"When I was young, the water was clear and clean," they say. "There were lots of coral reefs and many different kinds of fish." Today, they have stopped fishing and make a living by selling handicrafts made from plastic they have found in the sea, to tourists.
Andrea is a fourth-generation fisherman. The catch now is a lot lower because of the influx of tropical species brought about by warming temperatures. As he shows us the beautiful island of Burano, he also tells us about the drastic changes he has seen there. He urges that we must act now and together before it gets too late.
Their story is about Algae Bloom and Stewardship. The Great Australian Bight is one of the world’s greatest marine centres of biodiversity. The whales are the Mirnings totem and they speak of them as their family. Elder Bunna asks us to imagine a world without whales, without creatures in the Ocean. “Mirning” means listen, learn, understand and observe for wisdom and knowledge – and they implore the leaders and people of COP to listen to the indigenous people.
She talks about reclaiming the connection with the Ocean and heritage, as her tribe also regained their rights to their ancestral lands. They are now working to bring back the Otter in the area.
Bidyut tells the story about how the river has expanded by a third since he was a child. And the heavy rainfall he has seen lately is more than he has ever experienced before. This bit of the flood is his entire home and he lives in fear that he will be forced to move one day. Heavy floods will destroy his home, and his livelihood. This extreme weather is eroding much land, and at the same time creating new islands in the middle of the river, which means that now tigers can cross over into his village. Intensive Reforestation could secure their future.
Pondang tells us about how extreme weather and pollutions affects his ability to fish, and the impact of pollution on the health of the Ocean.
He is a Sámi musician who is inspired by the Sea. But Climate change is causing the Sami to lose their language and is badly impacting their identity. This is a story about music, language and culture change due to climate change. ‘A lot has changed in just two generations,’ says Emil in the film.
The Melanesian Ocean Reserve is the first indigenous led, multi-national Ocean reserve on Earth. It is important, because it demonstrates that indigenous people can come up with initiatives to steward and guard and protect our planet. Eric calls for action at this year’s COP.
Friday lives in Makoko a slum area right on top of the sea in Lagos, Nigeria. For the most part Friday is happy in his day-to-day life, but he has big dreams to educate everyone in Makoko about climate change. During rainy season, many houses flood and children fall into the water - but using good bamboo could stop this from happening.
"It is us in civil society who have to clean up the mess you leave behind," says Nuala in the film. She is from Pernambuco in Brazil, a former professional surfer who now runs a surfing NGO that wants to democratise the sport, and on the same time promoting a strong connection to the Sea. She talks about the need for us to adapt and to listen to civil society to stand against.
