{"id":120156,"date":"2023-10-18T21:29:16","date_gmt":"2023-10-18T21:29:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/yourclomid.com\/?p=120156"},"modified":"2023-10-18T21:29:16","modified_gmt":"2023-10-18T21:29:16","slug":"sylvia-earle-and-the-sustainability-conundrum","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/yourclomid.com\/travel\/sylvia-earle-and-the-sustainability-conundrum\/","title":{"rendered":"Sylvia Earle and the sustainability conundrum"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Arnie<\/p>\n

Sylvia Earle recently raised her profile in the travel industry. She has been a guest speaker on Lindblad Expeditions’ National Geographic cruises, Aurora Expeditions named a ship for her, and last week, she became godmother of the Explora I, the first ship from MSC’s new luxury line.<\/p>\n

If you’re not familiar with Earle, she’s an 88-year-old marine biologist known for her fierce dedication to protecting oceans. She has published more than 200 scientific papers, is a National Geographic Explorer in Residence, won the TED Prize, has 29 honorary doctorates and founded the nonprofit Mission Blue.<\/p>\n

In 1998, she was named the first Time Magazine Hero for the Planet.<\/p>\n

Her participation in the cruise industry is somewhat unexpected, given that there’s no shortage of environmentalists who are also vehement critics of cruising. Earle not only accepted the offer to be godmother to a cruise ship; she’s godmother to a ship owned by the world’s largest shipping company, the leader in an industry that has been singled out as an even greater contributor of carbon emissions than airlines.<\/p>\n

I know many people in the travel industry who both understand the existential threat of climate change and simultaneously see the tremendous benefits of travel. It’s a conundrum, weighing the significant cultural, economic and restorative benefits of travel against the resulting emissions it produces.<\/p>\n

I wondered: Did Earle feel any cognitive dissonance about lending her name and reputation to a cruise line and affiliating with shipping, as well? I called her to ask.<\/p>\n

“It’s certainly something I have deliberated about,” she said. “I realize it’s a controversial step, maybe even personally awkward, given my track record.”<\/p>\n

She noted that “we have all the evidence anybody would ever want to say we’re on our way to a place that’s inhospitable to us. How do we move more quickly in the right direction? How do we get from slow motion to something that motivates people to act?”<\/p>\n

She saw with Explora I “an opportunity to reach an audience that has gone to be entertained on the ocean” and help them become better acquainted with the environment and gain “a greater understanding of why the ocean matters.”<\/p>\n<\/p>\n