Save the oceans, save yourself

Re “Study finds dead zones at sea likely linked to warming,” Feb. 15

If the oceans could talk, they would tell us that without them, Earth would be a lot like Mars -- cold, barren, inhospitable. It doesn’t matter where on Earth you live; everyone is dependent on the existence of that saltwater masterpiece. There’s plenty of water in the universe without life, but nowhere is there life without water. The living ocean drives planetary chemistry, governs climate and weather and provides the life-support system for all creatures on our planet, from deep-sea sponges to a garden rose or desert yucca. That’s why the ocean matters.

If the sea is sick, we are going to feel it. If it dies, we die. Our future and the state of the oceans are one. It would be nice if masses everywhere could hear this and understand it. Let’s do away with bureaucracy and work as one people to tend to the planet’s real needs. Save the ocean and save your home, yourself and life as we know it.

Andrea McNeill

Woodland Hills