Cousteau felt that as long as people loved the ocean, they would protect it. However, this would not be possible if people remained ignorant and unknowledgeable about the marine world. Hence, he devoted much of his life to raising awareness to the beauty and wonder of the oceans, hoping that people would come to fall in love with it, just like he did.
Cousteau educated the world about the beauties of marine life and also the destruction that humans were causing it – such as pollution (and its effects), over-exploitation of resources and coastal development. He did this through over 115 television films and 50 books.
Some notable works include The Silent World (1956), World Without Sun (1964), Voyage To The Edge of the World (1976) and the TV series “The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau” which ran for 9 seasons. For more information about his work, you can click on the tab “His Works (Books/Films)”.
This changed entire generations’ views and attitudes on oceans to one that is of love and care. With this attitude change, they were willing to behave in ways that would protect it. Cousteau also educated them on how to do so. This kickstarted marine conservation movements which are still going strong today.