Happy Birthday, Jacques-Yves Cousteau

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In The New York Times, Andrew Revkin celebrates the 100th anniversary of the birth of Jacques-Yves Cousteau, perhaps the most famous documenter of the earth’s ocean resources and a man whose “name is being invoked now in discussions of the unfolding oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico and the shifting chemistry of the oceans through the ongoing buildup of carbon dioxide.”

This week the Associated press offered a snapshot of the master videographer and his legacy, tying Cousteau’s mission to the dangers of uncontrolled drilling: “The launch of the year honoring Cousteau could not have come at better time, as the ongoing oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has underscored the importance of ocean conservation, the organization said. An early defender of marine life, Cousteau long railed against ocean drilling by the oil industry and instead urged ‘more direct access to the sun’s power.'”