In this 5-minute pod, I talk about the a moment, a couple of years ago, that has sat with me and frustrated me.
A well-known, incredibly wealthy, investor was surrounded by a group of NGO reps. Each one was passionate. Each one was working on a brilliant programme and believed their work was the key to change. Each one was pitching, separately.
Same ocean. Same urgency. Five different visions.
Climate action has a story the world can repeat.
Net-zero. Greta Thunberg. The Paris Agreement.
Ocean conservation does not.
Instead, we get a patchwork.
Save the whales. Ban plastic. Protect reefs. Fight trawling.
Every one of these efforts are vital and they matter.
None of them are working together.
This fragmentation has consequences.
Ocean conservation receives well under 1% of global philanthropic funding.
Only 2.7% of the ocean is effectively protected. Deep-sea mining is moving forward. Marine “protected areas” are being trawled. Whales are washing up hungry.
In this week’s episode of Voice for the Blue, I explore why ocean conservation still lacks a unified movement, and what it is really costing us.
We do not need one more campaign. We need an ocean chorus.
If this resonated, please share it with someone who works in conservation or someone who funds it.
The ocean won’t wait for us to get our story straight.
