ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Sylvia Earle - Oceanographer
Sylvia Earle has been at the forefront of ocean exploration for more than four decades. The winner of the 2009 TED Prize, she's a tireless advocate for our oceans.

Why you should listen

Sylvia Earle, called "Her Deepness" by the New Yorker, "Living Legend" by the Library of Congress and a "Hero for the Planet" by Time, is an oceanographer, explorer, author and lecturer with a deep commitment to research through personal exploration.

Earle has led more than 50 expeditions and clocked more than 7,000 hours underwater. As captain of the first all-female team to live underwater in 1970, she and her fellow scientists received a ticker-tape parade and White House reception upon their return to the surface. In 1979, she walked untethered on the sea floor at a lower depth than any other woman before or since. In the 1980s, she started the companies Deep Ocean Engineering and Deep Ocean Technologies with engineer Graham Hawkes to design undersea vehicles that allow scientists to work at previously inaccessible depths. In the early 1990s, she served as Chief Scientist of the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration.

Earle speaks of our oceans with wonder and amazement, and calls them “the blue heart of the planet.” The winner of the 2009 TED Prize, she wished to ignite public support for marine protected areas, so that they cover 20% of the world's oceans by 2020.

More profile about the speaker
Sylvia Earle | Speaker | TED.com
TED2009

Sylvia Earle: My wish: Protect our oceans

O desexo de Sylvia Earle, Premio TED, é protexer os nosos océanos.

Filmed:
2,939,691 views

A lendaria oceanógrafa Sylvia Earle comparte imaxes sorprendentes do océano - e estatísticas chocantes sobre o seu rápido declive - e formula o seu desexo do Premio TED: que vos unades a ela para protexer o vital corazón azul do planeta.
- Oceanographer
Sylvia Earle has been at the forefront of ocean exploration for more than four decades. The winner of the 2009 TED Prize, she's a tireless advocate for our oceans. Full bio

Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.

00:21
Fifty years ago, when I began exploring the ocean,
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Hai 50 anos, cando comecei a explorar o océano,
00:24
no one -- not Jacques Perrin, not Jacques Cousteau or Rachel Carson --
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ninguén - nin Jacques Perrin, nin Jacques Cousteau ou Rachel Carson --
00:30
imagined that we could do anything to harm the ocean
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imaxinaba que poderíamos prexudicar os océanos
00:33
by what we put into it or by what we took out of it.
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debido ao que poñemos ou sacamos deles.
00:36
It seemed, at that time, to be a sea of Eden,
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Naquel tempo, parecía ser o mar do Edén,
00:39
but now we know, and now we are facing paradise lost.
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mais hoxe sabemos, que estamos ante o paraíso perdido.
00:45
I want to share with you
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Eu quero compartir
00:48
my personal view of changes in the sea that affect all of us,
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a visión persoal dos cambios nos mares que nos afectan a todos
00:51
and to consider why it matters that in 50 years, we've lost --
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e lembrar a importancia do que perdemos en 50 anos
00:55
actually, we've taken, we've eaten --
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--na verdade, collémolo, comémolo--
00:58
more than 90 percent of the big fish in the sea;
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máis do 90% dos peixes grandes que existían
01:01
why you should care that nearly half of the coral reefs have disappeared;
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por qué nos debe importar que desaparecera a metade dos arrecifes de coral
01:05
why a mysterious depletion of oxygen in large areas of the Pacific
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por qué a misteriosa falta de osíxeno en grandes áreas do Pacífico
01:11
should concern not only the creatures that are dying,
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debe preocupar non só ás criaturas que están a morrer,
01:14
but it really should concern you.
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senón que debería preocuparnos a nós tamén.
01:17
It does concern you, as well.
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Tamén vos incumbe.
01:19
I'm haunted by the thought of what Ray Anderson calls "tomorrow's child,"
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Dáme medo a idea do "Neno do Futuro" de Ray Anderson,
01:24
asking why we didn't do something on our watch
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preguntando por que non fixemos nada para salvar
01:28
to save sharks and bluefin tuna and squids and coral reefs and the living ocean
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as quenllas, o atún vermello, as luras, o coral e o océano vivo
01:33
while there still was time.
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mentres aínda había tempo.
01:35
Well, now is that time.
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Ben, agora é o momento.
01:38
I hope for your help
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Espero a vosa axuda
01:41
to explore and protect the wild ocean
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para explorar e protexer o océano salvaxe
01:44
in ways that will restore the health and,
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de xeito que poida recuperar a súa saúde,
01:47
in so doing, secure hope for humankind.
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e a esperanza para a humanidade.
01:51
Health to the ocean means health for us.
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Saúde para o océano significa saúde para nós.
01:54
And I hope Jill Tarter's wish to engage Earthlings includes dolphins and whales
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Espero que o desexo de Jill Tarter de involucrar aos Terrícolas
02:01
and other sea creatures
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na procura de vida intelixente no universo
02:03
in this quest to find intelligent life elsewhere in the universe.
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inclúa golfiños, baleas e outras criaturas do mar.
02:06
And I hope, Jill, that someday
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Espero, Jill, que algún día
02:09
we will find evidence that there is intelligent life among humans on this planet.
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atopemos evidencias de vida intelixente nos seres humanos deste planeta.
02:16
(Laughter)
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(Gargalladas)
02:18
Did I say that? I guess I did.
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Dixen iso? Coido que fun eu.
02:23
For me, as a scientist,
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Para min, como científica,
02:26
it all began in 1953
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Todo comezou en 1953
02:29
when I first tried scuba.
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co meu primeiro mergullo.
02:32
It's when I first got to know fish swimming
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Foi cando vin por primeira vez peixes nadando
02:35
in something other than lemon slices and butter.
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e non nadaban en limón e manteiga.
02:38
I actually love diving at night;
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Amo o mergullo de noite.
02:41
you see a lot of fish then that you don't see in the daytime.
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Ves un monte de peixes que non se ven en pleno día.
02:44
Diving day and night was really easy for me in 1970,
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Mergullar noite e día foi moi fácil para min en 1970,
02:48
when I led a team of aquanauts living underwater for weeks at a time --
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cando liderei uns acuanautas durante semanas de vida submarina
02:53
at the same time that astronauts were putting their footprints on the moon.
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ao tempo que os astronautas deixaban as súas pegadas na lúa.
03:00
In 1979 I had a chance to put my footprints on the ocean floor
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Puiden deixar as miñas pegadas no fondo do océano en 1979
03:04
while using this personal submersible called Jim.
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mentres usaba ese somerxíbel persoal chamado Jim.
03:07
It was six miles offshore and 1,250 feet down.
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Foi a seis millas da costa e 380 metros de fondo.
03:11
It's one of my favorite bathing suits.
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É un dos meus traxes de baño favoritos.
03:16
Since then, I've used about 30 kinds of submarines
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Desde entón, eu usei uns 30 tipos de submarinos,
03:20
and I've started three companies and a nonprofit foundation called Deep Search
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empecei tres empresas e a fundación sen ánimo de lucro Deep Search
03:23
to design and build systems
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para proxectar e construír sistemas
03:26
to access the deep sea.
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de acceso ao mar profundo.
03:28
I led a five-year National Geographic expedition,
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Liderei unha expedición de cinco anos do National Geographic,
03:31
the Sustainable Seas expeditions,
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as expedicións Mares Sostibles,
03:34
using these little subs.
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usando estes pequenos submarinos.
03:36
They're so simple to drive that even a scientist can do it.
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Tan sinxelos de conducir que ata un científico pode facelo.
03:39
And I'm living proof.
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Eu son a proba diso.
03:41
Astronauts and aquanauts alike
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Astronautas e acuanautas igualmente
03:43
really appreciate the importance of air, food, water, temperature --
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aprecian a importancia do aire, os alimentos, a auga, a temperatura,
03:48
all the things you need to stay alive in space or under the sea.
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todas as cousas necesarias para se manter vivo no espazo ou no fondo do mar.
03:52
I heard astronaut Joe Allen explain
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Oín ao astronauta Joe Allen explicar
03:55
how he had to learn everything he could about his life support system
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como tivo que aprender todo o que puido sobre o seu sistema de apoio vital
03:58
and then do everything he could
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entón fixo todo o que puido
04:01
to take care of his life support system;
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para coidar do seu sistema de apoio vital.
04:04
and then he pointed to this and he said, "Life support system."
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Entón sinalou isto e dixo: "Sistema de apoio vital".
04:09
We need to learn everything we can about it
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Necesitamos aprender todo o que poidamos sobre el
04:12
and do everything we can to take care of it.
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e facer todo o que poidamos para coidalo.
04:15
The poet Auden said, "Thousands have lived without love;
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O poeta Auden dixo, "Miles de persoas viviron sen amor.
04:19
none without water."
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Ningunha sen auga."
04:22
Ninety-seven percent of Earth's water is ocean.
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O noventa e sete por cento da auga da Terra é océano.
04:25
No blue, no green.
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Se non hai azul, non hai verde.
04:28
If you think the ocean isn't important,
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Se pensas que o océano non é importante,
04:30
imagine Earth without it.
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imaxina a Terra sen el.
04:33
Mars comes to mind.
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Marte vénme á cabeza.
04:35
No ocean, no life support system.
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Se non hai océano, non hai sistema de apoio vital.
04:37
I gave a talk not so long ago at the World Bank
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Fai pouco dei unha charla no Banco Mundial
04:40
and I showed this amazing image of Earth
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mostrei esta foto incrible da Terra
04:43
and I said, "There it is! The World Bank!"
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e lles dixen: "Aí está! O Banco Mundial!"
04:46
That's where all the assets are!
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É onde están todos os activos!
04:52
And we've been trawling them down
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E nós temos collimos
04:55
much faster than the natural systems can replenish them.
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moito máis rápido do que os sistemas naturais poden reabastecelos.
04:58
Tim Worth says the economy is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the environment.
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Tim Worth di que a economía é subsidiaria e pertence ao medio ambiente.
05:01
With every drop of water you drink,
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Con cada pinga de auga que bebes,
05:03
every breath you take,
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Cada respiro que tomas,
05:05
you're connected to the sea.
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estás ligado ao mar.
05:08
No matter where on Earth you live.
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Non importa en que lugar da Terra vivas.
05:10
Most of the oxygen in the atmosphere is generated by the sea.
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A maior parte do osíxeno na atmosfera é xerado polo mar.
05:13
Over time, most of the planet's organic carbon
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Co tempo, a maior parte do carbono orgánico do planeta
05:16
has been absorbed and stored there,
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foi absorbido e gardado alí,
05:19
mostly by microbes.
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principalmente por microbios.
05:21
The ocean drives climate and weather,
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O océano dirixe o clima e o tempo,
05:23
stabilizes temperature, shapes Earth's chemistry.
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estabiliza a temperatura, da forma á química da Terra.
05:25
Water from the sea forms clouds
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A auga do mar forma as nubes
05:27
that return to the land and the seas
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que retornan á terra e ós mares
05:30
as rain, sleet and snow,
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como choiva, saraiba e neve,
05:32
and provides home for about 97 percent of life in the world,
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e fornece fogar para preto do 97 por cento da vida no mundo,
05:36
maybe in the universe.
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tal vez no universo.
05:38
No water, no life;
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Sen auga non hai vida.
05:40
no blue, no green.
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Sen azul, non hai verde.
05:42
Yet we have this idea, we humans,
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No entanto, os seres humanos temos esa idea,
05:45
that the Earth -- all of it: the oceans, the skies --
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de que a Terra - toda ela: os océanos, os ceos -
05:48
are so vast and so resilient
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son tan amplos e resistentes
05:51
it doesn't matter what we do to it.
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que non importa o que lle fagamos.
05:53
That may have been true 10,000 years ago,
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Isto pode ter sido verdade hai 10.000 anos,
05:56
and maybe even 1,000 years ago
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e quizais ata 1.000 anos atrás
05:59
but in the last 100, especially in the last 50,
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pero nos últimos 100, especialmente nos últimos 50 anos,
06:01
we've drawn down the assets,
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consumimos os bens,
06:03
the air, the water, the wildlife
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o aire, a auga, o entorno
06:06
that make our lives possible.
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que fan a nosa vida posible.
06:09
New technologies are helping us to understand
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As novas tecnoloxías estannos axudando a entender
06:12
the nature of nature;
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a natureza da natureza,
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the nature of what's happening,
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a natureza do que está a suceder.
06:17
showing us our impact on the Earth.
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Mostrándonos a nosa pegada na Terra.
06:20
I mean, first you have to know that you've got a problem.
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Quero dicir, primeiro temos que saber que temos un problema.
06:23
And fortunately, in our time,
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E, felizmente, nos nosos tempos,
06:26
we've learned more about the problems than in all preceding history.
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temos aprendido máis sobre os problemas que en toda a historia.
06:29
And with knowing comes caring.
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E co saber vén o coidado.
06:32
And with caring, there's hope
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E con coidado, hai esperanza
06:34
that we can find an enduring place for ourselves
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de que poidamos atopar un lugar permanente para nós
06:37
within the natural systems that support us.
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nos sistemas naturais que nos sosteñen.
06:40
But first we have to know.
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Pero primeiro temos que saber.
06:43
Three years ago, I met John Hanke,
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Hai tres anos coñecín a John Hanke,
06:46
who's the head of Google Earth,
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Que é o xefe do Google Earth,
06:48
and I told him how much I loved being able to hold the world in my hands
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e conteille canto me gustaba ter o mundo nas miñas mans
06:51
and go exploring vicariously.
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e exploralo de xeito directo.
06:53
But I asked him: "When are you going to finish it?
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Mais pregunteille: "Cando é que vas acabalo?
06:56
You did a great job with the land, the dirt.
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Fixeches un gran traballo coa terra, o solo.
06:59
What about the water?"
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Que pasa coa auga?
07:02
Since then, I've had the great pleasure of working with the Googlers,
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Desde entón, tiven o grande pracer de traballar cos Googleiros,
07:06
with DOER Marine, with National Geographic,
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con DOER Marine, National Geographic,
07:09
with dozens of the best institutions and scientists around the world,
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con ducias de institucións e cos mellores científicos do mundo enteiro,
07:14
ones that we could enlist,
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aos que poderiamos recorrer,
07:17
to put the ocean in Google Earth.
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para ubicar o océano en Google Earth.
07:20
And as of just this week, last Monday,
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E foi esta semana, o luns pasado,
07:22
Google Earth is now whole.
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cando se completou Google Earth.
07:25
Consider this: Starting right here at the convention center,
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Consideren o seguinte: comezando aquí no Centro de Convencións,
07:28
we can find the nearby aquarium,
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podemos atopar o acuario próximo,
07:30
we can look at where we're sitting,
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podemos ollar onde estamos sentados,
07:32
and then we can cruise up the coast to the big aquarium, the ocean,
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e logo podemos ir pola costa ao gran acuario, o océano,
07:35
and California's four national marine sanctuaries,
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aos catro santuarios mariños nacionais de California
07:38
and the new network of state marine reserves
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e a nova rede de reservas mariñas estatais
07:41
that are beginning to protect and restore some of the assets
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que están empezando a protexer e a recuperar algúns dos bens.
07:45
We can flit over to Hawaii
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Podemos viaxar a Hawai
07:48
and see the real Hawaiian Islands:
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e ver as verdadeiras illas Hawaianas ...
07:51
not just the little bit that pokes through the surface,
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Non só o pouco que se ve na superficie,
07:54
but also what's below.
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tamén o que está debaixo.
07:57
To see -- wait a minute, we can go kshhplash! --
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Para ver -- un momento, podémonos mergullar! --
08:00
right there, ha --
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aqui mesmo --
08:03
under the ocean, see what the whales see.
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baixo o océano, ver o que as baleas ven.
08:06
We can go explore the other side of the Hawaiian Islands.
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Podemos explorar a outra parte das illas hawaianas.
08:11
We can go actually and swim around on Google Earth
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De feito podemos nadar polo mundo en Google Earth
08:15
and visit with humpback whales.
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e visitar as baleas xibardo.
08:19
These are the gentle giants that I've had the pleasure of meeting face to face
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Esas xigantes amables que tiven o pracer de encontrar cara a cara
08:24
many times underwater.
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moitas veces debaixo da auga.
08:27
There's nothing quite like being personally inspected by a whale.
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Non hai nada como que unha balea che examine persoalmente.
08:30
We can pick up and fly to the deepest place:
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Podemos voar ao lugar máis profundo:
08:34
seven miles down, the Mariana Trench,
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sete millas ao fondo, á Fosa das Marianas,
08:37
where only two people have ever been.
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onde só estiveron dúas persoas.
08:39
Imagine that. It's only seven miles,
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Imaxinen iso. Son só sete millas,
08:42
but only two people have been there, 49 years ago.
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mais só dúas persoas foron alá, hai 49 anos.
08:45
One-way trips are easy.
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As viaxes só de ida son fáciles.
08:48
We need new deep-diving submarines.
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Precisamos novos submarinos de mergullo profundo.
08:51
How about some X Prizes for ocean exploration?
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Que tal algúns X Premios para a exploración oceánica?
08:54
We need to see deep trenches, the undersea mountains,
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Necesitamos ver fosas fondas, montañas submarinas,
08:58
and understand life in the deep sea.
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e comprender a vida no mar.
09:01
We can now go to the Arctic.
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Agora podemos ir para o Ártico.
09:04
Just ten years ago I stood on the ice at the North Pole.
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Só dez anos atrás eu estaba sobre o xeo no Polo Norte.
09:08
An ice-free Arctic Ocean may happen in this century.
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Un océano Ártico libre de xeo pode ocorrer neste século.
09:13
That's bad news for the polar bears.
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Malas noticias para os osos polares.
09:17
That's bad news for us too.
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Malas noticias para nós tamén.
09:20
Excess carbon dioxide is not only driving global warming,
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O exceso de CO2 non só está causando o quecemento global,
09:23
it's also changing ocean chemistry,
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tamén está cambiando a química do océano,
09:26
making the sea more acidic.
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o mar tórnase máis ácido.
09:29
That's bad news for coral reefs and oxygen-producing plankton.
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Malas noticias para os arrecifes de coral, o marisco, e o plancto produtor de osíxeno.
09:32
Also it's bad news for us.
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Tamén son malas noticias para nós.
09:35
We're putting hundreds of millions of tons of plastic
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Estamos poñendo centenares de millóns de toneladas
09:38
and other trash into the sea.
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de plástico e lixo no mar.
09:40
Millions of tons of discarded fishing nets,
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Millóns de toneladas de redes de pesca perdidas,
09:43
gear that continues to kill.
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aparellos que seguen a matar.
09:46
We're clogging the ocean, poisoning the planet's circulatory system,
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Estamos obstruíndo o océano, envenenado o sistema circulatorio do planeta,
09:50
and we're taking out hundreds of millions of tons of wildlife,
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estamos sustraendo centos de millóns de toneladas de seres,
09:53
all carbon-based units.
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baseados todos eles no carbono.
09:58
Barbarically, we're killing sharks for shark fin soup,
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De xeito brutal, matamos quenllas só para facer sopa de aleta,
10:03
undermining food chains that shape planetary chemistry
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minando as cadeas alimenticias que lle dan forma á química do planeta
10:06
and drive the carbon cycle, the nitrogen cycle,
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e que impulsa os ciclos do carbono, do nitróxeno,
10:09
the oxygen cycle, the water cycle --
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o ciclo de osíxeno, o ciclo da auga,
10:12
our life support system.
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o noso sistema de apoio vital.
10:15
We're still killing bluefin tuna; truly endangered
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Aínda matamos o atún vermello, que está en perigo,
10:19
and much more valuable alive than dead.
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e moito máis valioso vivo que morto.
10:23
All of these parts are part of our life support system.
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Todas estas partes forman o noso sistema de apoio vital.
10:28
We kill using long lines, with baited hooks every few feet
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Matamos con longas liñas de palangre, con anzois cada poucos metros
10:34
that may stretch for 50 miles or more.
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que poden medir 90 km ou máis.
10:36
Industrial trawlers and draggers are scraping the sea floor
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Os arrastreiros industriais están raspando o chan do mar
10:40
like bulldozers, taking everything in their path.
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como escavadoras, levando todo no seu camiño.
10:43
Using Google Earth you can witness trawlers --
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Empregando Google Earth podes ver os arrastreiros,
10:46
in China, the North Sea, the Gulf of Mexico --
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na China, no Mar do Norte, no Golfo de México,
10:50
shaking the foundation of our life support system,
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facendo tremer os alicerces do noso sistema de apoio vital,
10:54
leaving plumes of death in their path.
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deixando un rastro de morte ao seu paso.
10:56
The next time you dine on sushi -- or sashimi,
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A próxima vez que cees sushi, ou sashimi,
10:59
or swordfish steak, or shrimp cocktail,
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ou filete de peixe espada, ou cóctel de gambas,
11:01
whatever wildlife you happen to enjoy from the ocean --
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calquera vida mariña que che guste comer,
11:04
think of the real cost.
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pensa no custo real.
11:07
For every pound that goes to market,
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Por cada quilo que vai ó mercado,
11:09
more than 10 pounds, even 100 pounds,
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10 quilos máis, ata 100 quilos,
11:13
may be thrown away as bycatch.
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poden ser devoltas mortas ao mar.
11:17
This is the consequence of not knowing
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Esta é a consecuencia de non saber
11:20
that there are limits to what we can take out of the sea.
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que hai límites para o que podemos sacar do mar.
11:23
This chart shows the decline in ocean wildlife
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Este gráfico amosa o declive da vida no océano
11:27
from 1900 to 2000.
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do 1900 ata o 2000.
11:30
The highest concentrations are in red.
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As maiores concentracións están en vermello.
11:33
In my lifetime, imagine,
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Durante a miña vida, imaxinade,
11:35
90 percent of the big fish have been killed.
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mataron o 90 por cento dos peixes grandes.
11:39
Most of the turtles, sharks, tunas and whales
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Para a maioría das tartarugas, tiburóns, atúns e baleas
11:41
are way down in numbers.
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os números están caendo.
11:45
But, there is good news.
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Mais hai unha boa nova.
11:47
Ten percent of the big fish still remain.
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O 10 por cento dos peixes grandes seguen aí.
11:49
There are still some blue whales.
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Hai aínda algunhas baleas azuis.
11:51
There are still some krill in Antarctica.
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Hai aínda algo de krill na Antártida.
11:54
There are a few oysters in Chesapeake Bay.
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Hai algunhas ostras na baía de Chesapeake.
11:56
Half the coral reefs are still in pretty good shape,
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A metade dos arrecifes de coral aínda están en moi boa forma,
11:59
a jeweled belt around the middle of the planet.
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unha cinta de xoias en torno do planeta.
12:02
There's still time, but not a lot,
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Aínda hai tempo, pero non moito,
12:05
to turn things around.
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para cambiar as cousas.
12:07
But business as usual means that in 50 years,
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Pero se o asunto segue como ata agora,
12:09
there may be no coral reefs --
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en 50 anos pode non haber arrecifes de coral,
12:12
and no commercial fishing, because the fish will simply be gone.
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e non haber máis pesca comercial, porque o peixe desapareceu.
12:16
Imagine the ocean without fish.
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Imaxinade o océano sen peixes.
12:20
Imagine what that means to our life support system.
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Imaxinade o que supón para o noso sistema de soporte vital.
12:24
Natural systems on the land are in big trouble too,
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Os sistemas naturais da terra están en apuros tamén,
12:27
but the problems are more obvious,
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mais os problemas son máis evidentes,
12:29
and some actions are being taken to protect trees, watersheds and wildlife.
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e hai que tomar medidas de protección das árbores, cuncas hidrográficas e a vida salvaxe.
12:35
And in 1872, with Yellowstone National Park,
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E en 1872, co Parque Nacional de Yellowstone,
12:39
the United States began establishing a system of parks
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comezaron a establecerse un sistema de parques que hai quen di
12:42
that some say was the best idea America ever had.
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que foi a mellor idea que nunca tiveron nos Estados Unidos.
12:47
About 12 percent of the land around the world is now protected:
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Cerca do 12 por cento da terra está agora protexida no mundo,
12:51
safeguarding biodiversity, providing a carbon sink,
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salvagardando a biodiversidade, fornecendo un sumidoiro de carbono,
12:55
generating oxygen, protecting watersheds.
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xerando osíxeno, protexendo as cuncas hidrográficas.
12:57
And, in 1972, this nation began to establish a counterpart in the sea,
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E, en 1972, comezouse a establecer unha contrapartida no mar,
13:02
National Marine Sanctuaries.
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os Santuarios Marinos Nacionais.
13:04
That's another great idea.
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Esta é outra gran idea.
13:06
The good news is
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A boa noticia é
13:08
that there are now more than 4,000 places in the sea, around the world,
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que hai agora máis de 4.000 lugares no mar, ao redor do mundo,
13:12
that have some kind of protection.
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que teñen algún tipo de protección.
13:14
And you can find them on Google Earth.
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E podedes atopalos no Google Earth.
13:16
The bad news is
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A mala noticia é
13:18
that you have to look hard to find them.
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que hai que buscar moito para atopalos.
13:20
In the last three years, for example,
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Nos últimos tres anos, por exemplo,
13:22
the U.S. protected 340,000 square miles of ocean as national monuments.
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os EE.UU. protexeron 340.000 millas cadradas de océano como monumentos nacionais.
13:28
But it only increased from 0.6 of one percent
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Pero é só un aumento do 0,6 do un por cento
13:31
to 0.8 of one percent of the ocean protected, globally.
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ao 0,8 do un por cento do océano protexido, a nivel mundial.
13:36
Protected areas do rebound,
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As areas protexidas rexenéranse,
13:39
but it takes a long time to restore
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pero leva moito tempo
13:41
50-year-old rockfish or monkfish, sharks or sea bass,
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peixes de roca de 50 anos ou peixes sapo, tiburóns ou corvinas,
13:45
or 200-year-old orange roughy.
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ou un peixe reloxo alaranxado de 200 anos.
13:47
We don't consume 200-year-old cows or chickens.
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Nós non consumimos vacas e galiñas de 200 anos.
13:51
Protected areas provide hope
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As áreas protexidas fornecen a esperanza
13:54
that the creatures of Ed Wilson's dream
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de que as criaturas do soño de Ed Wilson
13:57
of an encyclopedia of life, or the census of marine life,
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dunha enciclopedia da vida ou un censo da vida mariña,
14:01
will live not just as a list,
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non van vivir só nunha lista,
14:05
a photograph, or a paragraph.
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unha foto, ou un parágrafo.
14:09
With scientists around the world, I've been looking at the 99 percent of the ocean
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Coa axuda de científicos de todo o mundo, revisamos o 99 por cento dos océanos
14:12
that is open to fishing -- and mining, and drilling, and dumping, and whatever --
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que están abertos á pesca, minería, perforación, vertedoiro de lixo, e o que queirades,
14:16
to search out hope spots,
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para buscar puntos de esperanza,
14:18
and try to find ways to give them and us a secure future.
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e atopar o xeito de darlles e darnos un futuro seguro.
14:22
Such as the Arctic --
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Áreas como o Ártico -
14:24
we have one chance, right now, to get it right.
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onde temos agora a oportunidade de facelo ben.
14:27
Or the Antarctic, where the continent is protected,
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Ou a Antártida, onde o continente está protexido,
14:30
but the surrounding ocean is being stripped of its krill, whales and fish.
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mais o océano está a ser despoxado do seu krill, baleas e peixes.
14:36
Sargasso Sea's three million square miles of floating forest
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No Mar dos Sargazos, un bosque flotante de 3 millóns de millas cadradas
14:41
is being gathered up to feed cows.
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está sendo apañado para alimentar vacas.
14:44
97 percent of the land in the Galapagos Islands is protected,
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O 97 por cento da terra nas illas Galápagos está protexido,
14:48
but the adjacent sea is being ravaged by fishing.
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mais o mar adxacente está sendo devastado pola pesca.
14:52
It's true too in Argentina
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Tamén é verdade na Arxentina,
14:54
on the Patagonian shelf, which is now in serious trouble.
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na plataforma da Patagonia, agora en serios apuros.
14:57
The high seas, where whales, tuna and dolphins travel --
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En alta mar, onde van as baleas, atúns e golfiños --
15:02
the largest, least protected, ecosystem on Earth,
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temos o maior e menos protexido ecosistema da Terra,
15:05
filled with luminous creatures,
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cheo de criaturas luminosas,
15:08
living in dark waters that average two miles deep.
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que viven en augas escuras a dúas millas de profundidade.
15:11
They flash, and sparkle, and glow
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Brillan, escintilan, refulxen
15:14
with their own living light.
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coa súa propia luz vital.
15:17
There are still places in the sea as pristine as I knew as a child.
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Hai aínda lugares no mar, conservados coma cando eu era unha nena.
15:20
The next 10 years may be the most important,
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Os próximos 10 anos poden ser os máis importantes,
15:24
and the next 10,000 years the best chance our species will have
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e os próximos 10.000 anos a mellor oportunidade qua a nosa especie terá
15:28
to protect what remains of the natural systems that give us life.
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para protexer o que queda dos sistemas naturais que nos dan vida.
15:34
To cope with climate change, we need new ways to generate power.
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Para xestionar o cambio climático, precisamos novas formas de xeración de enerxía.
15:37
We need new ways, better ways, to cope with poverty, wars and disease.
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Precisamos de novas formas, maneiras mellores de tratar coa pobreza, as guerras e as enfermidades.
15:43
We need many things to keep and maintain the world as a better place.
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Precisamos moitas cousas para manter e conservar o mundo como un lugar mellor.
15:47
But, nothing else will matter
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Mais nada diso importa
15:50
if we fail to protect the ocean.
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se non somos quen de protexer o océano.
15:53
Our fate and the ocean's are one.
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O noso destino e o dos océanos son un.
15:57
We need to do for the ocean what Al Gore did for the skies above.
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Necesitamos facer para o océano o que Al Gore fixo para os ceos.
16:01
A global plan of action
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Un plan de acción global
16:04
with a world conservation union, the IUCN,
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cunha Unión de Conservación Mundial, a IUCN,
16:06
is underway to protect biodiversity,
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que está en marcha para protexer a biodiversidade,
16:08
to mitigate and recover from the impacts of climate change,
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para mitigar e recuperar dos impactos do cambio climático.
16:12
on the high seas and in coastal areas,
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en alta mar e nas zonas costeiras,
16:16
wherever we can identify critical places.
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onde podamos identificar lugares críticos,
16:20
New technologies are needed to map, photograph and explore
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son necesarias novas tecnoloxías para localizar nun mapa, fotografíar e explorar
16:24
the 95 percent of the ocean that we have yet to see.
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o 95 por cento dos océanos que aínda non vimos.
16:28
The goal is to protect biodiversity,
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O obxectivo é protexer a biodiversidade,
16:31
to provide stability and resilience.
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asegurar a estabilidade e resistencia.
16:33
We need deep-diving subs,
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Necesitamos submarinos de gran profundidade,
16:35
new technologies to explore the ocean.
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novas tecnoloxías para explorar o océano.
16:38
We need, maybe, an expedition --
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Necesitamos, quizais, unha expedición -
16:41
a TED at sea --
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un TED no mar -
16:43
that could help figure out the next steps.
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que podería axudar a descubrir os seguintes pasos.
16:46
And so, I suppose you want to know what my wish is.
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E así, supoño que queren saber cal é o meu desexo.
16:50
I wish you would use all means at your disposal --
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Gustaríame que utilizásedes todos os medios á vosa disposición -
16:55
films, expeditions, the web, new submarines --
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películas, expedicións, a Rede, novos submarinos -
16:58
and campaign to ignite public support
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unha campaña que inflame o apoio do público
17:01
for a global network of marine protected areas --
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para unha rede global de áreas mariñas protexidas,
17:04
hope spots large enough to save and restore the ocean,
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pontos de esperanza que abonden para salvar e restaurar o océano,
17:08
the blue heart of the planet.
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o corazón azul do planeta.
17:11
How much?
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Canto?
17:13
Some say 10 percent, some say 30 percent.
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Algúns din que o 10 por cento, algúns din que 30 por cento.
17:16
You decide: how much of your heart do you want to protect?
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Vós decidides canto queredes protexer o voso corazón.
17:21
Whatever it is,
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Sexa o que for,
17:23
a fraction of one percent is not enough.
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unha fracción dun un por cento non chega.
17:27
My wish is a big wish,
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O meu desexo é un desexo grande,
17:29
but if we can make it happen, it can truly change the world,
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mais se podemos facer isto, podemos realmente cambiar o mundo,
17:33
and help ensure the survival
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e axudar a garantir a supervivencia
17:36
of what actually -- as it turns out -- is my favorite species;
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da que realmente é a miña especie favorita,
17:42
that would be us.
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que somos nós.
17:44
For the children of today,
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Para os nenos de hoxe,
17:46
for tomorrow's child:
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para os nenos de mañá,
17:48
as never again, now is the time.
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como nunca, agora é a hora.
17:53
Thank you.
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Grazas.
17:54
(Applause)
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(Aplausos)
Translated by Manuel Meixide
Reviewed by Adrián Levices Casal

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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Sylvia Earle - Oceanographer
Sylvia Earle has been at the forefront of ocean exploration for more than four decades. The winner of the 2009 TED Prize, she's a tireless advocate for our oceans.

Why you should listen

Sylvia Earle, called "Her Deepness" by the New Yorker, "Living Legend" by the Library of Congress and a "Hero for the Planet" by Time, is an oceanographer, explorer, author and lecturer with a deep commitment to research through personal exploration.

Earle has led more than 50 expeditions and clocked more than 7,000 hours underwater. As captain of the first all-female team to live underwater in 1970, she and her fellow scientists received a ticker-tape parade and White House reception upon their return to the surface. In 1979, she walked untethered on the sea floor at a lower depth than any other woman before or since. In the 1980s, she started the companies Deep Ocean Engineering and Deep Ocean Technologies with engineer Graham Hawkes to design undersea vehicles that allow scientists to work at previously inaccessible depths. In the early 1990s, she served as Chief Scientist of the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration.

Earle speaks of our oceans with wonder and amazement, and calls them “the blue heart of the planet.” The winner of the 2009 TED Prize, she wished to ignite public support for marine protected areas, so that they cover 20% of the world's oceans by 2020.

More profile about the speaker
Sylvia Earle | Speaker | TED.com