THE CHANGING OCEAN, 4 parts,. Australia, Documentary
Directed by Liz Courtney
Narrated by Dr Sylvia Earle: A 4 x 30 mins series, the Ocean is our planet’s life support system. It regulates our climate, absorbing huge amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, and provides us with vast stores of food. But the Ocean is in trouble. Population growth, rapid developments in infrastructure, climate change, and events happening far away in polar regions are impacting oceans, affecting all aspects of life across south-east Asia.

https://climateimpactasia.org/the-series/series-2/

Director Statement

At the Earth Observatory of Singapore in my role as Artist in Residence, I have the privilege of working alongside such talented scientists who infuse the passion and story narrative for these documentary series Climate Impact Asia and Changing Oceans Asia. The lens of each narrative looks at the challenges and the solutions against a critical timeline this century that all require urgent attention to mitigate the impacts of climate change across southeast Asia. There has never been a more important time to be an Earth Scientist!
Liz Courtney
100 Women of Influence Award

Changing Ocean Asia, a four part documentary series
Southeast Asia is a unique part of the world, featuring low-lying countries, pristine islands and vast coastal habitats. 600 million people across the region live in low elevation coastal zones, all vulnerable to sea level rise, flooding, storm surges and extreme weather events like tsunamis and typhoons. Scientists at The Earth Observatory of Singapore and engineers are working together to design and develop sustainable solutions to ensure the region’s prosperity this century.
The ocean is our planet’s life support system. It regulates our climate, absorbing huge amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, and provides us with vast stores of food. But the ocean is in trouble. Population growth, rapid developments in infrastructure, climate change, and events happening far away in polar regions are impacting oceans, affecting all aspects of life across Southeast Asia.
Changing Ocean Asia, explores four key themes around the impacts of the changing ocean, and looks at the challenges and solutions being explored by scientists including The Earth Observatory of Singapore, government and business.
At least 4 billion people in the region rely on the OCEAN for their livelihood. The ocean provides us with over 70% of our oxygen, is the fundamental element of the climate system, and drives economic and social development across Southeast Asia. As human activity has significantly increased, so have greenhouse gas emissions. The ocean has moderated the effects, absorbing more than 90% of excess heat and over 30% of excess carbon emissions, but their capacity to buffer our changing climate system is impacting the health of the ocean and the dynamic mechanisms which drive geohazards and rising sea levels in the region.
This series looks at the effects of a changing climate system on geohazards and ocean dynamics in Asia, and the research work being undertaken by the Earth Observatory of Singapore to help identify adaptive solutions that will benefit future generations in the region.