President Joe Biden and Palau President Surangel Whipps, Jr. Do you know where Palau is? I’ll admit that until writing this, I did not. I know for sure my geographical ignorance isn’t representative of the world! Still, I can only imagine how hard it might be for a small, isolated island country with fewer than 20,000 individuals to have its collective voice heard globally, especially with the rapidly encroaching threats of climate change. The small-scale subsistence fishing industry in Paula is of great economic importance to the country, and Paula is a leader in marine conservation, designating the sixth largest maritime area off-limits for fishing in 2015. The country understood that its livelihood was deeply connected to the ocean and wanted to safeguard that future.
Below are some paraphrased quotes that I noted from Erna’s talk and panel that have inspired me even further or challenged my own thoughts about our species’ connection to the oceans:
