The Loneliest Whale
Tue, November 2, 2021 I recently watched “The Loneliest Whale in the World,” a documentary about a single hybrid whale that was first discovered back in the 1960s and is still alive out there somewhere in the ocean.
Apart from being an interesting and touching story, I was reminded how in the 1960s and 1970s the large Blue and Humpback whales were almost hunted to extinction. Everything changed when someone recorded the sounds they make, and people realized “They could sing.”
Originally hunted in the 1700s to provide lamp oil that fueled the Industrial Revolution, it continued into the 1960s when lamp oil was no longer required, but whale meat was still a cheap source of pet food worldwide. That is how I remember it, and even if I am wrong my point is that it was not necessary to hunt whales almost to extinction.
One commenter on the documentary stated, “When enough people care about something, they can change the world.”
I realized this is what actually happened. No one rioted or destroyed property, people the world over demonstrated peacefully. It was somewhat of a joke at first, then when Greenpeace got involved and went out in tiny boats to confront these huge whaling ships, people saw what was going on. It was no longer okay to slaughter whales for no good reason.
At the time it was tough luck on the companies that owned all these whaling factory ships, and all the people who were put out of work, but had this not happened, there would be no more whales left by now, and the whaling industry would have ended anyway.
The same thing is happening now with the closing of coal mines. No one likes to see people deprived of their livelihood, and governments don’t want to give up a cheap source of fuel for electricity. But is there still a choice when time is running out on global warming?
Which brings me to an issue that few are talking about. The world population. There are just too many people.
The world’s population has doubled in the last fifty years, that is since 1970. No time at all really, we cannot wait for it to double again, which is why some of us say time is running out. Watching this documentary illustrated the issue, seeing the huge amount of shipping required to distribute food to feed everyone.
Then there are all the animals required to feed the people, and the food required to feed the animals. People don’t like change, and no one wants to give up any freedoms. But, “If enough people cared, they could change the world,” but it seems to me that people are protesting less important issues and doing it in the wrong way.
Everyone, not just the people who are concerned about destroying the planet, should maybe more concerned about the planet destroying humankind. It is what Nature does.
I have two daughters, granddaughters, and great grandchildren. I am concerned for their future, but what can I do apart from write here? If enough people care, we can change the world. Maybe whole families of several generations need to demonstrate quietly, just as they did for the whales.
I don’t have all the answers, but perhaps we should at least talk about it. (Don’t you think?) The only other thing can be done, is cut back on consumption of certain foods, and all other goods.
There will be many who disagree with me, I am sure, but how long can the denial go on? Know that my intentions are good, and I ask you please keep your comments in the same vein.
Footnote: I am not sure what happened on Monday, but it seems a glitch deleted the post. This is a re-post.
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Reader Comments (3)
Thanks for posting, Mr. Moulton.
I grew up as a teenager in Worcester, just after you left, and raced for the Worcester St. Johns club. I was back in the UK visiting my parents just before COVID, and the harvest was three to four weeks earlier than in the 1980's. I now live in NYC, and coach ski racing at the weekend in the Catskills - the ski season is also completely different compared to when I fist skied here in the late 1990's.
Anecdotally, I see there are a bunch of Californians moving to upstate NY, and I asked one guy the reason: climate change. We had the wettest summer in years - it rained every day in July - total contrast to CA.
Anyway, at least Ben Serotta is back working in Saratoga!
All the best,
Simon
"If people really cared, they would have done something along time ago."
From the movie "Silent Running"
Dave: clean(er) energy has gotten cheap enough to be the less expensive than coal. Coal is dead.
Simon: the climate is changing, but “people are moving from California” is math: of all the potential transplants from 49 states, more than one in ten live in just one of them. I don’t know anybody from Wyoming…