Home > Work > Captain Paul Watson: Interview with a Pirate
1 " If we want to survive on this planet, we are going to have to understand that we need to respect the laws of ecology: Law No. 1: The strength of any ecosystem is based on biodiversity. The decreased level of biodiversity on the planet today is our most serious problem, even more serious than global warming.Because… Law No. 2 is interdependence: all species are interdependent; they need each other. Law No. 3 is the law of finite resources: growth has a limit and there is a limit to the earth's carrying capacity. (p. 54) "
― Paul Watson , Captain Paul Watson: Interview with a Pirate
2 " Unlike human laws (and the Malthusian approach), the natural laws of ecology do not discriminate on the basis of race, status or bank account balance. Simply put, there are not enough resources on the planet to feed a human population that is growing and consuming like we are. We are killing the coral reefs, the forests, the wetlands and the oceans. And we are violating the third law of ecology: "There is a limit to population growth because there is a limit to the planet's carrying capacity." We are literally stealing the carrying capacity that could support other species, and that is a violation of the first law of ecology: "The strength of an ecosystem depends on the diversity of the species that make up that ecosystem."Decreased biodiversity has an impact on everything else; it's the second law of ecology, the law of interdependence. In other words, the increase in the human population is contributing to a decrease in the carrying capacity, and that has an impact on our interactions with other species. It reduces our chance of survival even further and makes a future for us on this earth unlikely. The human population must stabilize itself and if we don't do it voluntarily, nature will look after it for us. Were that to happen, our numbers would be reduced in a very painful manner over which we would have no control. I am not religious, but I think that the four horsemen of the Apocalypse - famines, epidemics, wars and civil strife - will reduce the human population and [bring about] the loos of planetary carrying capacity. (p. 118-119) "
3 " The solution I recommend, and for which I have been widely criticized, is that no one should have children unless they have taken a six-month course on responsible parenting and earned a certificate attesting to the fact that they are responsible enough to have children. Today, anyone can have a child, including pedophiles, alcoholics, drug addicts, men who abuse their wives, etc. It is even possible to create one's own victim. That's quite a bizarre situation, if you think about it. A driver's license is required in ordre to drive a car, a diploma is required in order to access certain types of employment and it is necessary to prove one's ability to do all sorts of things before being authorized to do them. Bringing forth a life is the ultimate responsibility, and people should be able to prove that they are in a position to accept that responsibility. Even if such a measure was not enforced, it would provide people with a different way to learn about what is involved in parenting. (p. 119-120) "
4 " the modern media is the mass media and they understand only four things. Every story carried by the modern media involves one of these four things: sex, scandal, violence and celebrity culture. If a story does not include one of those four elements, it isn't a story and it becomes difficult if not impossible to get the message out. So, you have to tie your story to one of the four elements to ensure that it is picked up and that you get your message out. (p. 125) "
5 " We have already exterminated 90% of the fish. The fish population is 90% smaller than it was before we began to wage war on the oceans. (p. 209) "