Science and Policy and OA, Oh My! - An Interview with Elly Harrould-Kolieb
BY TAYLOR IRWIN
Ocean acidification (OA) is a prominent topic in the world of marine conservation. Expert in the science-policy interface of OA, Ellycia (Elly) Harrould-Kolieb spoke to us about her work and experience in this field.
Elly’s interest in interfaces, what happens between the spaces, began early in her studies. She completed majors in Conservation Biology, Geography and Environmental Science, and History with minors in Politics and Physiology. She then went on to do a Masters of Environment, taking a broad range of subjects and really focusing on the interface between science and decision-making. Her master’s thesis looked at the interplay of science and politics in the International Whaling Commission. This led her to a position at Oceana where she worked to bring scientific information about the impact of climate change to policy makers and the general public and advocated for better policies that would protect the ocean.
Today, Elly lives in Melbourne, Australia with her partner and two children. She has recently completed her PhD which explored ways to address ocean acidification under existing international environmental agreements. She is currently working in academia at the University of Melbourne’s Climate and Energy College.
Much of your recent work (with Oceana and your PhD) has focused on ocean acidification. Can you tell us a little about what ocean acidification is?
Well, the chemistry of OA is pretty straight forward. The atmosphere and surface ocean are in equilibrium in terms of carbon dioxide (and other gases), so the more CO2 we put into the atmosphere, the more is absorbed into the ocean. As CO2 is absorbed, it bonds with water and creates an acid (carbonic acid). This ultimately changes the pH of the ocean water, making it more acidic.
The ocean will not become acidic (drop below a pH of 7). The term acidification refers to the process of becoming more acidic, just like the term warming refers to a change in temperature, not necessarily that something has become hot. This change in chemistry is happening faster and at a scale that has likely not occurred for at least the last 20 million years. This means that we are changing the conditions that marine life has adapted to and doing it so rapidly that adjusting to this new ocean is simply just not possible for many species.
What should people know about the threats that OA poses on the future of the oceans?
Some of the impacts of OA include a slowing of the growth of corals and the shells and skeletons of other ‘calcifiers’. Calcifiers rely on particular chemical conditions with high enough availability of carbonate ions to build their calcium carbonate structures. A more acidic ocean means it is harder for these species to get the building blocks they need causing them to grow more slowly. Unfortunately, as acidification continues some of these already built structures will also start to dissolve. Changing chemistry also affects acid-base relationships; senses are impacted and some fish even appear to develop a sort-of brain damage when raised in more acidic-conditions.
If OA is allowed to continue unabated, some of the most iconic and important marine species will likely decline and may even become extinct. Many of these iconic species are also ecosystem engineers and key components of marine food webs. Their loss will have flow-on effects, resulting in a less diverse ocean.
What are your hopes for policy and legislation moving forward in regard to OA?
The only way to prevent OA in the future is to stop CO2 from entering the ocean, which means that we need zero emissions in the near future. It’s important that OA is integrated into policy frameworks addressing global warming. On the flip-side, there are many actions that can be taken to lessen the impacts of OA that can be implemented at the local scale. Many of these activities dovetail with existing conservation and environmental policies, such as reducing pollution, stopping overharvesting, preventing damaging fishing gear and unsustainable coastal development. So, policies that protect the ocean will help to lessen the local drivers of OA and enhance the resilience of ecosystems in the face of rising acidity. One important way to do this is through the creation of marine protected areas.
Ultimately, decision-makers need to understand that climate change, the degradation of the ocean and the loss of biodiversity are three components of the same crisis. Ignoring one component creates feedback that exacerbates the others. However, addressing all three components simultaneously can actually lessen the burden of dealing with any one component on its own.
You also have a great deal of experience in science communication for policy makers, non-governmental organisations and the general public – what is the importance of this role in OA?
There remain a lot of misconceptions about OA and the problem is still vastly underrepresented in decision-making. Talking with the general public and policy makers about the problem can help to overcome this. Communication, to me, is not just about conveying the facts, it’s also about trying to understand my audience and helping them to connect on a personal level with those facts. For example, maybe they love scuba diving on coral reefs, maybe they love eating seafood or maybe they have no great love for the ocean but want a robust economy with strong fisheries. These are all reasons for strong policies to protect the ocean and prevent future OA. Ultimately, we don’t make decisions based purely on scientific facts; we make decisions based upon our values, world view and our hopes for the future. When communicating science, I try to align those values and explain that science helps us to understand the world around us and offers means for achieving a shared vision for the future.
What is one thing the general public can do to help in response to OA?
The most effective way to protect the ocean and to stop OA is to vote for leaders who care about the ocean and understand what OA is, who have robust plans to rapidly reduce carbon dioxide emissions and who are committed to creating and strengthening good environmental policy both domestically and internationally. Voting is a chance to have our voices heard and it is important to be a part of it, whether they be local council or national elections. Never has it been so important to put leaders in place who are committed to creating a more sustainable future. If you don’t see those leaders, if the options available don’t represent your hopes and visions for the future, get involved, go into politics – we need more young, smart, optimistic women in positions of leadership!
What has been your favourite aspect of working in the science-policy interface for OA?
Gosh, I love being able to delve into the science and really understand the problem and the technical solutions (for this I rely on the work of amazing scientists) and then to bring these together with the human side, in terms of legal and policy processes and how they work. It’s funny, doing what I do means I need to be a little bit of a chameleon. When I talk to lawyers and policy makers, they often see me as a scientist, whereas scientists see me as a policy expert. This is a really exciting part of what I do in the sense that I can talk to people from different worlds and bring them a little closer together.
One of WMC’s goals is to highlight mothers in conservation – can you tell us what it’s like to be a mother while balancing the very important work that you do?
Honestly, I constantly struggle with the feeling of not being enough and not doing enough: not enough for my kids, not enough for my work, not enough for my partner, not enough for myself… but I really try to surrender to the moment – I think that’s especially important when I’m with my kids.
There are many hidden tolls on parents (more often than not women) who try to juggle academic work and kids. Things like missing networking events because they are at dinner time or attending less conferences. While these may sound like relatively small compromises, it is these kinds of “additional extras” that can really help in getting your next job or meeting your next co-author. While the struggle of the juggle is real and there are many challenges caused by structural inequalities, having kids also gives me even more motivation to do what I do.
Is there anything additional you would like to add?
I just want to say thanks for featuring me – I love your work and firmly believe that telling women’s stories is an important way of showing girls that they indeed can grow up to be anything!