Greenpeace UK released a powerful short animation about ocean destruction, working with Aardman Animations and Oscar-winning actors.
Climate breakdown, plastic, oil drilling and overfishing have driven our oceans to a breaking point, but it’s a story that doesn’t get told often enough.
Which is why we’ve worked with Aardman Animations (the makers of Wallace and Gromit and Shaun the Sheep) to create a powerful short film revealing the threats our oceans are facing, and the importance of protecting them.
The film – titled Turtle Journey – tells the heartbreaking story of an adorable turtle family attempting to get home, in an ocean that needs protection.
Lending their voices and star power to the film are a host of incredible actors and Greenpeace Ocean Ambassadors, including Jim Carter, Olivia Colman, David Harbour, Giovanna Lancellotti, Dame Helen Mirren, Bella Ramsey and Ahir Shah.
The plight of sea turtles represents the suffering of our oceans as a whole
Like the family in Turtle Journey, sea turtles in real life are under intense stress from destructive industries. Six out of the seven sea turtle species are threatened with extinction due to the pressures of multiple ocean threats. [1]
Sadly, it’s more than just turtles at risk. In fact, studies have shown that marine life is disappearing at twice the speed of life on land. [2]
Our oceans face pressure from all angles. Climate breakdown is causing the oceans to acidify and warm, which is disrupting food supplies for marine life and damaging ecosystems. Overfishing, oil drilling, plastic pollution and destructive industries are then adding more pressures on an already damaged and degraded ocean.
Out in the open oceans, beyond national boundaries, human exploitation has been allowed to run rampant, pushing our oceans and all those who call them home to a crisis point.
The oceans affects all of us
Healing our oceans is about more than just wildlife. Ocean life plays a crucial role in absorbing climate-wrecking emissions from the atmosphere, and storing them away where they can’t contribute to the climate crisis.
Protecting the oceans and providing a safe home for marine life is a crucial piece in the puzzle in fighting the climate crisis, and in ensuring a safer future for all of us.
“The story of this turtle family trying to get home in a damaged and changing ocean is a reality for so many marine creatures that are having their habitats destroyed by human activities. I hope this film inspires more people to take action to protect our oceans.”
– Olivia Colman
We can change the fate of our oceans
Scientists have been clear: we need to protect at least a third of the world’s oceans for them to recover and to safeguard marine life.
And for the first time ever, there’s a process underway that could achieve this. The UN is in the final stages of negotiating a Global Ocean Treaty, a framework that could pave the way for a vast network of ocean sanctuaries spanning the entire globe.
These sanctuaries would be totally off limits to destructive human activity, giving our oceans the space they need to recover and flourish.
Ocean wildlife need your voice
This is a unique opportunity to protect our ocean and the amazing array of life that call it home, but it won’t happen without the support of a huge movement of people.
We need your voice to help pile pressure on your government, so that they support a strong Global Ocean Treaty when they meet with other world leaders at the UN.
You’ll be in good company, joining more than 2.5 million people around the world doing the same! You can sign the petition here.
Ocean sanctuaries work, and so does people power. We can save our oceans, but we need people to know that they’re in crisis. Help us spread the word by watching the video and sharing with your friends!
Author: Will McCallum
Will McCallum is Head of Oceans at Greenpeace UK.
Notes:
[1]‘About Marine Turtles’ IUCN-SSC Marine Turtle Specialist Group[2]‘Ocean-Dwelling Species Are Disappearing Twice as Quickly as Land Animals’
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