Blue Heart:
War, Climate and the Battle for the Ocean that Keeps us Alive
“Mark Mellett has written a powerful, deeply informed and urgent book that is both a timely warning and a call to conscience. Drawing on his extraordinary career at sea and his deep commitment to climate justice, he shows us that the ocean’s fate is our own.
Blue Heart reminds us that those who have contributed least to environmental degradation often suffer most from its consequences — and that protecting the ocean is inseparable from climate justice, human security and our responsibility to future generations.”
— Mary Robinson, Former President of Ireland
Blue Heart is more than a book about the ocean. The ocean is both its subject and its lens, revealing the relationships that shape our world — between humanity and nature, leadership and stewardship, security and sustainability, and the responsibility we bear to future generations.
Drawing on almost five decades of military service and leadership, alongside academic research and public service, his talks encourage audiences to see today’s challenges through a broader, more interconnected lens. Rather than treating climate change, biodiversity loss, governance, security and human wellbeing as separate issues, Blue Heart reveals how deeply interconnected they are.
At its heart, Blue Heart is a book of hope and agency. It argues that while humanity faces profound and accelerating challenges, we possess the foresight, responsibility and capacity to choose a different course. By changing how we understand our relationship with the ocean and the natural world, we can begin to rethink our relationship with one another — and the future we choose to leave to those who follow us.
“I wrote Blue Heart because I believe the ocean is the beating heart of nature, yet too often we fail to see how profoundly it shapes our lives. Overcoming that sea blindness and renewing our relationship with the ocean is fundamental to our shared future.”
— Mark Mellett