Ep. 584: Ocean Wise
Guest: Lasse Gustavsson (CEO of Ocean Wise Conservation Association)
The Earth’s oceans add up to 71% of the surface of the planet and contain 96% of the water on this precious blue marble in space. The ocean produces 60% of the oxygen we need to be able to breathe. “The oceans are our greatest natural resource,” says Lasse Gustovsson, the CEO of Ocean Wise, “and they are at risk due to human activity.”
According to data collected by the Argo Network – a program utilizing over 4,000 robotic floats moving around the globe riding the currents and sinking to depths of 2,000 meters, rising to the surface, and beaming back valuable data that scientists are using to monitor the heart of the world’s climate system – the ocean is heating up.
Gustovsson says, “The data shows temperatures are up by more than 1 degree Celsius over the past 145 years.” The oceans are warming because they absorb more than 90% of excess energy trapped by greenhouse gases. “In the process of absorbing that energy, the acidification level of ocean waters is also rising,” says Gustavsson.
We invited Lasse Gustavsson, the CEO of Ocean Wise, to join us for a Conversation That Matters about the vital role the ocean plays in our survival, the risks the world’s oceans face, and how we can mitigate those harms.
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