Reflection - Sustainable Development

The aim of this reflection is to encourage you to think systemically about humanity’s impact on the planet and how you can influence this. I will use an example, sustainable fishing, to illustrate human impact and then propose questions for reflection.

​Over the past century, human activities have significantly accelerated species extinction rates. This is often referred to as the ongoing sixth mass extinction. The loss of biodiversity poses significant threats to ecosystems and human societies, affecting services like food security, health, and climate regulation. There are approximately 242,000 known and described marine species. Many marine species remain undiscovered, and ongoing research continues to expand our understanding of marine biodiversity.

In 2021, Netflix released a film about ocean degradation called " Seaspiracy." See Wikipedia entry  It highlights the impact of human activities such as overfishing, pollution, and climate change on marine ecosystems, with a particular focus on how these activities threaten ocean biodiversity. It highlights the practice of bottom scraping, or bottom trawling, a highly destructive fishing method in which fishing trawlers drag heavy nets along the ocean floor to catch fish and other marine life. Two of its many harmful impacts are:

·        Habitat Destruction: significant damage to marine ecosystems, especially to coral reefs, seagrass beds, and other delicate structures that are crucial for marine life. It creates seabed “deserts”.

·        Bycatch: Bottom trawling is notorious for catching non-target species, including endangered species, juvenile fish, and marine mammals, which are often discarded back into the ocean, dead or severely injured, disrupting biodiversity and ecosystem balance.

In stark contrast, the Noonuccal people (Quandamooka Nation) of Stradbroke Island (Minjerribah) in Queensland, have practiced seasonal hunting to ensure that dugongs were not hunted during their reproductive season. By understanding the breeding patterns of dugongs, they could adjust hunting practices to avoid taking pregnant females or newborns, helping to ensure that the population remains sustainable. This is only one example of sustainable practices used by indigenous peoples across the globe.

​Australia has established a comprehensive network of marine protected areas (MPAs) to safeguard its diverse marine ecosystems. Often called "fishing sanctuaries", they can vary in meaning and effectiveness. Some MPAs allow certain types of fishing, while others are designated as "no-take" zones, prohibiting all extractive activities. The effectiveness of these protected areas in conserving marine biodiversity depends on their management and the level of protection they offer.​

Why is this important from a spirituality perspective? That depends on your worldview and your level of consciousness. Eco-theologians like Thomas Berry, Elizabeth Johnson and Pope Francis encourage us to view all creation as having equal value In God’s eyes and therefore worthy of protection now, and for future generations.

What can the individual do? It is easy to sit back and think “this is too big an issue for me and only governments can take action”. But individuals can vote, agitate, educate, raise the awareness of friends and family and so on. I am reminded of the story about a young boy who is walking along a beach where thousands of starfish have been washed ashore. As he walks, he picks up one starfish at a time and throws it back into the ocean. An older man, seeing this, approaches the boy and asks why he's bothering, since there are so many starfish on the beach that it would be impossible to save them all. The boy replies, while holding up a starfish, "I made a difference to this one," and throws it back into the sea.

This reflection is not just about sustainable fishing – it is about sustainable development in all fields of endeavour. Non-renewable energy, rainforest land clearing, supermarket pricing, indigenous disadvantage and asylum seeker detention are other examples of systemic problems.

What systemic problems are you conscious of?

What can you do about them?

How can you personally contribute to climate sustainability?

How can you influence decision makers?

As you reflect, use the Clean Up Australia campaign as your inspiration.