Eleven years ago my mum showed me a documentary. A documentary that would wind up – quite literally – changing my life forever.
That was the day I realised the ocean I so loved was delicate. So delicate that it was verging on collapse. At the time I was in year 8 and had never really thought about the future of the coral reefs, the state of our oceans, and the threats they were facing. But my naive view of the oceanic ecosystem was about to come shattering down.
That was the day I learnt that our appetite for the fruits of the sea had grown so voracious that worldwide fish stocks were predicted to collapse in 2050. In 1992 the legendary Newfoundland cod population hit effective extinction, and despite their now protected status, they have yet to recover.
My view of this mystical place had gone from untouchable to facing annihilation in one fell swoop. I vowed that day that I would do everything I could to prevent that from happening. Not only would we lose some of the most awe-inspiring places on the planet, without the oceans our earth would be forever changed – if it even survived the loss at all. The oceans have absorbed half of anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions, and release up to 1/3 of the oxygen we breath. Over 1 billion people rely on fish as their primary source of protein, and it has absorbed 80% of the heat generated by greenhouse gas emission. It is simply irrefutable that without the oceans, life on earth would struggle to survive.
Initially I wanted to go into marine biology, but I soon realised there were numerous other directions to take. I discovered the sheer power of explanation and logicality in chemistry, and decided I wanted to use this to tackle the issues of marine conservation. Now marine chemistry is still a growing field, and thus finding appropriate programmes became a bit of a task – but all it required in the end was a bit of creativity. It doesn’t matter if your dream degree doesn’t exist yet, you will find ways to mould existing programmes to achieve your goals. When you are given an assignment, find a way to tweak it so that you can cater it to your interests. If you have other hobbies try to incorporate that passion there – if, like me, you like to write, then publish articles; if you like to draw, make campaign posters; if you like soccer, run a charity event and raise money for your cause. There are opportunities at every corner if you are brave enough to look for them – remember, the world is your oyster (provided they are not all over-fished).
Now I don’t want you to take my story as the only way you will find your path. It won’t happen in the same way for every person – in fact, it never does. Some of you may find what you want to do gradually, or perhaps you’ve always known. But for me it will always be watching The End of the Line that made up my mind to pursue a path to protect our oceans.
Sophie Z. is an undergraduate studying Environmental Chemistry at the University of Edinburgh. She is hoping to do her postgraduate work in Marine Chemistry and is a Chemistry tutor for MyTutor.