More than 1,800 Californian sea lion pups had washed ashore, starving, a March 20 article from NPR reported. Every year, some sea lion pups are expected to do this, but never before has this happened on such a large scale. This is the third year in a row seal pups have washed ashore in record breaking numbers.

Experts liken this trend to be a result of warming waters, which diminish fish populations, forcing the mother sea lions to venture farther and farther away to find food. This, in turn, leaves sea lion pups vulnerable, alone and hungry.

Climate change impacts the ocean in particularly destructive ways, destabilizing delicate ecosystems and endangering countless animals in the process. Curbing the warming of the world’s oceans must be a priority for political leaders as oceanic temperature spikes are already revealing their destructive consequences.

A March 26 article in the journal Science detailed how arctic sea ice is melting 70 percent faster in some places than it was just one decade ago. This is a direct result of climate change and a testament to how quickly the world’s oceans are changing. With these increased temperatures comes a slew of other problems including but not limited to: ocean acidification, disrupted ecosystems and sea level rise.

On the subject of sea level rise, National Geographic cites: “A recent study says we can expect the oceans to rise between 2.5 and 6.5 feet by 2100, enough to swamp many of the cities along the U.S. East Coast. More dire estimates, including a complete meltdown of the Greenland ice sheet, push sea level rise to 23 feet, enough to submerge London.”

In short, there are countless reasons to care about what humans are doing to the ocean. However, from listening to current and prospective prominent politicians, you wouldn’t know it: Presidential hopeful Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) blatantly lied on national television about global warming. On March 16 on “The Late Night Show With Seth Myers,” he proclaimed that “satellite data demonstrates for the last 15 years there’s been zero warming, none whatsoever.”

The fact that Cruz felt comfortable saying this in the first place is troubling for two reasons. Either he truly believes this, and fossil fuel funded think tanks really do convince people of decent intelligence, or he is just another politician funded by fossil fuel tycoons and will say anything to stay in their good graces.

Most all Republican members of Congress oppose comprehensive action on climate change. So much so that, according to a March 25 article from The Huffington Post, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is personally urging state governors to oppose the Environmental Protection Agency’s new limits on power plants greenhouse gas emissions.

While countless animals continue to suffer as a consequence of a select portion of humanity’s environmental negligence, the very people responsible for these saddening circumstances are clawing tooth and nail to prevent any meaningful progress that could mitigate the problem.

Many people correctly suppose that if carbon was visible, the world would be in much better shape. Let’s take it one step further. If animals could talk to humans, the continual destruction of the voiceless would suddenly become a lot less convenient. Until that happens however, it is up to us to understand their lines of communication. Eighteen hundred sea lion pups beached on shore sure seems like a clear message.

Azor Cole is a junior public relations major and geography minor. His column appears weekly. He can be reached at azcole@syr.edu and followed on Twitter at @azor_cole.

Published on April 1, 2015 at 11:31 pm