Ocean with David Attenborough

 

by Nancy Corson Carter

When I joined my local “Climate Crowd” to watch Ocean with David Attenborough, I was mesmerized by the film’s beauty, and the sense of urgency to do something. Trusting our theme for this edition of Earth News: Our Voices Matter, I hope that you will see this amazing documentary and find ways to take action, sharing your insights with your communities. As Christians, we are surely called to care for God’s Creation with justice for all.

The film’s 2025 release was scheduled to coincide with the World Ocean Day on June 8th, as well as June’s United Nations Ocean Conference 2025 in Nice, France, and also midway through the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030). As world leaders decide the future of our seas, Ocean with David Attenborough explains why ocean recovery is crucial for stabilizing our climate and securing a healthier future for everyone.

The film’s official trailer clearly states its significance: “Stunning immersive cinematography showcases the wonder of life under the seas and exposes the realities and challenges facing our ocean as never-before-seen—from destructive fishing techniques to mass coral reef bleaching. Yet, the film remains optimistic, with Attenborough highlighting inspirational stories from around the world to convey his message: “The ocean can recover to a glory beyond anything anyone alive has ever seen.”

The 99-year-old Attenborough, after 70 years of documenting natural history, reminds us that Earth’s oceans, covering about 70% of the planet, have been both revered and feared by humans since our first arrival. But only now are we discovering what they mean for our world. “My lifetime,” he tells us, “has coincided with the great age of ocean discovery. Over the last one hundred years, scientists and explorers have revealed remarkable new species, epic migrations, and dazzlingly complex ecosystems beyond anything I could have imagined as a young man.”

In his lifetime, he saw scuba gear change everything—a new world of wonder became visible and the open ocean too, the “last great wilderness,” “our final frontier,” opened to new discovery. Some creatures, like tuna and sharks, were found to make planet-wide migrations, while submarine mountains were discovered up to three miles high!

We observe giant kelp—the tallest plants in the ocean—being “gardened” by sea urchins. We see a world in delicate balance filled with visually stunning color and movement, with “jungles” off our coasts that rival any on land. He notes the shallow, wide coastal reefs that affect all eight billion of us—the phytoplankton carried there and deposited from the deep sea produce half of the air we breathe.

Yet, alongside this glory are modern ocean bottom trawlers that scoop and smash all this life (“All for a few scallops,” someone mourned.), leaving bleak scenes of everything else scraped flat and destroyed.

Such a stark contrast is caused by the relentless destruction of these “vast factories” that can instantly ruin fragile 200-year-old sponge gardens or deploy 50-mile-long bait lines to attract millions of sharks, leaving few survivors! With much of their prey lost, seabird colonies in every ocean are in their final stages of collapse.

Attenborough tells us that “less than 3% of the ocean is fully protected, yet scientists say we must protect at least one-third to survive.” Three billion people rely on fish for food, yet around 400,000 industrial ships continually strip the ocean. Is this legal? Unfortunately, this overfishing on an industrial scale is subsidized by governments. “Vast factories now travel the seas, day and night, nowhere out of bounds, even in the open ocean.”

Unfortunately, the trawlers have now even reached Antarctica, where they hunt krill, the main food source for penguins, whales, and many other animals. The huge ships fish everywhere to make fortunes from products like pet food and health supplements.

However, despite lamenting that “we have drained the life from our ocean,” Sir David announces a remarkable discovery that can lift our spirits— the creation of no-take zones, reserves protected from fishing. In these zones, he sees “a bit of magic” at work.

The “magic” was first created in the Channel Islands just off California, in the U.S. Our no-take zone there has demonstrated how life is restored after only five years. Not only did the no-fishing rule allow animals to recover within the safety zone, but there are also significant spillovers into surrounding unprotected waters! This success is being proven along the Mediterranean and off the French Coast, as well as in other locations, notably in a special Hawaiian marine area.

Papahānaumokuākea (pronounced Pa-pa-hah-now-mo-koo-ah-keh-ah) is a Hawaiian ocean sanctuary that is sacred to Native Hawaiians and recognized worldwide for its significant cultural and ecological importance. Its name means "the place where the gods dwell," symbolizing the union of the ancestral parents, Pāpā and Wākea, who created the Hawaiian Archipelago. The designation of this Marine National Monument protects one of the largest marine conservation areas in the world, preserving its pristine waters, colorful coral reefs, and sacred cultural sites. 

These are promising beginnings. We can find hope in Attenborough’s statement that “even the blue whale has begun to return within a decade of banning its being hunted—a baby blue whale born today would live 100 years IF we continue to protect her!” 

He continues: “This could be the moment of change. Nearly every country on Earth has just agreed, on paper, to achieve this bare minimum of protecting a third of the ocean. Together we now face the challenge of making it happen.”

Those of us who recognize that God’s incredible gift of Creation must not be wasted are called to accept this challenge. We know that the ocean provides the life force of our planet Earth. As Attenborough reminds us, “If we save the sea, we save our world!”

Ocean with David Attenborough is on Disney+ and Hulu; also, from National Geographic Society: If you are an educator for a school, university, library, or museum, or organizing a non-profit event, you can request access to the film through their website. This allows you to show the film for educational and charitable purposes without charging viewers.

Nancy Corson Carter, professor emerita of humanities at Eckerd College, has published THREE poetry books, Dragon Poems The Sourdough Dream Kit, and A Green Bough: Poems for Renewal (most recent) and three poetry chapbooks. Some of her poems, drawings, and photos appear in her nonfiction book, Martha, Mary, and Jesus: Weaving Action and Contemplation in Daily Life, and in her memoir, The Never-Quite-Ending War: a WWII GI Daughter's Stories.

Little voices matter, too!

 

by Courtenay Willcox

Restoring creation is an ongoing mission for many individuals and organizations, supporting and drawing attention to the planting of native species on our church/business/community campuses and in homeowners’ gardens.

The significance of native species is reflected not only in garden clubs and botanical gardens but also by homeowners who can increase native plants in their gardens while shrinking their lawns. It’s remarkable to see how deeply rooted the lawn image is in American culture. However, we can change this perspective by planting native species on church, business, and corporate campuses. Native plants are vital for maintaining biodiversity, and I’ve expanded the idea of Plant Native/Native Plant to the community by creating a pollinating garden. I contacted neighborhood families with young children and gauged their interest in a community garden, which now sits between properties and faces the sidewalk, allowing anyone passing by to see the efforts of the neighborhood’s youngest residents.

“Though I do not believe that a plant will spring up where no seed has been, I have great faith in a seed. Convince me that you have a seed there, and I am prepared to expect wonders.” ~Henry David Thoreau from notes written 1856-1861

Thoreau’s quote was read before planting began, mostly for the benefit of the parents who were present. Then, neighborhood children aged 1-12 started digging into the dirt to plant eighteen native species, including Penstemon digitalis, foxglove beardtongue; Carex stricta, tussock sedge; Aster divaricatus, white wood aster; Allium cernuum, nodding onion; Penstemon hirsutus, hairy beardtongue; and Solidago rugosa, wrinkleleaf goldenrod.

Before planting, the families received a children’s version of Doug Tallamy’s Nature’s Best Hope: (Young Readers’ Edition) How You Can Save the World in Your Own Yard, which, among other things, explains the importance of planting native plants to attract and feed native insects and how this type of nature conservation can happen right outside your back door. Planting a native plant is such an easy thing to do. We demonstrated that anyone at any age can plant a native plant.

This was a simple project with just a small investment. The payoffs were huge!!! Pre-education happened from Tallamy’s book. Then, purchasing an inexpensive 8’x4’ cedar framed raised bed, toting fill-dirt from Upper Merion’s leaf compost (amazing!), and ordering Bloom Box’s native plant fill-a-flat consisting of 18 beautiful plants that were delivered, was easy. We also planted mountain mint, butterfly weed, and cone flower seeds which are sprouting.

Through texts, we arranged to come together and plant at 5:00 pm on a May afternoon. My granddaughters were in attendance as I stood on the sidewalk and looked hopefully down the street. It was empty. And then, just like in the movie, Field of Dreams (if you build it, they will come), the sidewalks filled with children, trowels in hand, and their parents for the planting festivities.

All the participants have helped water through dry times, and after a deer nibbling, I covered the bed with some netting which has deterred bunny and deer munching. The plants and seeds are flourishing!!!

This was such a gratifying project that produced a beautiful result and raised neighborhood awareness around the importance of native planting. My heart is full. Anyone can use this model to start a native garden in their own neighborhood. Let’s keep the ribbon of green, that will support native pollinators, unfurling throughout our neighborhoods and communities. And remember, Plant Native/Native Plant.

Courtenay Willcox recently began a transitional pastorate at Northampton Presbyterian Church in Bucks County, PA. She currently moderates Presbyterians for Earth Care. Courtenay founded MainLine Interfaith Green Group (M.I.G.G.), now Main Line PA Interfaith Power and Light.

Justice for All God’s Creation

 

by Mindy Hidenfelter

A small, historic church congregation since 1850, Pittsboro Presbyterian is located in the primarily rural (but rapidly developing) Chatham County, North Carolina. A six-member Creation Justice team at the church, facilitated by member Gary Simpson, found inspiration from the 2015 Presbyterians for Earth Care Conference in picturesque Montreat, NC. The team made the decision to pursue certification as an Earth Care Congregation. Thus began their journey into creative earth care outreach.

As shared by Gary, “Upon becoming an official Earth Care Congregation of the PC(USA) in 2019, I proposed to the group that we start a Creation Justice Blog on the congregation website to help in fulfilling our Earth Care Pledge in the areas of Education and Outreach and volunteered to write the posts. I felt this would be one way to keep Creation Justice in front of the congregation and anyone else who would visit the website.” Thus began the online journey of the Earth Justice team’s prophetic voice, through a blog that has evolved over time with posts increasingly discussing social justice issues as they relate to the environment.

A four-person task force was formed to pull the blog posts into a book format. The publication process for Justice for All Creation: Essays from an Earth Care Congregation  was an unexpectedly lengthy and complex undertaking. The result of the team’s efforts is an approachable and grounded book which, as Gary mentions on the back cover, presents a collection of essays highlighting “the voices of many modern prophets and serve to chronicle and confront issues related to the health of the planet, democracy, Christianity and social justice.”

When determining which blog posts to include in the book, the task force intentionally selected a cross-section of all forms of justice issues, undeterred by popular sentiment that favors “safer” and less controversial topics.

When asked for advice to others who feel the call to use their voice to speak for creation justice, Gary suggests trying all forms of media available. For many congregations, this may mean newsletters, blogs, and churchwide events and announcements. He also recommends pulling inspiration and ideas from others. In fact, PPC Earth Justice’s blog post from May 8, 2022 even features Presbyterians for Earth Care and its influence as an “Earth Care Champion”! The Pittsboro Presbyterian Church Earth Justice team sets a fine example of a small but mighty voice on behalf of our shared planet, inspiring us all to speak up and act out.

 

Mindy Hidenfelter serves as the Coordinator for Presbyterians for Earth Care. She lives with her family in Wake Forest, NC and facilitates the Wake Forest Presbyterian Church Earth Care Team.

The Green Amendment: Taking Our Power Back

 

Maya K van Rossum

by Eric Diekhans

The Trump administration has hollowed out the EPA, laying off one-third of its employees and proposing to cut more than half its budget. He is threatening to use the current budget impasse to make even further cuts. Many states are also planning massive cuts in environmental protections. Americans who believe in Earth care feel like they are on the ropes, unable to stop the wholesale dismantling of environmental laws.

Maya K van Rossum offers a revolutionary way to empower communities to secure our environment that’s based on exercising one of our fundamental rights as Americans. Van Rossum is the founder of Green Amendments For The Generations, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to inspiring passage of Green Amendments to state constitutions and eventually, to our United States Constitution.

“Our current system of environmental protection laws fundamentally fails to protect us,” van Rossum shared during a September Presbyterians for Earth Care webinar. “The laws in the United States presuppose that pollution, degradation, and harm are necessary evils to be managed.”

Green amendments take a different approach. They enshrine in constitutions the fundamental rights of all people to clean water, air, and soil, as well as protection from climate change. Green amendments are intended to be transformational in the same way that the Thirteenth Amendment ended slavery and the Nineteenth Amendment gave women the right to vote.

“We need to lift up our environmental rights,” said van Rossum, “and give them the same constitutional recognition, protection, and standing as free speech, freedom of religion, and the right to bear arms.”

Constitutional rights are not easily changed or ignored by the government and are more difficult to repeal. Green amendments also empower advocates.

“In the United States, whether people agree or disagree with you, if you’re fighting for a constitutional right, people look at you differently,” van Rossum said. “They respect you because it is actually an enforceable entitlement, and that makes a difference when you’re advocating in the room.”

Currently, only two states, Montana and Pennsylvania, have green amendments enshrined in their constitutions, but proposals have been put forward in over twenty other states.

Language is crucial in an amendment, and Green Amendments for the Generations is dedicated to introducing the most effective language when advocating at the state level.

Pennsylvania is an excellent example of the power of a green amendment to protect the environment, but it didn’t start out that way. The state’s amendment, adopted in 1971, reads, “The people have a right to clean air, pure water, and to the preservation of the natural, scenic, historic and esthetic values of the environment. Pennsylvania's public natural resources are the common property of all the people, including generations yet to come. As trustee of these resources, the Commonwealth shall conserve and maintain them for the benefit of all the people.”

Unfortunately, Pennsylvania courts declared the state’s Green Amendment to be merely a policy statement, rendering it mostly toothless and allowing fracking to spread across the state. When the fossil fuel industry wanted to expand fracking even further, legislators went behind closed doors and passed Act 13, which preempted local zoning authorities from banning fracking, and allowed it to be located as close as 300 feet from people’s homes.

However, Act 13 was so egregious that the Delaware Riverkeeper Network, an organization headed by van Rossum that works to protect the Delaware River watershed, successfully sued to stop the implementation of the law, arguing that it violated Pennsylvania’s Green Amendment. That, says van Rossum, was the founding of the Green Amendment Movement.

Another victory came in Montana, where sixteen youth defeated a state law that prohibited the government from considering climate change when making policy. The courts agreed with Our Children’s Trust, which sued the state, that the law violated the state’s Green Amendment. 

With the federal and many state governments aligned against Mother Earth, the Green Amendment movement faces an uphill battle to change state and federal constitutions. But the same held true with every transformational amendment to our Constitution. Van Rossum says that this is the time to get involved and make real and lasting change to our system of environmental laws.

If you’re inspired to join this revolutionary movement, start by reading van Rossum’s book, The Green Amendment, which you can purchase from their website. All proceeds from sales go to The Green Amendment organization. You can then sign up to be part of this powerful movement for change.

During the webinar, van Rossum presented a call to action for faithful Christians who want to get involved in the Green Amendment Movement. “Let’s start by raising the bar when it comes to protecting nature by looking through the lens of the rights of people. When we get people thinking about environmental protection as an entitlement that belongs to them, not to the government, it transforms the conversation and the law.”

 

Eric Diekhans’ fiction has appeared in numerous magazines and the anthology Uncensored Ink. He is the recipient of a local Emmy for Children’s Television and an Illinois Arts Council Fellowship in screenwriting. He is a member of Lake View Presbyterian Church in Chicago. (www.ericdiekhans.com)