The water cycles
The water cycle describes the existence and the movement of water around, above and underneath the Earth. It shows how water is constantly moving, and continuously changing state, in every way possible. It tells us a story that goes back billions of years, and which all life on Earth depends on.
The narrative of Slow Fish 2021 takes these considerations as its premise. But the cycle becomes cycles, including all the elements which have an impact on our water, and all the various interconnections between them.
The Water Cycles
Slow Fish has always looked to the seas and the oceans. But the life of the seas and oceans, and their health, has a strong impact on our own lives on this planet. And the same time, they’re strongly impacted by us. Think of the influence that the seas and oceans have on the climate, or the ways human behavior can damage their ecosystems.
Biodiversity and our food habits
The seas and oceans are incredibly rich in biodiversity. Beyond the 200,000 species of fish we’ve cataloged so far—and there may be millions more—are cetaceans, seals, mollusks, sponges, algae and coral, right down to the tiniest zooplankton and phytoplankton, all of whom live in complex ecosystems that are not well understood.
The Sea and Climate Change
The Earth’s climate is undeniably changing, but if it wasn’t for the seas and oceans, that capture around a quarter of all the carbon dioxide released into the air, the effects of climate change could already be much worse. As well as giving us food and resources, the oceans are our main ally against global warming, and the first to feel its effects.
A sea of plastic
We’ve witnessed a constantly increasing production of plastic since its invention, from 2 million tons produced in 1950 to 400 million tons in 2015. Overall, more than 8.3 billion tons of plastic have been produced so far, equivalent to 158,670 Titanic ocean liners—and three quarters of this plastic has already ended up in landfill.
