Shameem Kazmi – Author Spotlight
When the Ocean Forgets: Why I Wrote This Book and Why It Matters
For most of my career I have worked at the intersection of science, sustainability, and leadership. I have seen how climate change is no longer a distant forecast but a lived reality reshaping business, agriculture, and communities across the world. Yet amid all the data and debate, one truth stood out to me: the ocean is the memory of our planet, and that memory is now beginning to fade.
This realisation is what led me to write When the Ocean Forgets: How Climate Change Is Unravelling the Earth’s Memory. It is both a scientific journey and a personal reflection. I wanted to explain how the ocean’s ability to regulate climate is weakening, and why this change should matter to every one of us.
The ocean as Earth’s memory
When I describe the ocean as the Earth’s memory, I mean that it records everything. The layers of warmth, salt, currents, and chemistry hold a history of our climate stretching back millennia. It is this vast memory that has kept the climate relatively stable, buffering extremes and distributing heat around the globe.
But today, that memory is being disrupted. Rising greenhouse gases are warming the deep ocean faster than ever measured. Circulation systems such as the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Current, which help regulate weather across continents, are weakening. Acidification is erasing the chemical signals on which marine life depends.
As I explored in the book, when the ocean begins to forget, the Earth begins to forget. Storms intensify, coastlines retreat, and the patterns that human societies depend upon for food and security are thrown into question.
Writing from both science and story
My intention in writing this book was not simply to present another climate report. I wanted to create a narrative that anyone could access, whether they are a student, policymaker, business leader, or concerned citizen.
I drew on climate science, of course, but I also leaned on systems thinking and on the voices of communities who live closest to the sea. Traditional ecological knowledge what fishermen, islanders, and coastal dwellers observe is often dismissed in formal science, yet it tells us so much about early signals of change. By blending these perspectives, I tried to show that the ocean’s story is not just data points but lived experience.
This is why When the Ocean Forgets is as much a human story as it is a scientific one.
Why this matters now
The urgency of climate change is not new. What I felt was missing in the debate was the central role of the ocean. Too often, policy discussions focus on energy, transport, or land use. These are crucial, but they overlook the invisible infrastructure that keeps the climate in balance: the ocean itself.
Neglecting the ocean in climate strategy is like ignoring the foundations of a building while repairing its walls. If the ocean can no longer stabilise our planet, every sustainability effort on land becomes harder. This book is a reminder that protecting the ocean is not a niche environmental concern. It is a matter of survival.
Recognition and responsibility
Since its publication, When the Ocean Forgets has gained recognition that humbles me deeply. I was honoured to receive the 2025 Global Recognition Award for leadership in science, sustainability, and innovation. For me, that award is not just a personal milestone but an acknowledgement of how critical it is to bring the ocean into the heart of the climate conversation.
As someone who has held executive roles in business while also working in academia, I feel a responsibility to bridge these worlds. Science must inform business, policy must respect ecology, and leadership must be accountable to future generations. This book is my attempt to contribute to that bridge.
Where you can find the book
If you would like to explore the ideas I have set out in full, When the Ocean Forgets is available globally through major booksellers:
• Amazon
Looking forward
Writing this book was not the end of a journey but the beginning of many more questions. How do we make the ocean visible in corporate boardrooms? How do policymakers design climate strategies that put the ocean at the centre, not the margins? How can each of us translate awareness into meaningful action?
I do not claim to have all the answers. What I hope When the Ocean Forgets offers is a framework for thinking differently. A reminder that resilience is possible, but only if we understand and protect the systems that have long protected us.
Final thoughts
The ocean has always been the keeper of Earth’s memory. But today, that memory is slipping. If we fail to act, the patterns we take for granted stable seasons, fertile coastlines, secure harvests may also fade.
This book is both a warning and a call to hope. The ocean’s memory is fragile, but it is not yet gone. We still have the chance to preserve it, if we are bold enough to act.
I invite you to read When the Ocean Forgets and join me in ensuring that the ocean, and the Earth itself, never truly forgets.
Shameem Kazmi on Linkedin