Confronting ecophobia: increasing ecoliteracy through art and marine science

All citizens should be ecoliterate; however, science can be emotionally and cognitively overwhelming when it is contextualized. When learning about large-scale environmental threats and disasters, people can experience ecophobia – a negative response, a paralyzing fear, or desensitization to the looming environmental issues. These responses are accompanied by an additional feeling that there is nothing to be done to achieve resolution, which makes environmental education counterproductive. Now more than ever, ecoliteracy is vital to saving our planet. Humanity’s impact on the Earth has ushered in a new geological epoch – the Anthropocene– defined by climate change, environmental degradation, loss of biodiversity, and pollution. The inauguration of the Anthropocene declares that the impact of human activity is global and irreversible – it is a call for change. This call cannot be answered unless all citizens become ecoliterate.

I propose that art can be used to successfully deflect ecophobia in environmental education; that a specific union of art and marine science can generate responsible citizens who consider themselves stewards of the environment; and that these two factors can aid in the creation of the global environmental intelligence needed to enact change. This is a chronological record of my intent to prove these claims by outlining my research, developing artistic practice, and specific projects and their outcomes over a four-year period. My overall goals are to evaluate how to combine art and marine science to avoid ecophobia and positively educate viewers on anthropogenic threats afflicting the oceans.