Invested In Climate

Innovation to restore our oceans with Sustainable Ocean Alliance and Oceans Uprise, Ep #53

May 23, 2023

48:19

Today, we're taking a deep dive into the ocean. Oceans are central to our planet’s climate system. They regulate temperatures, host a vast array of biodiversity, and here's a crucial point - they absorb about a quarter of all CO2 emissions, acting as a massive carbon sink.

But this isn't without consequence. Ocean acidification is a direct result of climate change. It's a silent crisis happening beneath the waves, triggering a mass extinction of coral reefs and the diverse ecosystems that depend on them.

And, then there’s the crisis of plastics – 10 million tons of plastic enter the ocean each year.

These threats are real and immediate, but so is the potential for innovation. In this episode, we’re joined by two people working hard to restore ocean health. Brandon Levy is Chief Product Officer at the Sustainable Ocean Alliance, and Bodhi Patil is an activist and organizer who founded Ocean Uprise, a platform enabling thousands of young people to support ocean activism. Both Brandon and Bodhi have their fingers on the pulse of the global effort to restore our oceans’ health.

Despite the daunting challenges facing our oceans, this conversation was truly inspiring and I’m sure you’ll enjoy it. Here we go.

In today’s episode, we cover:

[3:37] Brandon’s story & role at SOA
[8:46] Bodhi’s story & role at Ocean Uprise
[15:10] The state of ocean health & how it’s linked to climate change
[20:28] The state of ocean investment & SOA’s diversified strategy
[24:30] The role of young people & the importance of youth leadership in creating sustainable oceans
[30:44] Insights on SOA’s Ocean Solutions Accelerator
[34:44] Current initiatives that Bodhi is excited about
[41:02] What we need to know about deep-sea mining
[44:51] How can listeners support SOA’s work
[46:41] Bodhi’s calls to action for people inspired to do more to protect our oceans