Ms. Grasso interview

The main ideas from this information are: - The importance of caring for and protecting forests, kelp forests, and coral reefs. - The ecological and practical reasons for caring, including the role of coral reefs in providing habitat for ocean species and the impact of their collapse on human food shortages. - The difficulty in prioritizing between kelp forests, coral reefs, and seagrass. - The potential correlation between the size of coral reefs and their activity levels. - The avenues for getting involved in restoration projects, such as research assistantships and volunteering. - The underfunding of many restoration projects and the lack of media coverage for such projects. - The challenges in securing funding, especially from organizations with conflicting interests. - The role of grassroots efforts and local politicians in advocating for funding and support. - The need for more pressure on governments to actively participate in climate accords and divest from fossil fuels. So, I guess like the first, like, general question is going to be kind of basic and general for a few. It's like, why should we care about the forests, you forgot to ask, the kelp forests and the coral reefs? Like, why should we care about them? Why should we be even putting the effort to be protecting them? Okay, so do you want a personal answer or a scientific answer? Both would be fine. I mean, I think we just, if we forget about how connected we all are, that's when things fall apart. And I think we've seen so many examples of that. When we forget we're connected to the natural world, we really, we fail, we fall apart. As far as scientifically, you know, the coral reefs provide 25% of the habitat for the ocean species. And I think it's one-sixth of the world relies on seafood for their protein. So, if the ocean food web collapses, the human population is going to face serious food shortages. And they really see that the ocean population food webs are starting to collapse. So, I think that's the practical reason to care. Right. But, obviously, the reason I think we should care is, you know, this planet is not only our home, it's the home to every other living thing. And they were here long before us. Yeah. Yeah. But, yeah. And then, like, I guess, like, which of the three do you think kind of, like, takes, like, priority? So kelp forests, carbon, coral reefs, and what? Seagrass. Seagrass is good. I mean, I guess if I was pressed, I would say the coral reefs. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. So, like, I've spent a lot of time in, like, the kelp forests, primarily kelp forests, but a little bit of time in the coral reefs. And what I've seen is, like, I feel it's odd, but I feel like there's more, like, activity in, like, the kelp forests than the coral reefs. Uh-huh. Yeah. Do you think there's, like, a correlation with just, like, how small the coral reefs have gotten compared to the kelp forests, that there's less activity? Oh, less biological activity? Yeah. That could be. I'd have to really research that to give an articulate answer. I mean, the kelp forest is a forest, right? So, it's every bit as biodiverse, probably, as the coral, you know, maybe not quite as biodiverse, but depending on where you are, the coral reefs are different, right? Right. So, I think it would really depend on what reef you're looking at, where you're looking, and the temperature at the time, and the kelp forest. So, you know, again, is one more important than the other thing? Is the redwood forest more important than the deciduous? No, there's two ecosystems that both need to be protected. Yeah. And then, another question would be, like, if, obviously, I don't know, I don't expect you to know this one, but, like, if you were to do a restoration project, what would you do, and, like, which ecosystem would you do, and, like, how would you go about it? Oh, I mean, I think there's some interesting stuff going on with restoring the coral reefs. I don't know as much about sea grass beds and how to restore them, but that would be, like, restoring wetlands. Okay. I think that's easier. Right. Sort of, because you can just protect an area, you know, which is not as, they're all hard. I don't know. What would I do? Coral's really hard to protect right now because the ocean is warming, right? I think kelp, they've had a little bit more success with, like, reintroducing the otters, so they eat the urchins, and so I think, but they're having really good success with some of the coral stuff. I don't know that I could pick which ones. Okay. Yeah. I think it's too hard. Give me a second. Yes. Which one is the last one? There were three at that time. Yeah. Okay. Okay. So, I've been, like, following these restoration projects, like, throughout my research as well, but, like, I've been, like, following these restoration projects, and I've been kind of intrigued by a few of them. Uh-huh. Like, one of the questions I had was, like, how do people even, like, get started? Like, how do people even get into, like, the field? Like, obviously, you go to college, but, like, I feel like there's more to that than just, like, college. So, I'm wondering, like... So, with research, there's a million avenues. College, yes. A lot of times as an undergrad, you can do, you can be a research assistant. Uh-huh. When you go beyond your bachelor's degree, now they have a lot of great internships where you can be a research assistant. So, you have to find the professor who you want to work with, like, the one that's doing research on coral reefs, or the one... And you have to contact them, and you have to ask if they need an assistant. That's pretty much how it goes. But there are other ways. Like, if you find, like... I know there's a project in Africa where they're doing... They're counting different endangered species, and you can go volunteer to be there for 10 days and do that work for them, you know? Right. So, there's different avenues into different things. I always say, you know, the people doing this research are typically not well-funded, and if you reach out to them as a free assistant, I think they'll be able to guide you in better directions than I can, because each project is going to have different things they need. Yeah. That actually kind of leads me into my next question. It's like, we all know that, like, a lot of these projects are, like, super underfunded. Yeah. And do you think part of it is, like, they just don't get media coverage? Like... I think when you look at something like funding cancer research versus funding fixing the coral reefs, right? Right. People are more likely to ride their bike or run a race for cancer research. You don't see that kind of stuff for coral reefs, right? Science research, you know, it's typically very underfunded, and if it is funded, it's funded by organizations. For example, like Shell might fund something on the coral reefs, but they're going to want you to say that it's not carbon dioxide causing the problem, right? Right. So the companies that have the big money are typically not the companies that are environmentally neutral, right? Are really looking for the answers. Okay. Yeah, that makes sense. Yeah. So, like, it's just, like, either it's, like, corrupt in a way... It's corrupt, and, you know, there just isn't... You've got to think of who's looking at that research, and, you know, there's just not a lot of huge scientific organizations that are being funded to find the change or save the coral reefs, you know? Right. Well, I'm sure, like, the bigger ones, like Greenpeace or... There is... What's the one I like? World Wildlife Fund is pretty good, and the Natural Resources Defense Council, they do have some projects that they fund. They fund themselves? I think they get funding for it through their donations. Yeah. Yeah. And then, like, if... So, like, not a lot of these projects tend to be, like, government-funded, then? There are some government-funded projects. Okay. So, I have a friend who worked on acid rain. That's a government-funded project. They cleaned up acid rain, you know, but he would be measuring stream levels, the pH of streams all across America to see if acid rain was affecting it, right? And that was all evidence to get coal companies to cut their nitrous oxide levels, but he had to find his own funding. That's how science works a lot of times. No, if you're a research scientist, often your boss will find the funding, but, yeah, a lot of times for science, you have to find your funding. What are you doing? All right. Go ahead. Sorry. So, I... Hold on a second. Can you do it on paper, not on the board? Thank you. Yes. So, I guess, like, if, like, a project... So, like, how would we try to get... Because, like, obviously, like, governments already have, like, they have a ton of money. Yeah. So, how would we try to get governments to... So, I think, yeah, I think to get your government to fund stuff, you can't start with... You can't start with Joe Biden, right? Right. You have to start with your local politicians. And in California, you know, we do have some environmental awareness, but you really, literally... Like, if you want a project funded in Venice, you have to see who is the representative for Venice, and you have to start there. So, it's the politicians that need to hear from their constituents. It's, you know, it's called grassroots. That's really... And you find organizations, for example, Surfrider. Yeah. Right. So, they're a group that tries to get different kinds of legislation passed, right? Yeah. So, the more people you have, the stronger your voice is. So, you try to work with local groups, I would say. Yeah. Okay. Local environmental groups. Okay. That makes sense. You know, there's Friends of the LA River, for example, things like that, Friends of Bionic Creek Wetlands. So, whatever you are... You know, you find the groups, you find the projects you think is most important, and you start helping them. But, always pressure on politicians, I think, is really good. Okay. Yeah. And then, another one would be, like, we feel like a lot of, like, climate accords, like the Paris Climate Accords, and stuff like that, and it's, like, clearly, like, they're, like, half working. Yeah. Like, how would we put... I guess, like... Oh, that's a hard question. I guess we kind of have to put, like, more pressure on nations to, like, really abide by these rules. And for those, I would say, you have to push your government to be an active role in those negotiations, right? And every single president has promised to divest us from fossil fuels, and not one of them has. Right. So, I don't care what... Where you stand politically, the fact is, none of them have done it. So, I do feel like we do need to put pressure on our politicians to be part of those accords, but also put pressure on them, you know, if... I don't know. I'm going to pick a random country that is probably not involved, but let's say Uganda, right? If Uganda is pumping out billions of tons of coal, you know, emissions, because they're making our products, which is what China's doing, we have to press our government to put pressure on China to use cleaner fuels. But we have to be careful with that, because we're putting all this pressure on China, and when they're making all our stuff, we want cheap stuff. Right. So, the more environmental it is, the more expensive it is, right? So, it has to be a reflection of, how do you do this right, and how do I put pressure on the government to do it right? Those are grander things, right? Important, but grand. Yes. Corporations, you can put pressure on corporations. That's huge. Right. If they start hearing from you, you know, I used to buy Patagonia. Patagonia is a great brand, but I used to buy them, but I heard they're not carbon neutral, and I'm not going to buy them anymore. That matters. Right. Like boycotts and stuff like that. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. And then, let's see. I have a question about that. And then I guess, like, another one would be, like, why are, like, some of these ecosystems so important? Like, the battle against climate change, because they are being affected by it, but they're also really important to fight, like, against it. Yeah. So, I was wondering, like, why are some of these ecosystems, like, so important? Well, so the ocean is a carbon sink, right? But it's a carbon sink because of the kelp forests, and because of the seabed, grass beds, and because of the wetlands. So, every time we destroy anything that stores carbon, you know, we're, more carbon is being stored in the atmosphere. And when the ocean gets warmer, the planet gets warmer. And, you know, what are the effects on us? I mean, we're fine here in LA. We're a wealthy country. We're a wealthy state. But already, you know, small island populations have lost their homes, lost their livelihoods of flooding, and all the things, fires, droughts in Africa. There's mass starvation, you know. So, all the effects of climate change, as scientists are saying, they're happening. They may not be happening directly to us, because when we're out of water, we get it from Colorado. But if you're in a small village in Africa, you don't have that option, right? I think that is. Okay. What are you doing?