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Deep-sea mining in our global commons could happen as soon as next year. We already know that if allowed to go ahead, deep-sea mining will irreversibly destroy life in the deep ocean, and risks disturbing locked away carbon. Allowing deep-sea mining to go ahead is tantamount to ecocide. Thank you KALW Bay Area Public Radio for inviting me on your show to talk about this reckless emerging industry. - Farah Obaidullah #dontlookup #defendthedeep #oceandecade #ourocean #circulareconomy #ecocide #women4oceans #together4oceans 
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As temperatures soar across India and Pakistan, I am reminded of a conversation I had last night with someone who works for the oil and gas industry (and who happens to be from the Indian subcontinent). According to this man, all NGOs - he couldn’t specify which ones or from which sector, but just made a sweeping statement of all NGOs - do not use science to back up their work, and have no merit. This man went on to attack climate activists, saying their (and my) frustration is unjustified, and he used the tired old rhetoric of climate activists being hypocrites since we too heat our homes. I was livid and didn’t know where to begin to unpack his denial and patronization of the climate crisis. At the same time I was tired. I have been fighting this fight for too long. And, in many personal settings, telling myself or being told to stay quiet, polite and ‘know my place’. I tried to explain the root of our frustration, that scientists have been calling for a transition away from fossil fuels for decades, that the fight is not against people, and certainly not vulnerable or low income people with little to no choice, rather our fight is against the systems, governments and industry that perpetuate and thereby deepen the climate crisis. Yet I was constantly triggered by the baseless claims coming from this man. I have two degrees from one of the world’s leading science universities. I studied the first two assessment reports of the IPCC ever to be released as part of my thesis on accelerated sea-level rise. I have spent the past almost 20 years in the NGO sector campaigning for healthy oceans, working with scientists and amplifying their message, and sounding the alarm on the climate crisis. I am not alone. Millions of us around the world are tired of being systematically ignored and belittled so that a few can continue the status quo, while stealing the future of many. I was being mansplained to by someone who has chosen to stick his head in the sand. The climate crisis is plain for all to see, and is being experienced by too many people around the world, including millions of people on the Indian subcontinent. I am telling this story because I need to remind myself not to give up in the face of such ignorance and contempt, and just maybe if you are reading this, you need that reminder too. #climatecrisis #climateemergency #heatwaves #climateaction #activism #collectiveaction #dontgiveup #ecoanxiety #women4oceans #together4oceans  Photo courtesy: Asim Khan Earth Day, each and every day! For this Earth Day I am happy to present to you the story of one incredible woman working to protect and revive sawfish populations. Check out this short film produced by the WaterBear Network for Women4Oceans to find out how! Never underestimate the power of communities in protecting the #ocean. Thank you Alifa Bintha Haque for all the work you do! - Farah Obaidullah #getinspired #earthday #giveback #women4oceans #together4oceans  With one crisis after another, it is easy to lose sight of the imminent threats we face at a global level. Time is running out to protect the High Seas (almost half our planet!) from deep-sea mining. A reckless emerging industry that we know will cause irreversible damage to ocean life, risks disturbing locked away carbon, and which will have unknown consequences to the very systems that sustain life as we know it. We must stop this industry from starting. Here's what my colleagues and I have to say about the processes in play around deep-sea mining. Join us! - Farah Obaidullah https://grist.org/climate/deep-sea-mining-could-begin-next-year-heres-why-ocean-experts-are-calling-for-a-moratorium/ #stayengaged #defendthedeep #circulareconomy #women4oceans #together4oceans #oceandecade #SDG14  Hidden Gem - ship being refitted in Rotterdam to mine the deep-sea. Photo: Farah Obaidullah It’s International Women’s Day today. This picture was taken many many moons ago (2005) and appeared on my feed as a memory. The fight to protect our planet continues. Human dignity, well-being, peace, justice and equality are all linked to a healthy planet. The ocean makes up most of our planet (over 70%), so protecting the planet that sustains us means protecting the ocean. If you’re feeling powerless today because of everything happening around the world: war, ongoing pandemic, climate crisis, humanitarian crises (in so many places), non-human suffering, and so on, you’re not alone. But there is always something you can do. Support an organization whose mission you support (whether on helping victims of war or safeguarding nature and the ocean), organize in your community (collect clothes, food, money, signatures for a cause you believe in), talk to people, your friends, family and strangers. Feel connected to people around you. Spend time in nature, actively keep your community clean by picking up trash, find ways to reduce your consumption that make you feel good, listen to people. By just listening, you are supporting someone. Limit your daily news intake and screen time. Spend that extra time doing any of the above. Today, and every day, whoever you are, embrace your femininity (we all have a feminine side). Strength, resilience, compassion, nurturance and collectivism are all hallmarks of the feminine. Stand in your power! The world needs you. - Farah Obaidullah #internationalwomensday #women4oceans #together4oceans #peace #nowar #bethechange #stayengaged #giveback #ocean #oneoceanoneplanet Women4Oceans Photo: Greenpeace Quote: Laurel Thatcher Ulrich  Farah Obaidullah on the North Sea, 2005 Very proud to share our new film -a first of its kind- on deep-sea mining, what it is, what the threats are, and how companies are increasingly rejecting the need for minerals from the deep ocean. Thanks to everyone who provided materials, interviews and support for this film project. A particular thanks to Maarten van Rouveroy for producing this film! Watch, share widely & help stop this reckless industry from starting! - Farah Obaidullah #defendthedeep #deepseamining #oceans #circulareconomy #SDG14 FARAH OBAIDULLAH SPEAKS IN GLASGOW DURING COP26. COP26 may be behind us but the fight to avoid ecological catastrophe is far from over. We can't mine our way out of the climate crisis. In case you missed it, here's what I presented at the Extreme Hangout, One Young World event in Glasgow during the COP together with Maureen penjueli and Vasser Seydel. Find out what's at stake with deep-sea mining, why we don't need it and why it's not worth the risk! - Farah Obaidullah #climatecrisis #defendthedeep #cop26 #cop26glasgow #women4oceans #together4oceans #oneyoungworld #extremehangoutcop26 This week ‘Stop Ecocide Nederland’ delivered a manifesto to Dutch Parliament members calling on the Netherlands - and all countries - to declare ecocide a crime, including at the international criminal court. Women4Oceans is a proud signatory to this manifesto. Thank you to the organizers for giving me the space to talk about the emerging threat of deep-sea mining. Deep-sea mining fits all the criteria of Ecocide. Those that allow it to go ahead, know that you will be criminals in the eyes of future generations and the law. Stop deep-sea mining! Join us at www.defendthedeep.org Help make ecocide a crime at: www.stopecocide.earth - Farah Obaidullah #women4oceans #together4oceans #DefendTheDeep #StopEcocide #ecocide Women4Oceans has partnered with DAN (Divers Alert Network) Europe for their European Sustainable Tour. As part of the tour we are raising awareness on the threats to the #ocean, including the emerging threat of deep sea mining! Deep Sea Mining will irreversibly destroy life in the deep ocean. Time to stop short term financial gains from standing in the way of creating the clean future we so desperately need! The good news is that we can stop this industry before it starts! Find out more about deep sea mining in this blog by W4O founder Farah Obaidullah: A NEW THREAT LOOMS FOR THE OCEAN The deep sea makes up most of the world’s ocean. Science is only just beginning to discover the marvels and diversity of life in the deep. The living beings that reside there are the stuff of fantasy. Sharks can live for hundreds of years and octopuses are so translucent, they could be lifted straight out of a sci-fi movie. The mystery and innate value of this unexplored realm is reason enough to protect the deep, but there are many reasons why protecting the farthest depths of the ocean is so crucial. Undiscovered life forms mean an untapped reservoir of new genetic material with immense value for medical innovation- for example the COVID-19 test was derived from a microbe found in a deep-sea hydrothermal vent. Importantly, we are only just beginning to understand the role the deep ocean plays in planetary systems, including in regulating the climate through carbon capture and storage. Click here to read more. #defendthedeep #women4coeans #together4oceans  Women4Oceans condemns racism in all its ugly forms and acknowledges the fight for racial justice that is unique to African Americans. #Women4Oceans #Together4Oceans #OnePeopleOnePlanet #StopRacism #NoJusticeNoPeace  |
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