The famous quote from his father, Jacques Cousteau, “people only protect what they understand”, is the ultimate inspiration of the oldest son of the famous ‘Captain Planet’, Jean Michel Cousteau, for children around the world know the importance of the oceans and learn how to conservate them.
Architect training and oceanographer by profession, the oldest Cousteau, with 73 years old, runs for more than a decade “Oceans Future Society”. Last October, premiered in Miami, the film of his own “My father, the captain” (based on the book of the same name) in the 21 Annual Meeting of the Societal of Environmental Journalists (SEJ).
Q: How do you feel about been reunited in this scenario with all the members of the first family of Jacques Cousteau?
Very proud of my two childrens (Fabien and Celine) and my nephews (Alexandra and Philippe) and the five are continuing the work that my father started in the marine environment. I’m glad that for the first time we managed to be the whole family together. We have been three generations of Cousteau working for the oceans, and there will be a fourth (his niece Alexander just being a mother and his daughter Celine will be in a few months).
“We use the oceans as a garbage can”
Q: What do you think is the biggest challenge facing the oceans today?
That people understand how they affect our quality of life. We are destroying the cost that is vital for the reproduction of marine species, migratory birds, to protect ourselves against natural disasters.
Q: And the greatest threat hanging over them?
On the one hand, is overfishing. We fish more than the ocean can produce. And on the other hand, we use the oceans as a garbage can. The waste is easier to fight because we can teach people and make them aware. The problem is that we don’t see the heavy metals and chemicals pouring into the ocean, and we are eating every day when we put a fish on the plate, with terrible consequences for us. So is not only about protecting the oceans, ¡is about protecting ourselves!
Q: What is the key to preventing degradation of the oceans?
Education, education and more education. So that even the youngest child to understand how connected is our live with the oceans, live near or not. The key is that a child knows that when it rains it’s raining the oceans, when he drinks a glass of water he drinks the ocean, when he goes to snow he’s skiing the oceans… The water system is unique. In that way, children are great because they get the message at the first time and they understand it. And there is the key, because they are ones who make decisions in the not too distant future. The key to saving the oceans is in children.
Q: Do you trust in governments and institutions to protect the oceans?
There are exceptions, but usually not. Environmental decisions-makers are totally focused on not losing their jobs, do business or the status of their accounts, and don’t really care what might happen in 10 or 50 years with their children or grandchildren. And that, above all, is very sad, because sadly that’s the people who are making decision today.
Cousteau, a fascinating person and a demanding father
Q: What projects are focused Oceans Future Society?
A mixture of initiatives linked with education and diplomacy. I try to convince decisions-makers that things can be done otherwise. At the same time, I’m preparing a tv series to explain children the importance of the oceans. At first, we’ll begin in United States, then we’ll go to the rest of the world.
Q: You just released the film version of your bestselling book “My father, the Captain”, wich takes a look at your relationship with your father. What does your father means to you?
My father was a fascinating person. But at the same time, he was a very demanding father… what I’ve received from him is a mixture of inspiration and discipline. To continue his work makes me very happy and I hope that this is honoring his memory.
Q: How much do you think you are helping to continue the work of your father?
All I know and feel I owe to my father. For me, and for us as a family and as a team, to continue transmitting the message of my father is the most important. My father used to say: “People protect what they love”, that’s why our objective is people love the oceans and understand what they mean in our lives, because “people protect what they understand”.
Q: But your father legally prevented that you put the name ‘Cousteau’ to your Fiji Island ‘Ecoresort’ and he get pretty angry about this project…
I am sure that if my father knew this project today he would feel very proud of me. We are receiving international environmental awards for it all the time. And it’s a very successful business from the standpoint of economic and environmental.
His relationship with the other ‘Cousteau’
Q: How is your relationship with the others two sons from the second marriage of your father with Francine Triplet: Pierre and Diane (from who he’s separated 44 and 42 years)?
Great, I’d love them to be here. Diane is a historian, and the only one of the family who is not dedicated to marine issues. With Pierre Yves recently I watched his presentation of his project ‘Cousteau Divers’. I think he needs to be more in touch with us, because he is very young and I think he is making some mistakes. If he would be more in touch with me and his nephews, we could advise and help him. He is a little isolated.
Q: What do you think about the project ‘Cousteau Divers’?
It is very ambicious but I’m not sure about its success because people of diving is more focused on making money than educating divers on marine protection. Unfortunately anyone can get a diving title today, without having any idea about the oceans.
Q: What is the main lesson to be learned from Jacques Cousteau?
His huge curiosity about everything, creativity, desire for adventure and to discover is the most valuable lesson. My father was the most positive person in the world and never took ‘no’ for an answer. Nothing can get before him: as he wanted to dive, he invented the scuba; as he wanted to film deep in the ocean, he created underwater cameras. But the most important thing was his curiosity. When the journalists asked him what he expected from his next expedition, he always said: if I knew I wouldn’t go.
Q: If your father were alive, what do you think would be his top concern?
When my father died (in 1997) he was really concern about the directions things were taken and about the damage we were doing to the environment. He questioned if we would be able to save the planet. I question too, but I look at the eyes of a child and regain hope because there are no alternatives. We have to do everything possible so the future generations have the same privileges that we have had.
Fuente: sustentable.cl