Everything has a limit, even the ocean. With an estimated eight million tonnes of plastic streaming into the sea every year, this rich ecosystem is reaching its end. Born out of the conservation efforts of four Californian surfers in 1984, the Surfrider Foundation is now one of the largest non-profit organisations defending the world’s oceans. The foundation relies on a network of more than one million people to raise their voices and stop developments that threaten the wellbeing of the coast. As an ambassador of the foundation, Damien Cole has spearheaded multiple crusades across Australia, including protests against plans to drill in the Great Australian Bight. To date, they have won over 700 campaigns that include implementing plastic bans, improving public beach access, and safeguarding clean water rights. “We need to leave a legacy for future generations,” Cole says. Join him and his team as they make waves in ocean conservation. Visit surfrider.org.au/membership to support their efforts. Footage from the Surfrider Foundation was used in the creation of this film.
Up Next in Season 2
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Robin Beaman
The Earth’s surface is 71% water but less than 20% of the ocean floor has been mapped, leaving most of the seabed a mystery. The length and depth of what we’re missing is inconceivable. Marine geologist Robin Beaman is working to change that. Using 3D-mapping technology and underwater robots, Bea...
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Ashley Emerson and Érika Pellegrino
Our rainforests are in crisis. To reverse the harmful effects of global heating and restore vitality to the planet and its people, we need to start listening. Health In Harmony, a global team of doctors, nurses, scientists, and agriculturalists, partners with rainforest experts - local communitie...
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Dr Kate Stafford
We can’t see all the ways that climate change affects life underwater, but we can listen for it. “All marine animals use sound as their primary sense,” Kate Stafford explains. As an oceanographer, Stafford has devoted her career to studying the impact of climate change on the Arctic’s creatures t...
