In the few weeks since Leonardo DiCaprio won an Academy Award for his performance in The Revenant, the world has not just been talking about Leo’s first Oscar, but about climate change. DiCaprio used the majority of his acceptance speech to discuss what he (and many others) called, “the most urgent threat facing our entire species.” I, along with scientists, environmentalists, (some) politicians, backyard nature lovers, and countless young people agree. Climate change and its related issue of ocean acidification are real...and our impact on their rapid increase is undeniable.

Leo’s call to, “support leaders around the world… who speak for all of humanity, for the indigenous people of the world, for the billions and billions of underprivileged people out there who would be most affected by this,” really struck a chord with me. It is an urgent call to action for everyone around the world.  

This is why we at EarthEcho are excited to bring you EarthEcho Expeditions: Shell Shocked. In Shell Shocked, my team and I traveled to the Pacific Northwest, where everyone from Native American fisherman to youth in urban Seattle are seeing the effects of our excessive carbon problem and the related reality of ocean acidification.  We met with tribal leaders, fishermen, scientists, engineers, and--most importantly--youth to investigate both  the problem and the solutions.

To introduce our new materials, we are partnering with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for a SOARCE webinar (Sharing Ocean Acidification Resources for Communicators and Educators) at on March 22nd at 3pm EDT. Join us as we share our materials and stories from Expedition, and empower you to take action in your community or classroom.

As Leo said in his speech, “Let us not take this planet for granted.”

Protect our water planet. Join us.

Sincerely,

Philippe Cousteau Jr.

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EarthEcho Expeditions: Shell Shocked video and action resources will be available on EarthEcho.org/Expeditions beginning Tuesday, March 22.    

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