? Spoiler alert: Cigarette butts! |
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