CLIMATE CHANGE
making an inviting table for discussion
Janet discusses how to create platforms for discussion and create personal and systemic change.
Photo Credit: Judy Hildebrand
By Janet Gannon
When I first found sailing forums on Facebook, I was thrilled. It was a feast of sailing dishes. I could have an appetizer of sailboat brand debates, a main dish of discussing anchors, and a dessert of hearing about voyages to far-flung ports. But it didn’t take long for me to realize some of the feast was rotten. In many forums, I found a vocal contingent of climate deniers. They argued with easily-confirmed facts and spouted conspiracy theories. Worse, they trolled other members. Often, group administrators either agreed with these folks, were vocal bullies themselves, or prevented productive discussions because they felt the topic was purely political.
What to do when you find there’s no seat at the table for you? After stewing over the harsh words and lies, I had enough. If there wasn’t a seat for me, I’d build my own damn table. I couldn’t be the only sailor out there who saw climate change as not only a threat to our planet’s health, but to my own aspirations for cruising. I founded the Facebook group Cruisers Who Care About Climate to provide a science-based, non-partisan, global group for people who want to discuss climate as it relates to cruising. It turned out I wasn’t the only sailor concerned about climate. Today the table I built out of frustration is home to a vibrant online community.
WHY SHOULD SAILORS CARE ABOUT CLIMATE?
EXTREME WEATHER EVENTS
Warmer waters can grow storms into monsters, and climate change can influence the movement of storms. Hurricane Dorian, which pounded the Abacos for three days in 2019, slowed to a crawl because upper level steering currents were weak. Many scientists consider this to be a result of climate change. The images coming out of Marsh Harbor should be a warning to sailors. The safety of our crews, our vessels, and our marinas are threatened, and the cost of insurance is increasing as insurance companies find their profits dwindling.
SEA LEVEL RISE
As icecaps melt and seawater warms, sea level rises. Average global sea level rose 2.6 inches (~6.6 cm) between 1993 and 2014, and continues to rise about 1/8 of an inch (~0.3 cm) a year. Many of the places we love to cruise, like the coral atolls of the Pacific or the low-lying Bahamas, are threatened with inundation. Structures are flooded, local populations are displaced, and groundwater resources are tainted. Rising sea level threatens shoreside services as well. Freedom Boat Club in Venice, Florida, saw an increase in flood insurance from US$3,000/year to US$20,000/year in 2018, and the Russell Boating Club in Matauwhi Bay, NZ, raised its clubhouse to prevent flooding. These costs are passed on to sailors.
THREATS TO MARINE RESOURCES
For many of us, a love of sailing goes hand-in-hand with a love of the ocean. The effects of climate change on the ocean’s creatures speaks the most to me. Warming waters lead to coral bleaching, displacement of fish populations, and an increase in harmful algal blooms. We are also seeing ocean acidification as a result of more carbon being pumped into the atmosphere. Acidification weakens the shells of ocean creatures like clams and even plankton and disintegrates coral structure.
Bleached Coral
Acidification weakens the shells of ocean creatures like clams and even plankton and disintegrates coral structure.
Photo Credit: Dr. Dan McCarthy
If we care about our crews, our boats, the ocean we sail on, the ports we visit and the human communities in these places, it’s our responsibility to combat climate change. Sailing and cruising already have relatively low fossil fuel use and we tend to value self-sufficiency and simplicity. These qualities make us great partners in the fight against climate change. Women should be particularly interested in climate, as it affects us more than men. Women are more likely to be displaced, to have their daily chores (like fetching water) disrupted, or to experience violence in the aftermath of extreme weather. We experience more poverty, especially minority women, exacerbating the effects of climate change. These issues are reflected in the concepts of environmental racism and social justice.
WE CAN POSITIVELY EFFECT CLIMATE IN TWO WAYS: Taking personal action and working toward systemic change.
PERSONAL ACTIONS
Use less fuel. For sailors, this means keeping a clean bottom (especially your propeller), tuning your engine, creating a fuel efficiency curve, installing solar and wind, using a pressure or solar cooker or heat-retaining bag, using wind-scooping devices rather than air conditioning, and of course, raising those sails as much as possible.
Reduce single-use plastics. We’ve all seen that plastics clog our waters and endanger wildlife. Recently, we’ve come to know that microplastics are poisoning food chains. But plastics are also a climate issue. Plastics are produced from fossil fuels and release carbon emissions as they degrade.
Cut back on meat. Moving towards a plant-based diet is a great way to mitigate and adapt to climate change. Less meat means reduced need for refrigeration, and is better for our health too.
Protect sea grass, mangroves, and salt marsh. These habitats sequester a disproportionately large amount of carbon. If you boat on salt water, get involved in protecting these habitats and make sure you don’t damage them while anchoring or boating.
Support local women when you sail. Use female-owned businesses, learn about local charities that lift women out of poverty, and be aware of the politics and culture of other countries when deciding where to spend your money.
SYSTEMIC CHANGE:
Learn and share. The single most important thing sailors can do to encourage systemic change is engage others in discussions. Make and set a table for respectful discussion wherever you are. Start with shared values. These might be valuing safety, wanting to be self-sufficient, or a love of the ocean or the diverse people we visit on our boats. We can connect the dots between these values with the need to combat climate change. You don’t have to be a scientist to do it. Not sure what to say? The simple statement, “Climate change is real and it’s happening now,” speaks volumes. Follow it up by talking about your concerns about how climate change will affect the things you value. Engaging in a conversation – where everyone can talk and listen – is vital to sailors considering what they want to do about climate change.
Engage in politics. We need our leaders to recognize climate change as the extreme threat that it is. We also need our politicians to decarbonize, stop subsidizing fossil fuels, change the way we produce and use energy, and help the people who will be most affected – including women and people of color.
Support community groups, businesses, and media that are fighting climate change. Collectively we can change systems, even as sailors. Consider the impact of YouTube sailing channels that show us new ways to sail, for example, Sailing Uma using an electric motor and renewable energy sources or SV Delos experimenting with an eco-friendly bottom paint. These trailblazers are making money and bringing climate-friendly practices into the mainstream. So “buy them a beer,” or join a non-profit, or buy from a company that focuses on climate.
Sailors know an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. We put this into practice as we prepare for voyages that last an afternoon or a month. We check the rigging. We make sure there are wooden plugs near the through-hulls. We update our flares and refill the first aid kit, just in case. We warn our crew when a new sailing maneuver is about to occur, calling “ready about!” to allow preparations to occur. As sailors and women, we need to prepare for the biggest challenge our boats and crews will face – climate change. We need to invite everyone to this table if we are to continue to eat at all.
FROM WOMEN WHO SAIL NEWSLETTER | ISSUE 3. | OCTOBER 2020.
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janet gannon
Janet started sailing when her father bought a Sea Snark (made of Styrofoam!) way back in the 1970’s. She is an ocean lover, scientist, writer, and teacher who is always up for a walk on the beach or game of cribbage. Janet sails SV Fulmar, a Pacific Seacraft 37, out of Brunswick Georgia, USA. Janet is the founder and administrator of the Facebook group Cruisers Who Care About Climate and welcomes any Woman Who Sails to the group.