In 2013, the 125th anniversary of NG’s founding was celebrated as a "golden age for explorers." As the sole official Chinese mainland partner of National Geographic, the magazine Chinese National Geography invited American oceanographer, marine explorer, and author Sylvia Earle to give a lecture titled "Sustainable Oceans: Vision and Reality" at Beijing’s Fashion Gallery on September 6. The event offered an oceanic visual feast to the hundreds of attendees, featuring astonishing marine images and shocking insights into the current state of ocean ecology. She called on everyone to join her in protecting our blue planet.
During the lecture, Sylvia shared that she had lived underwater in a submersible device with five other scientists for a week when she was 76 years old. Just a week prior, she had also been diving in the Gulf of Mexico to observe how marine life was faring after the oil spill. She pointed out that climate change and glacier melting have the most significant impact on the oceans, which in turn affects marine life. She also spoke about the threats posed by trawling to ocean creatures—not only does it deplete seabed life, but it also generates countless pieces of marine debris. While advocating for ocean protection, she urged everyone to protect sharks and other marine species.
This year, NG’s feature story "Reaching the Bottom of the Mariana Trench" was one of the collaborative experiences between her and renowned director and NG explorer James Cameron in the field of diving.
Dr. Earle owns three companies dedicated to developing diving-related equipment. She hopes to create lightweight and simple diving gear. In fact, she has already succeeded — she once piloted a self-developed submersible solo to a depth of 1,000 meters.
Throughout the lecture and the subsequent Q&A session, Sylvia stood throughout, sharing stories from her remarkable life and thoughtfully answering readers’ questions. Her witty and engaging responses captivated the audience, immersing them in Sylvia’s underwater world, with no one leaving early. Many attendees were devoted fans of Sylvia, including one who brought a 1981 magazine for her to sign — it featured Dr. Earle’s personal submersible, Jim.
The lecture concluded successfully. For more exciting event updates, please stay tuned to Chinese National Geography magazine and its official website.