--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The living ocean drives planetary…" description: "\"The living ocean drives planetary chemistry, governs climate and weather, and otherwise provides the cornerstone of the life-support system for all cre..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/16e/sylvia-earle-1756_chemistry_the-living-ocean-drives-planetary-chemis_2397042.jpg" --- # The living ocean drives planetary chemistry, governs… ![“The living ocean drives planetary chemistry, governs climate and weather, and otherwise provides the cornerstone of the life-support system for all creatures on our planet, from deep-sea starfish to desert sagebrush. That's why the ocean matters. If the sea is sick, we'll feel it. If it dies, we…” quote by Sylvia Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/16e/sylvia-earle-1756_chemistry_the-living-ocean-drives-planetary-chemis_2397042.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/16e/sylvia-earle-1756_chemistry_the-living-ocean-drives-planetary-chemis_2397042.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/16e/sylvia-earle-1756_chemistry_the-living-ocean-drives-planetary-chemis_2397042.jpg) > “The living ocean drives planetary chemistry, governs climate and weather, and otherwise provides the cornerstone of the life-support system for all creatures on our planet, from deep-sea starfish to desert sagebrush. That's why the ocean matters. If the sea is sick, we'll feel it. If it dies, we die. Our future and the state of the oceans are one.” [Sylvia Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-earle/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The ocean is a massive, interconnected system that regulates climate, weather, and supports all life; its health directly impacts humanity's survival. **In simple terms:** The ocean controls climate and life; its health matters to us. Key Takeaway Protect and restore ocean health. Themes environment climate interconnectedness dependence Mood concerned hopeful Type educational call‑to‑action When to use this quote - policy making - coastal management - education - personal lifestyle choices Key Concepts ecosystem services planetary chemistry biosphere Questions to Reflect On - How does your daily consumption affect the ocean? - What actions can you take to support marine conservation? A Different Perspective Human activities like pollution and overfishing threaten ocean health. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Chemistry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chemistry/) [Climate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/climate/) [Deep sea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deep-sea/) [Desert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desert/) [Environment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/environment/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Ocean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ocean/) [Oceans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/oceans/) [Our future](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/our-future/) [Our planet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/our-planet/) [Sea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sea/) [Starfish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/starfish/) [Support](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/support/) [Support systems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/support-systems/) [Weather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/weather/) ## Related quotes > [“Fish will never be afraid of living in the ocean, no matter how deep it is.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matshona-dhliwayo/fish-will-never-be-afraid-of-living-in-the-ocean-no-matter-how-deep/) [Matshona Dhliwayo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matshona-dhliwayo/) > [Late, by myself, in the boat of myself, no light and no land anywhere, cloudcover thick. I try to stay just above the surface,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rumi/late-by-myself-in-the-boat-of-myself-no-light-and-no-land-anywhere/) [Rumi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rumi/) > [If the sea is sick, we'll feel it. If it dies, we die. Our future and the state of the oceans are one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/if-the-sea-is-sick-we-ll-feel-it-if-it-dies-we-die-our-future-and-the/) [Sylvia Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-earle/) > [Protecting vital sources of renewal - unscathed marshes, healthy reefs, and deep-sea gardens - will provide hope for the future of the Gulf, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/protecting-vital-sources-of-renewal-unscathed-marshes-healthy-reefs/) [Sylvia Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-earle/) > [Fish from all over the world, from deep in the sea, wind up in countries from Germany to Japan. That is just crazy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/fish-from-all-over-the-world-from-deep-in-the-sea-wind-up-in/) [Sylvia Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-earle/) > [The ocean is our life support system. No blue, no green. It's really a miracle that we have got a place that works in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/the-ocean-is-our-life-support-system-no-blue-no-green-it-s-really-a/) [Sylvia Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-earle/) > [I am not an attractive man. These clothes are the only thing holding me together; when I'm nude, my body shoots off in all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-hotz/i-am-not-an-attractive-man-these-clothes-are-the-only-thing-holding/) [Jeremy Hotz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-hotz/) > [“He remembered a story he’d once heard about a girl throwing starfish into the ocean. “An old man comes along and says to her,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bo-burlingham/he-remembered-a-story-he-d-once-heard-about-a-girl-throwing-starfish/) Bo Burlingham > [“Once upon a time, there was a wise man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loren-eiseley/once-upon-a-time-there-was-a-wise-man-who-used-to-go-to-the-ocean-to/) [Loren Eiseley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loren-eiseley/) > [“Pen realized it: Sometimes there is nothing to do but surrender yourself to wonder... You must stop measuring - over and over - the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marisa-de-los-santos/pen-realized-it-sometimes-there-is-nothing-to-do-but-surrender/) [Marisa de los Santos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marisa-de-los-santos/) > [Her fingers moved among barnacles and mussels, blue-black, sharp-edged. Neon red starfish were limp Dalis on the rocks, surrounded by bouquets of stinging anemones…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-fitch/her-fingers-moved-among-barnacles-and-mussels-blue-black-sharp-edged/) [Janet Fitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-fitch/) > [But it is just two lovers, holding hands and in a hurry to reach their car, their locked hands a starfish leaping through the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/but-it-is-just-two-lovers-holding-hands-and-in-a-hurry-to-reach-their/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Doc was collecting marine animals in the Great Tide Pool on the tip of the Peninsula. It is a fabulous place: when the tide…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/doc-was-collecting-marine-animals-in-the-great-tide-pool-on-the-tip/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [“Is that my foot? Silly me, it's a starfish”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/petra-mathers/is-that-my-foot-silly-me-it-s-a-starfish/) Petra Mathers > [“She shielded her eyes from the sun, her truck keys dangling down the back of her free hand, as Cooper lowered the passenger window…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-kauffman/she-shielded-her-eyes-from-the-sun-her-truck-keys-dangling-down-the/) [Donna Kauffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-kauffman/) ## More by Sylvia Earle > [We still have 10 percent of the sharks. We still have half of the coral reefs. However, if we wait another 50 years, opportunities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/we-still-have-10-percent-of-the-sharks-we-still-have-half-of-the/) [Sylvia Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-earle/) > [Health to the ocean means health for us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/health-to-the-ocean-means-health-for-us/) [Sylvia Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-earle/) > [Evolution is not something to be feared. It's to be celebrated, embraced, and understood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/evolution-is-not-something-to-be-feared-it-s-to-be-celebrated/) [Sylvia Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-earle/) > [We are depleting this immense diversity and abundance of life, and it matters tremendously for the future of the planet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/we-are-depleting-this-immense-diversity-and-abundance-of-life-and-it/) [Sylvia Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-earle/) > [My mother was known as the 'bird lady' of the neighborhood. 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We can only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/with-respect-to-the-ocean-being-the-heart-of-our-blue-planet-we-are/) [Sylvia Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-earle/) > [If the sea is sick, we'll feel it. If it dies, we die. Our future and the state of the oceans are one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/if-the-sea-is-sick-we-ll-feel-it-if-it-dies-we-die-our-future-and-the/) [Sylvia Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-earle/) > [The ocean seemed like a sea of Eden. But now we are facing paradise lost.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/the-ocean-seemed-like-a-sea-of-eden-but-now-we-are-facing-paradise/) [Sylvia Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-earle/) > [When you think about the real cost of so-called cheap energy that has driven our prosperity to unprecedented levels, for some of us, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/when-you-think-about-the-real-cost-of-so-called-cheap-energy-that-has/) [Sylvia Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-earle/) > [When I arrived on the planet, there were only two billion. Wildlife was more abundant, we were less so; now the situation is reversed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/when-i-arrived-on-the-planet-there-were-only-two-billion-wildlife-was/) [Sylvia Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-earle/) > [I've had the joy of spending thousands of hours under the sea. 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We are newcomers, really recent arrivals on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/the-observations-that-have-developed-over-the-years-have-given-us/) [Sylvia Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-earle/) [Explore all 211 Sylvia Earle quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-earle/) ## More Chemistry quotes > [In my opinion, sexiness comes down to three things: chemistry, sense of humor, and treatment of waitstaff at restaurants.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhoda-janzen/in-my-opinion-sexiness-comes-down-to-three-things-chemistry-sense-of/) [Rhoda Janzen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhoda-janzen/) > [Don't be afraid of hard work. Nothing worthwhile comes easily. Don't let others discourage you or tell you that you can't do it. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-b-elion/don-t-be-afraid-of-hard-work-nothing-worthwhile-comes-easily-don-t/) [Gertrude B. 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