Will the Odyssey save biodiversity in the Mediterranean through cinema screens?

The Mediterranean Sea contains a vast world of biological diversity, containing up to 18% of known marine species, even though it covers only 1% of the area of the world’s oceans! This biodiversity is today threatened by pollution and climate change. So here lies the importance of Goal 13 (Climate Action) and Goal 14 (Life Below Water) among all the Sustainable Development Goals.

From here I will continue with you The Earth Guards Foundation Read this article; To see how the ancient journey of Odysseus in the epic Odyssey turns into a map of dangers for the Mediterranean, and how cinema can work towards greater efforts to support diversity. biology in this sea; So keep reading.

Who is Odysseus?

Imagine a man standing on a wooden ship ten years after a war that had exhausted him. In front of him is a sea that does not know mercy, and behind him is a house waiting for him on “Ithaca Island.” This is Odysseus, the hero of the epic that the Greeks attributed to the poet Homer. From here we understand what the Odyssey epic is; It is a long poem that narrates his return from the Trojan War amidst storms, monsters, nymphs, and gods, and it is part of a global Greek heritage that also includes what is called the Iliad.

What is the difference between the Iliad and the Odyssey?

The Iliad tells the story of the war itself at the walls of Troy, while the Odyssey begins when the war ends, and traces the return journey, as if it were the second part of The story; This is why many people search for a summary of the Odyssey and the Iliad together. It was translated into Arabic by several translators.

Is the story of Odysseus true?

The characters and monsters are the work of legend, the story is a work of literature, but the theater is completely real: it is the Mediterranean with its islands and coasts. More than 2,500 years after its first narration, the Odyssey returned to the forefront when director Christopher Nolan presented it in a huge film according to his cinematic vision.

Based on this cinematic vision, American billionaire Elon Musk, “owner of Tesla and the X platform,” announced the launch of a cinematic project to produce a new cinematic version of this global epic, using artificial intelligence. This raises questions about the extent to which the new vision to be produced is related to the Mediterranean world and its contents Biodiversity, and what this sea and its natural environments will look like through artificial intelligence.

Where does this sea begin and where does it end?

If Odysseus wanted to map out his journey today, where would he start? The Mediterranean will begin in the west at the Strait of Gibraltar, which connects it to the Atlantic Ocean, then extend east to the coast of the Levant, and connect to the Red Sea via the Suez Canal in Egypt.

Countries located on the Mediterranean Sea

From this geographical angle, 21 countries share responsibility for this sea with the European Union within the framework of the Barcelona Convention, and among these countries are:

• Egypt
• Cyprus
• Greece
• Italy

More than 500 million people live on the coasts of these countries, and about 25 major coastal urban areas are located, as these waters were a route linking Africa, Asia, and Europe with the world’s trade, ideas, and culture.

What does the Mediterranean hide from biodiversity?

When a fisherman looks at the water from his ship, he sees the clear blue of the sea, and he also sees:

• 1% of the world’s ocean area.
• 18% of known marine species.
• About 46 thousand kilometers of coastline.

Poseidon’s meadows beneath the waves

The Greeks named their god Poseidon, the lord of the sea, and the “Poseidon Oceanic Plant” (scientific name: Posidonia oceanica) was named after him, whose meadows cover about 12 thousand square kilometers of the Mediterranean Sea. These are the meadows that provide habitats for huge numbers of organisms, and sequester carbon. Thus, it serves Goal No. 13 on climate action, one of the most important seventeen sustainable development goals.

Who threatens biodiversity today?

Odysseus faced his monsters one after another, but today’s monsters attack together, and we will meet each one of them in the following lines as Odysseus faced his monsters, station after station.

First stop: The six-headed monster And plastic

In the legend, there is a monster with six heads that devours sailors, and in reality now about 730 tons of plastic waste enter every day, and these tons are – truly – a new monster that threatens the Mediterranean Sea and its biodiversity.

The second stop: the singing of mermaids and the noise of ships

In the legendary epic, mermaids used to lure sailors with their voice and destroy their ships, but today the sound that harms marine creatures is the noise issued by underwater ship engines. Along with microplastics and all other waste, they are a real modern threat that we must address.

Third stop: Poseidon’s wrath and unforgiving heat

The anger of Poseidon in myth A storm hits the ship, but today there is high heat, as the Mediterranean region is warming at a rate about 20% faster than the global average, and every summer confirms this with new heat waves.

In addition to the temperature, rainfall change, sea level rise, and ocean acidification; The result is greater risks such as drought, forest fires, floods, and other climate crises.

The fourth station: The silent heroes of the story retreat

In this sea live loggerhead turtles, striped dolphins, swordfish, octopuses, and the rare Mediterranean monk seal; All of them are declining due to pollution and industrial activities that are affecting their habitats, and with the lack of large predatory fish, fishermen are turning to smaller species; Then the food pyramid becomes distorted.

Fifth Station: When the Monsters Ally

The most dangerous thing is that these environmental crises feed each other: damaged coastal systems protect less from storms and floods, warmer waters facilitate the spread of invasive species, and irresponsible tourism increases waste and pressures fragile habitats.

In conclusion, it appears to The Earth Guards Foundation that the Mediterranean Sea embraces a treasure of biological diversity, and stands in the face of monsters that Odysseus did not know; The history of the Mediterranean Sea reveals, through the Odyssey, a specific paradox: the most famous text dealing with this sea in human memory presents it as an adversary, while today it is the weakest party. Odysseus confronts nature as a force that transcends, but current facts turn the relationship around 730 tons of Plastic enters the sea every day; So the most important question remains: What end will we write for this sea?