Innovation or exploitation? The future of our oceans hangs in the balance.
The ocean is a paradox, the more one understands, the more one realizes the vastness of his ignorance. And what humanity fails to understand it often exploits.
While this remains true for science as a whole, the ocean, now being recognized for its potential for resources, has begun to take the spotlight. The question of necessity is often ignored in pursuit of exploration and discovery, a neglect that could potentially affect generations to come. One such example can be seen in the Antarctic, where patenting of several cold-resistant enzymes from bacteria, directly went against the Antarctic treaty aimed to protect its ecosystems. Another, lies in the harvesting of Antarctic krill, a crustacean playing a pivotal role in the southern marine food web, for the manufacturing of omega three supplements.
A recurring trend can be seen in such cases, where human advancement takes precedence over entire ecosystems. What is forgotten however, is that we too are integral members of the very ecosystem we overlook, inevitably trading one solution for newer challenges. This is often taken a step further wherein disputes arise in matters related to ownership of said resources. The case of a patented deep sea lipase enzyme by BASF, in the early 2000s, is a a prime example of this. The microorganism responsible for the enzyme, resided beyond the jurisdiction of any one nation and was thus caught amidst various legal battles, a victim of ‘biopiracy of the high seas. This, along with numerous other cases, follows the familiar pattern seen priorly in land bound lawsuits, W.R Grace patenting ownership of neem for instance. Humanity’s need to handle nature as a commodity rather than a resource, is thus seeing a shift in backdrop, from the land to deep waters.
The line walked between the ethics of progress and the seeking of advancement is one which brings out the trapezist in every scientist across the globe. The ventures into oceans however, raises the stake at hand. Anti-cancer bioactive compounds inhabiting coral reefs, is often accompanied by rich marine biodiversity, ranging from symbiotic algae to sea squirts. This remains the case for most reefs, where the choice lies between obtaining life saving organisms, and preserving the delicate ecosystem that hangs in balance. Moreover, coral reefs lie at the heart of the “Blue economy”, as a means to measure growth driven by sustainable practices. The removal of even one organism thus weakens the living architecture constructed over millennia. The irony is profound, the ecosystems having the potential to secure humanity’s future, are being eroded in the pursuit of it, it is precisely this idea that necessitates restraint in both progress and stewardship.
- Chinmayi Mahender
At the heart of sustainability lies the belief that development was never about taking more, but about using innovation to make do with less. The blindness to consequence now rivals the intellect of our generation and thus, it is wisdom, not wonder alone, that must guide progress by pairing curiosity with conscience.
