Banning single-use plastics will not necessarily save Planet Earth, but making the right choices every day will, say the two legendary Rolex Testimonees and seasoned environmental activists
For someone so established in environmental conservation circles, American oceanographer and Rolex Testimonee Sylvia Earle is not a radical tree-hugger. Her approach to curbing ecological decline is one built on pragmatism. She is even candid about her own carbon footprint—she is constantly jetting off to different places around the world to identify “Hope Spots” under Mission Blue, the non‑profit organisation she founded to protect the oceans.
“I leave a big carbon footprint because of my travels,” she openly admitted during the Rolex Perpetual Planet Symposium, held at the National Gallery Singapore in August. “But I try to make every trip worthwhile and make the most out of them. If you travel for self‑indulgence, you can take what you have seen and tell and spread the stories or bring a kid along for him to experience something—that will already pay your way.”
Together with long-time collaborator, celebrated marine photographer and fellow Rolex Testimonee David Doubilet, the 84-year‑old addressed the topic of climate change to an audience comprising tertiary students, undergraduates and environmental activists. The symposium was organised by Rolex under the umbrella of its Perpetual Planet campaign, a global initiative to raise awareness of the environmental vulnerabilities that the earth faces today and support explorers and scientists to find solutions for the issues.
“We have embraced plastics so passionately that we have overdone it,” Earle lamented onstage, to much laughter. Doubilet pragmatically added that he believes that plastic is “a very useful material” and will continue to be part of our lives. The 72-year‑old American recalled that he used to fall sick regularly when he drank from styrofoam bottles while on his photography assignments in the 1970s, until the use of plastic water bottles became popular. “The problem is that the plastic bottle we buy doesn’t always come back as a plastic bottle. It will probably end up as microplastics in the sea and we know it’s causing harm to marine life. We need the plastic industry to produce bottles that will come back and be used as plastic bottles.”
Earle noted that it all boils down to personal choice. “The power is with every individual, and it is up to you to figure out what you can do. Everyone can make a difference, either through what you want or do not want to do,” she said, adding that the decisions we make daily can truly count. “What can you do every day to make the planet perpetual?”