Mr. Capello, ASM’s Upper School Assistant Principal, joined the environmental committee in deliberating the role of ocean acidification in our world’s ecosystems. As explained by Mr. Capello, ocean acidification is the continuous decrease of pH levels in the Earth’s oceans, caused by the absorption of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. He elucidated the role of ocean acidification in understanding the ecosystem’s food webs, global climate, the alarming increase in sea levels and global warming, further acknowledging that to tackle ocean acidification one must be aware of all contributing factors in the ecosystem. His presentation was truly inspiring gave more depth to the debate in the Environmental Committee, prompting delegates to dive deeper into the issue at hand.
By Aidyn Despiau-Vazquez
Q: How can we prevent the issue with the food web “Winners and Losers”?
A: Mr. Capello refers to an acknowledged MIT study which demonstrated the way in which different organisms adapted to ocean acidification, significantly increasing in numbers, “however those organisms are not typically ‘useful’ for the food web. Some of them smell bad or generate phytotoxins. And so those can be the winners of these changes.” When contextualizing them to societal preferences they do not collude with what we like to see or eat; both aspects representing significant economic resources for many countries. Clearly, when it comes to the food chain, there are winners and losers, but even the smallest alteration in a food web can have detrimental socioeconomic effects.
On a similar note, Mr. Capello also mentioned the term ‘Charismatic Mega-fauna’ or the large animal species with widespread popular appeal like polar bears or the “majestic” lions. He explained that “the unfortunate thing is that people don’t necessarily care about the ‘charismatic micro-fauna’...but they are a crucial part of the ecosystem and if you don’t appreciate their role in the ecosystem you are going to end up losing all megafauna.” Mr. Capello concluded by stating that micro-fauna is changing as a result of what us, humans, are doing and these changes could have “effects both long term and short term on lots of things that we like and enjoy.”
Q: What would you consider an effective strategy that national or international organizations, like the UN, can implement to address ocean acidification?
A: A similar question had been asked during the Q&A session with the Environmental Committee, where Mr. Capello argued that the key to solving environmental problems like that of ocean acidification lies in education and outreach. He argued that “we need to understand the interrelatedness of these issues”, that even the smallest change in pH is significant, and stressed the idea that “increasing an understanding of these issues in the short term will lead to success in the long run”
With us, Mr. Capello once again alluded to the complexity of the issue, stating that it’s “important to talk about ocean acidification, but it is only one part of the story and we need to look at these issues both individually and together.” He further stated that to broaden our understanding of ecosystems, we need to recognize the relations between ocean acidification, climate change, sea level rise, ocean temperatures, and biodiversity loss at important hotspots. When illustrating the magnitude of such issues, notorious organizations like the UN could aid research and understanding. Mr. Capello concluded by stating that ocean acidification is “a global problem, the ocean doesn’t belong to any one country, and that is why we require a global solution.
Q: What are your hopes for these young aspiring leaders who are trying to find solutions to these pressing environmental issues?
A: Initially Mr. Capello articulates that “there’s multiple layers to that”, promptly mentioning that one layer is to “remain hopeful”. He recalled his experience as an environmental science teacher, but more specifically giving a presentation about the importance of women empowerment when it comes to environmental issues. He said that “women in many countries are in charge of the food, of harvesting, planting, and all those things are really important to the environment. If we have empowered women in knowing how to make environmental choices, that's a beautiful thing.” He further stated that “there is hope, and by raising one part up some other things can also rise.”
Mr. Capello went on to mention that the second layer consists in the realization that “it’s not going to be easy.” He mentioned that the countries that are greatly impacted by global changes are not necessarily those that initiated them, and “that’s a big deal because the western world used a lot of resource to get where they are today, and now they are looking down from their high horse being like: ‘Well you can’t do that.’ But, why can’t they do that?”. He echoes the concept that as young aspiring leaders we will have to acknowledge environmental struggles and make sure that developing countries are also being served. He concludes by stating that “knowing it's going to be hard, but maintaining hope, is a powerful message.”