James Cameron explains the importance of ocean conservation and how he hopes Avatar: The Way Of Water will inspire people to think about and help with the cause. Avatar: The Way of Water once again explores a new and beautiful aspect of Pandora's ecosystem. The film introduces a new Na'vi culture as Jake Sully, Neytiri, and their children seek refuge among the Metkayina people.
During an exclusive interview with Screen Rant, Cameron expresses his lifelong love for the ocean, including his experience as a scuba diver. Cameron also breaks down why ocean conservation is so important to him. He also explains how he hopes Avatar: The Way of Water will inspire people to truly think about the importance of conservation for the planet.
James Cameron: I've been in love with the ocean since I was a kid. I've [been] a scuba diver since I was 16; I've spent thousands of hours underwater all over the place. I've seen how the reefs are being degraded; I've seen how the ocean is suffering and failing as a result of our presence.
We're now eight billion people. When I was born, we were three billion people. Now, it's eight billion people. We have to change how we operate. There's no reason why we can't have beautiful, wonderful, fulfilling lives as human beings; we just have to do things differently. I feel that our guardianship of the ocean is something that we all have to share. Everybody everywhere has to share it. Even if you live inland, your downstream runoff from your agricultural fields that's making your food [is] going in the ocean. Every time you eat fish, that's affecting the ocean. It's all connected.
Maybe a movie like this can make people feel connected to the ocean, and maybe that makes them think a little bit. I'm not saying just send 10 bucks to Greenpeace. I'm talking about how we can work together to conserve this wonderful, beautiful, amazing thing that we have right here on planet Earth. We don't have to go to Alpha Centauri to see a cool ocean.
Environmental Activism Has Always Been An Important Part Of The Avatar Franchise
Cameron's love of the ocean plays a huge role in Avatar: The Way of Water including his wonderment and passion when creating the alien world's sea as well as inspiration for the new Na'vi culture and story. His desire to open people's eyes as to why conservation is so important is a key part of the story, especially with the return of humans, who have proven to be a destructive force. His ideas about how everything and everyone is connected bleed into the DNA of Avatar, showing his genuine passion.
The Na'vi are intimately connected to Pandora's nature, wildlife, and deity Eywa in Avatar. This will continue in Avatar: The Way of Water, especially with Kiri (Sigourney Weaver). Kiri has ties to Dr. Grace Augustine and the Pandora deity Eywa. In Avatar: The Way of Water Kiri's connection to Eywa is deeper than any other Na'vi, which makes the teenager uncomfortable. This connection to both Eywa and Grace will likely be critical to not only Kiri's story, but potentially the future of Pandora.
Cameron's ability to converge the character's motivation and personal narrative with this idea about connection and conservation adds new depth and dimension to the message. Avatar: The Way of Water shows the beauty of the ocean and how damaging destruction can be to not only the ocean itself but to life as a whole. Hometree's annihilation in Avatar proved catastrophic for the Na'vi and Pandora, not just on a cultural level, but for the ecosystem as a whole. The Avatar franchise will continue to explore new Na'vi ecosystems and cultures in Avatar 3 and Avatar 4. Cameron's passion for conservation will likely be expressed through these new environments, similar to his love for and desire to help protect the ocean.
