World Ocean Radio

Eustacy: A Word for the Ocean

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Tue, 01 Sep 2026 11:46:16 -0400

Eustacy is a word used to describe worldwide changes of sea level. This is a new word for us: even though it seems we live in a eustatic world. We're using this newly-discovered word to distill the five areas of our existence where the ocean matters most: fresh water, the ocean-fresh water continuum, energy, food, health, and exchange.

About World Ocean Radio
World Ocean Radio is a weekly series of five-minute audio essays available for syndicated use at no cost by college and community radio stations worldwide, providing coverage of a broad spectrum of ocean issues from science and education to advocacy and exemplary projects. Episodes of World Ocean Radio offer perspectives on global ocean issues and viable solutions, and celebrate exemplary projects.

The Incredible Coffee Machine

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Thu, 27 Aug 2026 09:18:03 -0400

Some of the world’s greatest innovations were born from unexpected conversations rather than scheduled meetings. Ideas often emerge not during presentations but in hallways, kitchens, cafés, and shared lunch tables. This week we're discussing Thor Sigfusson's new book "The Incredible Coffee Machine, Where Mission, Space and Innovation Meet" and the ways informal encounters can reshape entire industries.

World Ocean Radio: 5-minute weekly insights in ocean science, advocacy, education, global ocean issues, marine science, policy, challenges, and solutions. Hosted by Peter Neill, Founder of W2O. World Ocean Radio is available for syndicated use at no cost by college and community radio stations worldwide. Celebrating the broadcast of our 800th episode in August of this year! The full catalog is available free to download. Contact us: director@worldoceanobservatory.org

2026 © World Ocean Observatory worldoceanobservatory.org/world-ocean-radio

Adora Maris

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Fri, 21 Aug 2026 12:00:00 -0400

This week marks the 800th edition of World Ocean Radio. We began broadcasting in 2009 on Community Radio, WERU 89.9 FM in Blue Hill, Maine, USA. We thank the WERU management and trustees for their initial confidence in this project, and to all listeners and Citizens of the Ocean around the world, for tuning in and responding so positively. Adora Maris translates from the Latin as “worship of the sea,” reflecting cultural reverence of and for the ocean. Thanks for listening. The sea connects all things.

A weekly series of 5-minute insights on ocean science, advocacy, education, global ocean issues, marine science, policy, challenges, and solutions. Hosted by Peter Neill, Founder of W2O. Celebrating the broadcast of our 800th episode in August of this year! The full catalog is free to download and is available for RSS feed and broadcast by college, community and public radio stations worldwide via Exchange.prx.org and Audioport.org. Visit WorldOceanObservatory.org for the full catalog, searchable by theme.

The Climate Change Iceberg

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Tue, 28 Jul 2026 15:00:00 -0400

This week we are looking at an organization in Kenya that is addressing the ocean climate challenge. Power Shift Africa is providing cutting-edge analysis and solutions-focused policy ideas as a means to mobilize climate action in Africa and to leverage their voice internationally.

About World Ocean Radio
A weekly series of five-minute audio essays available for syndicated use at no cost by college, community and public radio stations worldwide. Celebrating 16 years in 2026, a catalog of more than 800 episodes provides coverage on a broad spectrum of ocean issues from science and education to advocacy and exemplary projects. Episodes of World Ocean Radio offer perspectives on global ocean issues and viable solutions, and celebrate exemplary projects.

Apprenticing

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Thu, 23 Jul 2026 13:00:00 -0400

Apprenticing has long been thought of as a term to describe someone working beside a master craftsperson to learn a trade and to refine a professional skill: whether it be pottery or electrical, cabinetry or plumbing. As an educational model it has long been mostly lost or forgotten, except in a place in midcoast Maine: The Apprenticeshop, where apprentices are learning the craft of building and restoring small traditional wooden boats and associated seamanship, in what can be argued as a most effective way of learning and living in a time when education is challenged by convention and complexity.

About World Ocean Radio
World Ocean Radio is a weekly series of five-minute audio essays available for syndicated use at no cost by college and community radio stations worldwide. Peter Neill, Founder of the World Ocean Observatory and host of World Ocean Radio, provides coverage of a broad spectrum of ocean issues from science and education to advocacy and exemplary projects.

World Ocean Radio
16 Years, 800 Episodes
Ocean is climate
Climate is ocean
The sea connects all things

Mario Soares, A Statesman for the Ocean

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Wed, 08 Jul 2026 12:00:00 -0400

This week on World Ocean Radio we are paying tribute to Mario Soares, one-time president of Portugal and founder of the Independent Commission of the Future of the Oceans. We propose Soares must be remembered for his global vision and international actions to address the ocean/water continuum: the single, most important challenge to community survival, peace, and justice in our time.

About World Ocean Radio
World Ocean Radio is a weekly series of five-minute audio essays available for syndicated use at no cost by college and community radio stations worldwide. Peter Neill, Director of the World Ocean Observatory and host of World Ocean Radio, provides coverage of a broad spectrum of ocean issues from science and education to advocacy and exemplary projects.

Summing Up Public and Private Philanthropy for the Ocean

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Wed, 01 Jul 2026 17:00:00 -0400

Philanthropy is more than giving—it’s the art and act of improving the world with purpose. It is the thoughtful use of one’s resources to strengthen communities, support shared values, solve problems, and build a legacy. How to date has ocean science and policy been funded?

About World Ocean Radio
World Ocean Radio is a weekly series of five-minute audio essays available for syndicated use at no cost by college and community radio stations worldwide. Peter Neill, Director of the World Ocean Observatory and host of World Ocean Radio, provides coverage of a broad spectrum of ocean issues from science and education to advocacy and exemplary projects.

World Ocean Radio
16 Years, nearly 800 Episodes
Ocean is climate
Climate is ocean
The sea connects all things

Plastic Rain

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Wed, 24 Jun 2026 11:00:00 -0400

We think we have a comprehensive understanding of the plastic crisis. But what of the plastic we cannot see? To solve a problem, we need first to understand its dimension, the circumference of the circumstance, the urgency of the experience and the structures for correction. Is it insurmountable? What will it take?

About World Ocean Radio
World Ocean Radio is a weekly series of five-minute audio essays available for syndicated use at no cost by college and community radio stations worldwide. Peter Neill, Director of the World Ocean Observatory and host of World Ocean Radio, provides coverage of a broad spectrum of ocean issues from science and education to advocacy and exemplary projects.

World Ocean Radio
16 Years, nearly 800 Episodes
Ocean is climate
Climate is ocean
The sea connects all things

How Old is Water?

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Wed, 17 Jun 2026 12:00:00 -0400

How old is water? Where on earth is water found? This week we're discussing how water is circulated, cycled, and recycled, and where it's distributed on the planet (down to the fraction of a percentage.) Knowing that water is finite in volume, what happens when we pollute it and when there is no more?

About World Ocean Radio
World Ocean Radio is a weekly series of five-minute audio essays available for syndicated use at no cost by college and community radio stations worldwide. Peter Neill, Director of the World Ocean Observatory and host of World Ocean Radio, provides coverage of a broad spectrum of ocean issues from science and education to advocacy and exemplary projects.

World Ocean Radio
15 Years, 750 Episodes
Ocean is climate
Climate is ocean
The sea connects all things

Plan Sea

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Wed, 10 Jun 2026 15:00:00 -0400

This week on World Ocean Radio we are discussing an ocean-centric view of the world, one that incorporates reality-based actions and approaches centered on a vision of Hydraulic Society, Nature's protection, its sustainability, its true asset value, and recognition of the ocean's essential contributions to global health, welfare, and support.

World Ocean Day 2026

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Wed, 03 Jun 2026 10:00:00 -0400

Each year on June 8th we celebrate World Ocean Day, a day set aside to recognize our relationships with the ocean through global connection. What is Ocean Day meant to do? Is it working? Are the voices and the will of the people translating into a voice for change toward a healthy ocean and a sustainable future? What will you do to commit to the ocean this year?

About World Ocean Radio
World Ocean Radio is a weekly series of five-minute audio essays available for syndicated use at no cost by college and community radio stations worldwide. Celebrating 16 years in 2026, providing coverage of a broad spectrum of ocean issues from science and education to advocacy and exemplary projects. Episodes of World Ocean Radio offer perspectives on global ocean issues and viable solutions, and celebrate exemplary projects.

Climate and Defense

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Wed, 27 May 2026 12:00:00 -0400

As we'll demonstrate this week, climate denial is a foolish mistake. We'll show the ways that denial of climate change allows us to ignore prospects of sea level rise, extreme weather, floods and coastal inundations, access and supply chain disruptions, hampered training and preparedness to meet conditions, denials that lead us into wars and conflicts to which we may be strategically unprepared to adapt.

About World Ocean Radio
World Ocean Radio is a weekly series of five-minute audio essays available for syndicated use at no cost by college and community radio stations worldwide. Celebrating 16 years in 2026, providing coverage of a broad spectrum of ocean issues from science and education to advocacy and exemplary projects. Episodes of World Ocean Radio offer perspectives on global ocean issues and viable solutions, and celebrate exemplary projects.

True Ocean Value

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Wed, 27 May 2026 12:00:00 -0400

How do we value nature? How do we price it and define its asset value? This week we're looking to a recent report issued by the UK Office of National Statistics to provide illustration of four ocean functions that underlie our capacity to sustain life on Earth. The ocean’s contribution to the past, present, and future of the world economy and civilization is the core principle for real calculation of the value of natural capital and its relation to human endeavor. Part one of a series of new ideas, technologies, theories, and innovations that contribute to a larger public awareness of the need for new financial approaches that will enable change, sustainability, and survival in the future.

About World Ocean Radio
World Ocean Radio is a weekly series of five-minute audio essays available for syndicated use at no cost by college and community radio stations worldwide. Celebrating 16 years in 2026, providing coverage of a broad spectrum of ocean issues from science and education to advocacy and exemplary projects. Episodes of World Ocean Radio offer perspectives on global ocean issues and viable solutions, and celebrate exemplary projects.

Death of Science by 1,000 Cuts

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Wed, 27 May 2026 12:00:00 -0400

Science is one of the best tools available to humanity for understanding the complexities of the unknown and of life on earth. NOAA (the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration of the United States) is arguably the most advanced utility for the investigation of natural systems, yet a new 2026 budget has been presented with cuts to NOAA exceeding 1.6 billion US dollars: an administration that has provided research and information to inform our understanding of weather, changing systems and impacts, emergency response, forecasting, air and water circulation, temperature change, and so much more.

About World Ocean Radio
World Ocean Radio is a weekly series of five-minute audio essays available for syndicated use at no cost by college and community radio stations worldwide. Celebrating 16 years in 2026, providing coverage of a broad spectrum of ocean issues from science and education to advocacy and exemplary projects. Episodes of World Ocean Radio offer perspectives on global ocean issues and viable solutions, and celebrate exemplary projects.

To Regulate

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Wed, 29 Apr 2026 16:00:00 -0400

Regulate is a verb with many nuanced meanings: to standardize, to classify, to monitor, to supervise, to coordinate, to administer, to rectify. Government and the courts are designed as the tools of regulation, created to sustain, preserve, and protect us. Has this changed? How is regulation working to sustain the world ocean, to protect its vitality, and its essential contribution to our survival?

About World Ocean Radio
World Ocean Radio is a weekly series of five-minute audio essays available for syndicated use at no cost by college and community radio stations worldwide. Celebrating 16 years in 2026, providing coverage of a broad spectrum of ocean issues from science and education to advocacy and exemplary projects. Episodes of World Ocean Radio offer perspectives on global ocean issues and viable solutions, and celebrate exemplary projects.

How We Rank Global Risk

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Wed, 22 Apr 2026 17:00:00 -0400

The World Economic Forum recently published a Global Risks Perception Survey which lists both long-term and short-term risks, their impacts, and a severity index by category: environmental, geopolitical, societal, and technological. The report analyses global risks through three timeframes to support decision-makers in balancing current crises and longer-term priorities; this latest report seems to indicate that the progressive focus of the past has been supplanted by a regressive setback. Why this change? Why this re-ordering of severity and need? Who is responsible? We'll discuss these issues and more.

About World Ocean Radio
World Ocean Radio is a weekly series of five-minute audio essays available for syndicated use at no cost by college and community radio stations worldwide. Celebrating 16 years in 2026, providing coverage of a broad spectrum of ocean issues from science and education to advocacy and exemplary projects. Episodes of World Ocean Radio offer perspectives on global ocean issues and viable solutions, and celebrate exemplary projects.

A Call for a New Ocean Commission

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Wed, 15 Apr 2026 11:00:00 -0400

The Ocean Foundation is calling for a National Commission on the Regenerative Ocean that will be charged with addressing six outcomes over two years as summarized in this episode. A new Ocean Commission would join a host of other initiatives in US history that have driven policy, research and programs to focus on the ocean as an integral resource upon which we all depend.

About World Ocean Radio
World Ocean Radio is a weekly series of five-minute audio essays available for syndicated use at no cost by college and community radio stations worldwide. Celebrating 16 years in 2026, providing coverage of a broad spectrum of ocean issues from science and education to advocacy and exemplary projects. Episodes of World Ocean Radio offer perspectives on global ocean issues and viable solutions, and celebrate exemplary projects.

Lobstering and Aquaculture in Maine: Where is the Plan?

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Wed, 08 Apr 2026 12:00:00 -0400

This episode will summarize two recent Maine-based conferences dedicated to ocean issues: the first focused on the blue economy--particularly the emerging aquaculture opportunities along the Atlantic coast, and the second an annual gathering of local industry representatives of the lobster industry in Maine. Many forces are affecting the future of both: where is the comprehensive plan for success?

About World Ocean Radio
World Ocean Radio is a weekly series of five-minute audio essays available for syndicated use at no cost by college and community radio stations worldwide. Celebrating 16 years in 2026, providing coverage of a broad spectrum of ocean issues from science and education to advocacy and exemplary projects. Episodes of World Ocean Radio offer perspectives on global ocean issues and viable solutions, and celebrate exemplary projects.

Synergy and Invention

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Thu, 02 Apr 2026 10:00:00 -0400

As we address the social and environmental challenges of the day, we are prone to double down on past ideas and approaches. This week on World Ocean Radio we'll argue for invention as a primary way forward: to embrace change in technology, financial valuation, political cooperation, and affirmation of the social contract as a way toward new, inventive, and innovative ways of thinking.

About World Ocean Radio
World Ocean Radio is a weekly series of five-minute audio essays available for syndicated use at no cost by college and community radio stations worldwide. Celebrating 16 years in 2026, providing coverage of a broad spectrum of ocean issues from science and education to advocacy and exemplary projects. Episodes of World Ocean Radio offer perspectives on global ocean issues and viable solutions, and celebrate exemplary projects.

Cabinet of Curiosities

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Tue, 31 Mar 2026 14:00:00 -0400

This week Peter Neill is spending time with his library of books, sharing three titles that quietly evoke the emotion of loss, and the paradox of things lost. “An Exaltation of Larks”, by James Lipton; “A Calendar of Saints for Unbelievers”, by Glenway Wescott; and “The Atlas of Remote Islands” by Judith Shalansky each sit light in the hand, the mind, and the heart.

About World Ocean Radio
World Ocean Radio is a weekly series of five-minute audio essays available for syndicated use at no cost by college and community radio stations worldwide. Celebrating 16 years in 2026, providing coverage of a broad spectrum of ocean issues from science and education to advocacy and exemplary projects. Episodes of World Ocean Radio offer perspectives on global ocean issues and viable solutions, and celebrate exemplary projects.

World Water Crisis, Revisited

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Tue, 17 Mar 2026 17:00:00 -0400

The crisis of water around the world has been the focus of alarm for decades. Millions worldwide do not have adequate water supply for drinking, cooking, and basic sanitation. With climate change, recent bombings and targeting of desalination plants in the middle east: it's only gotten worse. What are the solutions toward change?

About World Ocean Radio
World Ocean Radio is a weekly series of five-minute audio essays available for syndicated use at no cost by college and community radio stations worldwide. Celebrating 16 years in 2026, providing coverage of a broad spectrum of ocean issues from science and education to advocacy and exemplary projects. Episodes of World Ocean Radio offer perspectives on global ocean issues and viable solutions, and celebrate exemplary projects.

Ocean, Water and War

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Tue, 10 Mar 2026 12:00:00 -0400

We are at war. There can be nothing good about it. Climate crisis, drought, sources of fresh water at risk, population growth, nuclear weapon development, our preoccupation with oil, the passage of the Strait of Hormuz threatened with closure and interrupting supply chains, maritime insurance cancelling coverage in war zones. Water and oil are functions of the climate-ocean connection. Through our indifference to them we are acting against the best interest of all mankind. What is happening?

About World Ocean Radio
World Ocean Radio is a weekly series of five-minute audio essays available for syndicated use at no cost by college and community radio stations worldwide. Celebrating 16 years in 2026, providing coverage of a broad spectrum of ocean issues from science and education to advocacy and exemplary projects. Episodes of World Ocean Radio offer perspectives on global ocean issues and viable solutions, and celebrate exemplary projects.

The Energy Grid

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Wed, 25 Feb 2026 11:00:00 -0500

How do we generate the energy we need to meet the demands of consumption for the future? Any plans to meet future climate challenges and technological advancement will require not only sustainable sources of energy, but must also include the grid: our national transmission system that delivers energy to homes, businesses, data centers, and manufacturing. This week we're discussing the energy transmission network in the USA, including policy decisions, environmental impacts, land ownership, mineral demand, and the realities of an already overwhelmed grid.

About World Ocean Radio
World Ocean Radio is a weekly series of five-minute audio essays available for syndicated use at no cost by college and community radio stations worldwide. Celebrating 16 years in 2026, providing coverage of a broad spectrum of ocean issues from science and education to advocacy and exemplary projects. Episodes of World Ocean Radio offer perspectives on global ocean issues and viable solutions, and celebrate exemplary projects.

The Wrong Side of History

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Wed, 18 Feb 2026 16:00:00 -0500

A recent report by InfluenceMap, a UK-based think tank that tracks pertinent climate trends, declared that 32 companies emit more than half of the world's CO2 emissions. Negative consequences of changing climate are measured by air quality, extreme weather, pandemic, ocean acidification, freshwater pollution, financial inequity, social unrest, and the concentration of wealth in the hands of very few to the detriment the millions of us otherwise. We can sustain the ocean, or we can corrupt it. Who will be on the wrong side of history?

About World Ocean Radio
World Ocean Radio is a weekly series of five-minute audio essays available for syndicated use at no cost by college and community radio stations worldwide. Celebrating 16 years in 2026, providing coverage of a broad spectrum of ocean issues from science and education to advocacy and exemplary projects. Episodes of World Ocean Radio offer perspectives on global ocean issues and viable solutions, and celebrate exemplary projects.

FMI worldoceanobservatory.org/world-ocean-radio/all

The Collapse of U.S. Ocean Policy

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Wed, 11 Feb 2026 13:00:00 -0500

Over the past several years, US national investment in challenges of climate change and ocean policy has collapsed. This week on World Ocean Radio we lay out an incomplete and ever-growing list of unilateral actions taken to disengage from relationships, leases, treaties, and to turn away from alternative conservation-based invention. What can one person do? Tune in this week to learn more.

About World Ocean Radio
World Ocean Radio is a weekly series of five-minute audio essays available for syndicated use at no cost by college and community radio stations worldwide. Celebrating 16 years in 2026, providing coverage of a broad spectrum of ocean issues from science and education to advocacy and exemplary projects. Episodes of World Ocean Radio offer perspectives on global ocean issues and viable solutions, and celebrate exemplary projects.

Sewersheds and Septic Systems

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Wed, 04 Feb 2026 14:00:00 -0500

Water is part of an integrated system worldwide. What happens downstream? Consider waste water--from home and from manufacturing--that is corrupted by use, disposed of, treated (or not), and returned to the water system. Where wastewater has historically been planned as an afterthought, we must now consider its downstream effects and the long term implications of the water supply for human health and survival.

About World Ocean Radio
World Ocean Radio is a weekly series of five-minute audio essays available for syndicated use at no cost by college and community radio stations worldwide. Celebrating 16 years in 2026, providing coverage of a broad spectrum of ocean issues from science and education to advocacy and exemplary projects. Episodes of World Ocean Radio offer perspectives on global ocean issues and viable solutions, and celebrate exemplary projects.

Morocco: Water Shadow

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Thu, 29 Jan 2026 17:00:00 -0500

This week we're wrapping up a four-part series dedicated to Morocco and its relationships to ocean and fresh water. Morocco is one of the only nations in the world to have a National Water Policy. Our big challenge today is to raise water consciousness to the level required to sustain water globally. This series is designed to get us to look at our own water habits, to examine our individual water footprints, our water shadows, and to consider the little and big things that we can do and change to bring each of us into relationship with water.

World Ocean Radio
16 years
More than 780 episodes
Ocean is climate
Climate is ocean
The sea connects all things

Morocco Water to Scale

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Mon, 26 Jan 2026 14:00:00 -0500

This week on World Ocean Radio: part three of a four-part series dedicated to Morocco and its relationships to ocean and fresh water. Morocco provides myriad examples of real success as an international exemplar of viable, enduring water management. How might the world emulate their progress and success?

World Ocean Radio
16 years
More than 780 episodes
Ocean is climate
Climate is ocean
The sea connects all things

Morocco Water Museum

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Wed, 14 Jan 2026 17:00:00 -0500

This week on World Ocean Radio we're exploring an extraordinary museum in Marrakesh, Morocco that celebrates the long history of the sustenance and management of water in the region, from the mountain ranges to the desert to the coastal plain, displaying the nature of water through systems of engineering, communal participation, spiritual dimension, and governance. It is the first such museum in Africa and is part of a UNESCO International Network of Water Museums that collectively document the hydraulic focus of societies, past and present. This episode is part two of a four-part series dedicated to Morocco and it's relationships to ocean and fresh water.

Morocco: A Hydraulic Exemplar

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Fri, 09 Jan 2026 12:00:00 -0500

In September, Morocco became the 60th country to ratify the UN High Seas Treaty, designed to protect marine biodiversity and establishing new high seas marine protected areas: a precedent and context for a giant step forward for ocean sustainability. This week on World Ocean Radio: part one of a four-part series dedicated to Morocco and it's relationships to ocean and fresh water.

World Ocean Radio
15 years
More than 760 episodes
Ocean is climate
Climate is ocean
The sea connects all things

Christmas at Sea

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Tue, 23 Dec 2025 15:00:00 -0500

A special 4-minute reading of "Christmas at Sea", an evocative poem written by Robert Louis Stevenson in 1883. Stevenson, the son of a lighthouse engineer, had intimate, first-hand knowledge of storms, weather, and life on and by the sea. Read for you by World Ocean Radio host Peter Neill. Happy Holidays.

Christmas at Sea is an evocative seasonal poem by Robert Louis Stevenson published in 1888, five years after his beloved novel, Treasure Island, was published. Christmas at Sea appears in an anthology of poems compiled by the Radio4 program Poetry Please: The Nation’s Best-Loved Poems, with a forward by Roger McGough, published in 2014 by Faber & Faber Books. Christmas at Sea is in the public domain.

About World Ocean Radio
World Ocean Radio is a weekly series of five-minute audio essays available for syndicated use at no cost by college and community radio stations worldwide. Peter Neill, Director of the World Ocean Observatory and host of World Ocean Radio, provides coverage of a broad spectrum of ocean issues from science and education to advocacy and exemplary projects.

Hydromancy: The Art of Divination through Water

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Wed, 17 Dec 2025 10:00:00 -0500

This week on a new 5-minute episode of World Ocean Radio we're discussing the word "Hydromancy", its meaning and signs, water in its many forms, and its implication for our future. Hydromancy is an ancient form of divination, an invitation to explore the depths of still water and its ability of reveal hidden truths.

About World Ocean Radio
World Ocean Radio is a weekly series of five-minute audio essays available for syndicated use at no cost by college and community radio stations worldwide. Peter Neill, Founder of the World Ocean Observatory and host of World Ocean Radio, provides coverage of a broad spectrum of ocean issues from science and education to advocacy and exemplary projects.

World Ocean Radio
15 years
More than 760 episodes
Ocean is climate
Climate is ocean
The sea connects all things

A COP30 Report

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Thu, 04 Dec 2025 16:00:00 -0500

This week we are reporting on COP30 (the 30th Conference of the Parties) hosted in Belem, Brazil. The annual gathering is a response to the challenges of climate change; there were wins and losses, enthusiasm and disappointment, and various outcomes and strategies for the future that will be explored in future editions of World Ocean Radio.

World Ocean Radio
15 years
More than 760 episodes
Ocean is climate
Climate is ocean
The sea connects all things

Ocean Time

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Wed, 26 Nov 2025 12:00:00 -0500

This week on World Ocean Radio we are reflecting on a time and place no longer familiar: traditions and accepted norms unrecognized, histories forgotten, futures uncertain. How do we recapture standards and beliefs that can contribute to a changing civilization and rapidly changing climate? Are there opportunities for new ways of thinking and acting that are attuned to the challenges we face? We're discussing this and more. Join us.

World Ocean Radio
15 years
More than 760 episodes
Ocean is climate
Climate is ocean
The sea connects all things

Global Climate Events, Revisted

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Mon, 24 Nov 2025 10:00:00 -0500

Devastating weather and water events abound worldwide, causing havoc in ports, waterfronts, and elsewhere. These are neither new nor are they going away any time soon. How do we rebuild and plan a response for a future that works, even in the face of increasingly unpredictable climate?

About World Ocean Radio
World Ocean Radio is a weekly series of five-minute audio essays available for syndicated use at no cost by college and community radio stations worldwide. Peter Neill, Director of the World Ocean Observatory and host of World Ocean Radio, provides coverage of a broad spectrum of ocean issues from science and education to advocacy and exemplary projects.

Water Wars

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Thu, 13 Nov 2025 11:00:00 -0500

This week Peter Neill, founder of W2O and host of World Ocean Radio, argues that wars, particularly those in the Middle East, are all about the water: rivers, access to the sea: water is the source of life, and of conflict. We all need it in equal measure every day to survive, to thrive, to sustain our nations, cities, agriculture, and ourselves.

World Ocean Radio
15 years
More than 760 episodes
Ocean is climate
Climate is ocean
The sea connects all things

Waste

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Mon, 10 Nov 2025 08:00:00 -0500

The most substantial by-product of human consumption is waste, thus far omitted on balance sheets and in calculation of individual and gross national product. Waste comes in many forms: polluted water, poisoned land, energy lost, habitat destroyed, industrial waste, food discarded, planned obsolescence, even recycling. What remains? The ocean. While under stress by the same forces, it contains the necessary supply of source and resource if we have the courage to sustain it.

World Ocean Radio
15 Years, 760+ Episodes
Ocean is climate
Climate is ocean
The sea connects all things

Solastalgia, A Word for Change

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Thu, 30 Oct 2025 10:00:00 -0400

This week on World Ocean Radio, our host Peter Neill is thinking about the word "solastalgia", described as a deep grief over changing landscapes that were once familiar; feeling ‘homesick’ while still being at home, due to rapid alterations to the environment; the stress from experiencing change and loss in the face of rapid, disruptive change. Peter suggests that solastalgia may offer the opposite effects of hopelessness, melancholy, and despair, providing the conditions for commitment, engagement, dedication, optimism, and invention.

About World Ocean Radio
World Ocean Radio is a weekly series of five-minute audio essays available for syndicated use at no cost by college and community radio stations worldwide. Peter Neill, Founder of the World Ocean Observatory and host of World Ocean Radio, provides coverage of a broad spectrum of ocean issues from science and education to advocacy and exemplary projects.

World Ocean Radio
15 Years, 760+ Episodes
Ocean is climate
Climate is ocean
The sea connects all things

Ratification of the High Seas Treaty

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Mon, 27 Oct 2025 18:00:00 -0400

This week on World Ocean Radio we are discussing the September 2025 news that Morocco has become the 60th nation to ratify the High Seas Treaty, a two-decades long process to establish and protect a vast complex of biodiversity in international waters. This is a major milestone and a huge step forward, uniting many rules promoted by many UN agencies under a single rubric and framework for coherent protection.

World Ocean Radio
15 Years, 760+ Episodes
Ocean is climate
Climate is ocean
The sea connects all things

The Value of Nature Lost

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Fri, 10 Oct 2025 08:00:00 -0400

Nature is a significant factor on the global balance sheet, and the cost of nature loss affects many key economic sectors. Denial or exclusion of nature's true value is flawed economics on the profit and loss of earth's natural resources and systems. This week on World Ocean Radio we are discussing a Ceres publication entitled, "Nature's Price Tag: The Economic Cost of Nature Lost" that explores the decline in ecosystem services used by five nature loss drivers. And we argue that the larger ecosystem service perspective must be included in the true cost analysis of most everything we use, make, and consume.

World Ocean Radio
15 Years, 760+ Episodes
Ocean is climate
Climate is ocean
The sea connects all things

Inventive Water Conservation Projects in India

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Fri, 03 Oct 2025 15:00:00 -0400

Water scarcity is among the foremost challenges to national and regional financial security and public health in India. This week on World Ocean Radio we outline a sampling of water tech innovations that are demonstrating the ingenuity and extent of invention in response to the water crisis.

World Ocean Radio
15 Years, 760+ Episodes
Ocean is climate
Climate is ocean
The sea connects all things

Calculating Ocean Risk

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Fri, 03 Oct 2025 15:00:00 -0400

“Climate change has been one the greatest failures of risk management in modern history.” So states the Back to Blue Initiative, an Economist and Nippon Foundation project. A recent article entitled "Calculating Ocean Risk," additionally states: “The scientific evidence had been clear for decades, but decision-makers have failed to act in a manner consistent with the scale of the risk.” This week on World Ocean Radio we are discussing the calculation of risk to the ocean, and its impact on all aspect of the global economy.

Corpus Christi, Texas: Running Dry

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Fri, 03 Oct 2025 14:00:00 -0400

This week on World Ocean Radio we're discussing a news story provided by Inside Climate News that highlights Corpus Christi, Texas and the intensively water-dependent industrial projects there that, by special commitments and permits, are consuming the necessary water supply at a rate of 30 million gallons per day, drawn from an already-stressed groundwater supply, now further exacerbated by droughts and population consumption.

Joseph Conrad Rides the Wind

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Tue, 09 Sep 2025 16:00:00 -0400

This week on World Ocean Radio Peter Neill shares thoughts and readings from Joseph Conrad and from UK writer Adrian Morgan's recent article entitled, “How Many Ways Has Joseph Conrad Described the Wind?"

World Ocean Radio
15 Years, 760+ Episodes
Ocean is climate
Climate is ocean
The sea connects all things

Peatlands

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Fri, 05 Sep 2025 14:00:00 -0400

Peatlands, bogs, swamps, and wetlands are uniquely biodiverse natural spaces: soft coastal barriers that make immeasurable contributions to the health and sustainability of human endeavor. Left unprotected, their consumption contributes to a growing worldwide problem; conserved, they sequester carbon, enable wildlife, filter water, and protect us from coastal inundation.

World Ocean Radio
15 Years, 760+ Episodes
Ocean is climate
Climate is ocean
The sea connects all things

Blue Ocean Leadership

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Wed, 27 Aug 2025 16:00:00 -0400

This week on World Ocean Radio we're discussing the "Mind Map of Blue Ocean Leadership,” a chart developed by a global constituency of business experts, graphed to show existing leadership design while suggesting changes that are different from conventional approaches, charted as a “mind map” intended to fix, clarify, and establish an effective process to get the job done. If the world response to the challenge of climate change is characterized as “too little, too late,” it would seem clear that the old "mind map" has failed, and that a new approach might be a valuable shift toward "more than enough, in time."

The Ocean as Peacebuilder

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Thu, 21 Aug 2025 12:00:00 -0400

This week Peter Neill is reading from an article written by representatives of the UN IOC and the Natural Science Foundation of China, based on the concept of ocean as peacebuilder and amplifier of ocean sustainability. The authors argue that the ocean’s peace-building potential is inseparable from the objective and cooperative nature of ocean science.

World Ocean Radio
15 Years, 750+ Episodes
Ocean is climate
Climate is ocean
The sea connects all things

The Moon and the Ocean

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Wed, 06 Aug 2025 15:00:00 -0400

From an island perch in Maine, host of World Ocean Radio Peter Neill recently witnessed a full moon rising over the Atlantic Ocean. The silent, majestic way that it rose in the night sky got him ruminating about water, tide, sun, sea currents, power, light, nature, human emotion, and the often under-appreciated, surreal force of the moon.

World Ocean Radio
15 Years, 750+ Episodes
Ocean is climate
Climate is ocean
The sea connects all things

What If?

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Wed, 30 Jul 2025 12:00:00 -0400

This week: Is there no time left to explore other ways of seeing, being, solving, and surviving? Where can we place our energy and imagination to serve as functions of invention? What if there are new ways of thinking about what and how we invest for the future?

World Ocean Radio
15 Years, 750+ Episodes
Ocean is climate
Climate is ocean
The sea connects all things

Who Cares About the Ocean?

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Wed, 23 Jul 2025 10:00:00 -0400

On June 8th, World Ocean Day, the new film OCEAN, presented by Sir David Attenborough, debuted in theatres and maritime museums around the world, a celebration of the ocean’s beauty and distress, and a passionate call for urgent protection. Who cares about the ocean? What will it take to reverse perspective and increase engagement? How do we best connect with those whose basic needs are greatest, and that rely on a healthy ocean most acutely? Tune in this week: we'll discuss this and more.

World Ocean Radio
15 Years, 750+ Episodes
Ocean is climate
Climate is ocean
The sea connects all things

AI and the Ocean

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Fri, 18 Jul 2025 10:00:00 -0400

This week, host Peter Neill reads verbatim an AI response to an action posed. He asked Chat GPT to write 750 words in the style of Peter Neill on World Ocean Radio, taking on the topic of artificial intelligence and the ocean. The response was quite shocking. Tune in to this special 6-minute episode to hear the entire assignment.

About World Ocean Radio
World Ocean Radio is a weekly series of five-minute audio essays available for syndicated use at no cost by college and community radio stations worldwide. Peter Neill, Founder of the World Ocean Observatory and host of World Ocean Radio, provides coverage of a broad spectrum of ocean issues from science and education to advocacy and exemplary projects.

Why War?

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Wed, 09 Jul 2025 16:00:00 -0400

Why is there so much war? So much strife in the Middle East: what are we fighting for? This week Peter Neill,founder of W2O and host of World Ocean Radio, argues that it's all about the water. It's always been about the water: rivers, access to the sea...water is the source of life--and of conflict. Water, necessary to sustain our cities, our agriculture, our selves: we all need it in equal measure each day to endure.

World Ocean Radio
15 Years, 750+ Episodes
Ocean is climate
Climate is ocean
The sea connects all things

Canals and the Circulation of Water

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Thu, 03 Jul 2025 15:00:00 -0400

This week we're discussing the circulation of water worldwide, and the importance of our waterways--canals in particular--as the great highways and distribution centers of our busy lives, now storing and transferring water and energy, and revitalized for recreational use and enjoyment of natural spaces.

World Ocean Radio
15 Years, 750+ Episodes
Ocean is climate
Climate is ocean
The sea connects all things

Ocean Literacy and How to Understand the Ocean

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Thu, 19 Jun 2025 16:00:00 -0400

This week on World Ocean Radio we are discussing the Ocean Literacy movement and the need for more ocean science and fresh water understanding in the classroom. Ocean Literacy is comprised of seven basic principles, and host Peter Neill provides further perspective to include the global fresh water cycle by which to expand the principles into a set of curricular approaches that pertain to science, climate impacts, solutions, and a new paradigm for a future built on this knowledge.

World Ocean Radio
15 Years, 750+ Episodes
Ocean is climate
Climate is ocean
The sea connects all things

Apprenticing: A Manifesto

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Thu, 12 Jun 2025 15:00:00 -0400

About World Ocean Radio
World Ocean Radio is a weekly series of five-minute audio essays available for syndicated use at no cost by college and community radio stations worldwide. Peter Neill, Director of the World Ocean Observatory and host of World Ocean Radio, provides coverage of a broad spectrum of ocean issues from science and education to advocacy and exemplary projects.

World Ocean Radio
15 Years, 750+ Episodes
Ocean is climate
Climate is ocean
The sea connects all things

What is Ocean Day Meant to Do?

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Wed, 04 Jun 2025 16:00:00 -0400

Each year on June 8th we celebrate World Ocean Day to recognize our relationship with the ocean, the vast watery world that covers 71% of our planet. Despite gains in ocean education and increased awareness and importance of the Ocean Literacy movement, public awareness of ocean issues in the United States does not advance much over time. What does it take for the will of the people to coalesce around a single issue, to be informed and changed into a voice for change, not just on World Ocean Day, but every day?

About World Ocean Radio
World Ocean Radio is a weekly series of five-minute audio essays available for syndicated use at no cost by college and community radio stations worldwide. Peter Neill, Director of the World Ocean Observatory and host of World Ocean Radio, provides coverage of a broad spectrum of ocean issues from science and education to advocacy and exemplary projects.

15 Years, 750+ Episodes
Ocean is climate
Climate is ocean
The sea connects all thing

Circulation

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Thu, 29 May 2025 12:00:00 -0400

We live in a world of invisible circulation. It swirls in us and around us at all times, transporting and exchanging all things good and bad, some natural, some man-made. This week we're discussing the ocean-fresh water system--the full global circulation, from mountaintop to abyssal plain, upon which all life depends.

About World Ocean Radio
World Ocean Radio is a weekly series of five-minute audio essays available for syndicated use at no cost by college and community radio stations worldwide. Peter Neill, Director of the World Ocean Observatory and host of World Ocean Radio, provides coverage of a broad spectrum of ocean issues from science and education to advocacy and exemplary projects.

World Ocean Radio
15 Years, 750+ Episodes
Ocean is climate
Climate is ocean
The sea connects all things

Will the Children Will Set Us Free?

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Wed, 21 May 2025 16:00:00 -0400

Will the children set us free? Has it come to that? Have we abandoned the future for our children to solve, leaving them accountable for what we have failed to do? This week on World Ocean Radio host Peter Neill shares where he finds hope for the future, including in a web-based educational initiative that introduces children worldwide to the complexity, significance, and beauty of the ocean--the one ocean which gives us so much: freshwater, food, energy, health, wealth, community, security, and cultural/spiritual traditions.

About World Ocean Radio
World Ocean Radio is a weekly series of five-minute audio essays available for syndicated use at no cost by college and community radio stations worldwide. Peter Neill, Director of the World Ocean Observatory and host of World Ocean Radio, provides coverage of a broad spectrum of ocean issues from science and education to advocacy and exemplary projects.

World Ocean Radio
15 Years, 750+ Episodes
Ocean is climate
Climate is ocean
The sea connects all things

15 Years of World Ocean Radio

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Wed, 14 May 2025 16:00:00 -0400

This week marks the 750th episode of World Ocean Radio: 15 years of weekly short audio that reaches millions around the globe, sharing concepts, demands, and solutions related to ocean technology and science, policy, examples of best practice, personal reflections, and solutions for how the ocean connects, sustains, inspires, and engages us in common history, traditions, sustenance, communication, community, and well-being. Thank you for listening!

World Ocean Radio
15 Years,
750 Episodes!
Ocean is climate,
Climate is ocean.
The sea connects all things.

World Ocean Radio is a weekly series of five-minute audio essays available for syndicated use at no cost by college and community radio stations worldwide. Peter Neill, Director of the World Ocean Observatory and host of World Ocean Radio, provides coverage of a broad spectrum of ocean issues from science and education to advocacy and exemplary projects.

Running Home

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Wed, 30 Apr 2025 18:00:00 -0400

This week on World Ocean Radio, host Peter Neill reflects on the importance of water in our lives, our culture, our memories, our very being. Water, he argues, is the essence of home, and the grace and gift of knowing it’s there for our return.

About World Ocean Radio
World Ocean Radio is a weekly series of five-minute audio essays available for syndicated use at no cost by college and community radio stations worldwide. Peter Neill, Director of the World Ocean Observatory and host of World Ocean Radio, provides coverage of a broad spectrum of ocean issues from science and education to advocacy and exemplary projects.

World Ocean Radio
15 Years, 750 Episodes
Ocean is climate
Climate is ocean
The sea connects all things

Pope Francis and the Ocean, Laudato Si Revisited

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Fri, 25 Apr 2025 17:00:00 -0400

Pope Francis, outspoken voice for climate and the environment, passed away on Monday, April 21st. Throughout his reign as leader of the Catholic Church, he was very clear in his views on climate change as a real factor in today's world, and expressed that we must understand and respond to these problems for our future survival. In 2015, Pope Francis issued a papal encyclical entitled "Laudato Si--on Care of our Common Home" in which he addressed the moral imperative to steward our natural world for the benefit of succeeding generations. At many times in the address, he mentions fresh water and oceans; this week on World Ocean Radio we revisit some of the Pope's ideas and perspectives that demonstrate a deep reverence for natural systems.

What About the Land?

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Wed, 16 Apr 2025 14:00:00 -0400

Earth Day is April 22nd. In honor of our watery planet we revisit a land-centric episode this week on World Ocean Radio.
What About the Land?
40% of the planet is used for farming and livestock, often degraded by unsustainable or destructive practices. Coupled with coastal, wetland and reclaimed land development in the name of urban expansion, we are fast-approaching a tipping point. What are we to do? Are we destined to repeat the mistakes of the past? Or do we possess the collective will to develop creative solutions for repair, redesign and reconstruction for our 21st century transportation, supply, and municipal needs?

Revelations by Salt

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Thu, 10 Apr 2025 14:00:00 -0400

Discovery of a curriculum developed for coastal Africa some years ago sent World Ocean Radio host Peter Neill on a journey of discovery and revelation about salt as a construct to be observed, understood, and taught. A western scientific perspective might teach students about salt from a chemistry-led lesson, whereas the African curriculum taught salt as serving a role in the enhancement of and as means to preserve food, the harvesting for work, as way of life, and as financial support by its production and harvest. This latter perspective is not first and foremost chemistry-led but community-focused, with methods of teaching and learning through the wisdom of Nature. What might we learn by diving in to teaching and learning a different way?

About World Ocean Radio
World Ocean Radio is a weekly series of five-minute audio essays available for syndicated use at no cost by college and community radio stations worldwide. Peter Neill, Director of the World Ocean Observatory and host of World Ocean Radio, provides coverage of a broad spectrum of ocean issues from science and education to advocacy and exemplary projects.

World Ocean Radio
15 Years, 750 Episodes
Ocean is climate
Climate is ocean
The sea connects all things

Terraqueous

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Fri, 28 Mar 2025 18:00:00 -0400

ter·ra·que·ous
/terˈākwēəs/
Adjective: consisting of land and water

Mud season: a special time of year in the northeastern corner of the United States, when winter and spring collide in a soggy muck: the rains come, ice and snow melts, saturating the land, creating a terraqueous mess for cars and boots. This week on World Ocean Radio, we're applying the metaphor of "mud season" to fresh water and ocean systems, to climate and biodiversity, to the human condition, to community--all the cycles and systems that rely on the balance of nature.

About World Ocean Radio
World Ocean Radio is a weekly series of five-minute audio essays available for syndicated use at no cost by college and community radio stations worldwide. Weekly insights into ocean science, advocacy, education, global ocean issues, challenges, marine science, policy, exemplary projects, advocacy, and solutions. Hosted by Peter Neill, Founder and Strategic Advisor of W2O. Learn more at worldoceanobservatory.org.

World Water Day is March 22nd

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Thu, 20 Mar 2025 15:00:00 -0400

March 22nd is World Water Day, a celebration of what Jacques Cousteau called The Great Hydrosphere, expanded beyond Ocean to include the entirety of the water cycle: the one natural system that controls our planet's utility. From mountaintop to abyssal plain, water is the great circulatory system that connects all things. This week on World Ocean Radio we pay homage to water, without which we would not exist. Think about it: where and when is water not present in our lives?

About World Ocean Radio
World Ocean Radio is a weekly series of five-minute audio essays available for syndicated use at no cost by college and community radio stations worldwide. Weekly insights into ocean science, advocacy, education, global ocean issues, challenges, marine science, policy, exemplary projects, advocacy, and solutions. Hosted by Peter Neill, Founder and Strategic Advisor of W2O. Learn more at worldoceanobservatory.org.

Co-Relation

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Fri, 07 Mar 2025 11:00:00 -0500

This week on World Ocean Radio host Peter Neill shares a smart, succinct new title from the Forerunners: Ideas First series entitled "Coralatations" by Melody Jue. The book is a philosophical exploration of coral reefs, technology, and media and how, through co-relation, we might expand our understanding of natural resources beyond endangerment to how we communicate about climate change.

About World Ocean Radio
World Ocean Radio is a weekly series of five-minute audio essays available for syndicated use at no cost by college and community radio stations worldwide. Weekly insights into ocean science, advocacy, education, global ocean issues, challenges, marine science, policy, exemplary projects, advocacy, and solutions. Hosted by Peter Neill, Founder and Strategic Advisor of W2O. Learn more at worldoceanobservatory.org.

Ocean Literacy: A Call for Action

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Mon, 03 Mar 2025 13:00:00 -0500

Ocean Literacy is a bottom-up movement driven by classroom teachers who understand the full implication of education, adaptation, and innovation for our future. In Venice, Italy, in 2024, a conference gathered to address today's issues, and to produce the Venice Declaration for Ocean Literacy to provide goals and agenda items for the UN Ocean Conference in Nice, France in June of 2025. New goals and new items, or a new arrangement of old ideas? How might the agenda be revised? Tune in to World Ocean Radio this week to learn more.

Water as a Metaphor for Resistance

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:00:00 -0500

"Power is like water. It flows all around us at all times. Sometimes it takes the liquid form of politics-in-action...Sometimes it takes the solid form of settled law: policy is power frozen. Sometimes it is like vapor in the air, invisibly shaping the climate and our behavior in just the way beliefs or ideology or emotions do..."

So states Eric Liu, founder of Citizen University and Director of the Aspen Institute Program on Citizen and American Identity. This week on World Ocean Radio, founder Peter Neill expands upon water as metaphor for our changing political landscape and exceptional time of transition.

About World Ocean Radio
World Ocean Radio is a weekly series of five-minute audio essays available for syndicated use at no cost by college and community radio stations worldwide. Weekly insights into ocean science, advocacy, education, global ocean issues, challenges, marine science, policy, exemplary projects, advocacy, and solutions. Hosted by Peter Neill, Founder and Strategic Advisor of W2O. Learn more at worldoceanobservatory.org.

Eco-Psychology

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Mon, 10 Feb 2025 15:00:00 -0500

Eco-psychology studies the relationships between people and nature, and seeks to develop ways to expand the emotional connections between individuals and the natural world. There is progression in the term: understanding of Eco-psychology presents plans, promise, and action toward transformational outcomes, strategies, and prognoses for the future.

About World Ocean Radio
World Ocean Radio is a weekly series of five-minute audio essays available for syndicated use at no cost by college and community radio stations worldwide. Weekly insights into ocean science, advocacy, education, global ocean issues, challenges, marine science, policy, exemplary projects, advocacy, and solutions. Hosted by Peter Neill, Founder and Strategic Advisor of W2O. Learn more at worldoceanobservatory.org.

15 Years
740 Episodes
All searchable by theme

Eudaemonism: A Word for the Ocean

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Wed, 29 Jan 2025 18:00:00 -0500

Eudaemonism: What does it mean? What does it have to do with happiness? And what is its context for the ocean? Tune in to find out.

About World Ocean Radio
World Ocean Radio is a weekly series of five-minute audio essays available for syndicated use at no cost by college and community radio stations worldwide. Weekly insights into ocean science, advocacy, education, global ocean issues, challenges, marine science, policy, exemplary projects, advocacy, and solutions. Hosted by Peter Neill, Founder and Strategic Advisor of W2O. Learn more at worldoceanobservatory.org.

A Distillation of Purpose

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Thu, 23 Jan 2025 16:00:00 -0500

What are the five key reasons for ocean conservation? What are the five areas where progress matters most? With the world in an off-axis state of turmoil, W2O founder Peter Neill is taking stock this week, asking the questions and distilling the essential reasons why the ocean is central to human survival.

About World Ocean Radio
World Ocean Radio is a weekly series of five-minute audio essays available for syndicated use at no cost by college and community radio stations worldwide. Peter Neill, Director of the World Ocean Observatory and host of World Ocean Radio, provides coverage of a broad spectrum of ocean issues from science and education to advocacy and exemplary projects.

An Exemplary Place in Iceland

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Thu, 16 Jan 2025 13:00:00 -0500

This week on World Ocean Radio, host Peter Neill shares views and observations of the town of Isafjordur, Iceland, and the values it possesses that give the area its unique identity.

About World Ocean Radio
World Ocean Radio is a weekly series of five-minute audio essays available for syndicated use at no cost by college and community radio stations worldwide. Peter Neill, Director of the World Ocean Observatory and host of World Ocean Radio, provides coverage of a broad spectrum of ocean issues from science and education to advocacy and exemplary projects.

15 Years
730+ Episodes
All searchable by theme

5-minute weekly insights into ocean science, advocacy, education, global ocean issues, challenges, marine science, policy, and solutions. Hosted by Peter Neill, Director of the W2O. Learn more at worldoceanobservatory.org

What's in a Knot?

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Fri, 10 Jan 2025 17:00:00 -0500

KNOT: a word with many definitions: from a tight constriction to something hard to solve; a cluster of persons or things; an ornamental ribbon; a closed curve in three dimensional space. And of course, the word comes back to the ocean: is not the ocean a dynamic of knots: entangled and integral, inter-placed with ornamental flexible bodies, comprised of the ties that bind.

About World Ocean Radio
World Ocean Radio is a weekly series of five-minute audio essays available for syndicated use at no cost by college and community radio stations worldwide. Peter Neill, Director of the World Ocean Observatory and host of World Ocean Radio, provides coverage of a broad spectrum of ocean issues from science and education to advocacy and exemplary projects.

World Ocean Radio
14 Years
730+ Episodes
All searchable by theme

At the Fishhouses

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 18:00:00 -0500

At the Fishhouses, is among our favorite poems here at World Ocean Observatory. In its richly-detailed mastery, it distills poet Elizabeth Bishop’s seaside meditations, evokes the clarity of meaning contained in personal encounters at the shore and with the ocean, and holds the reader and the listener in the space that lies between land and sea, a site of transience, mystery, and the sublime.

Christmas at Sea

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:00:00 -0500

Each holiday season on World Ocean Radio we return with a special reading of "Christmas at Sea", an evocative poem by Robert Louis Stevenson written in 1883. Stevenson, the son of a lighthouse engineer, had intimate, first-hand knowledge of extreme weather, storms and nor'westers.

Christmas at Sea
An evocative seasonal poem by Robert Louis Stevenson published in 1888, five years after his beloved novel, Treasure Island, was published. Christmas at Sea appears in an anthology of poems compiled by the Radio4 program Poetry Please: The Nation’s Best-Loved Poems, with a forward by Roger McGough, published in 2014 by Faber & Faber Books. Christmas at Sea is in the public domain.

About World Ocean Radio
World Ocean Radio is a weekly series of five-minute audio essays available for syndicated use at no cost by college and community radio stations worldwide. Peter Neill, Director of the World Ocean Observatory and host of World Ocean Radio, provides coverage of a broad spectrum of ocean issues from science and education to advocacy and exemplary projects

A Credo for the World Ocean

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Thu, 19 Dec 2024 17:00:00 -0500

This week we're providing our listeners with a list of intentions that describe the World Ocean Observatory's statement of beliefs that drives all action. And we provide suggestions for those who may ask, "What can I do?" while encouraging determination to pursue the causes that you believe in. This week's episode is a statement of belief and intent that dates back to the original principles of W2O, begun more than 20 years ago.

About World Ocean Radio
World Ocean Radio is a weekly series of five-minute audio essays available for syndicated use at no cost by college and community radio stations worldwide. Peter Neill, Director of the World Ocean Observatory and host of World Ocean Radio, provides coverage of a broad spectrum of ocean issues from science and education to advocacy and exemplary projects.

World Ocean Radio
14 Years
730+ Episodes
All searchable by theme

Ocean is climate
Climate is ocean
The sea connects all things

Complexity or Simplicity: A Path Forward Toward Ocean Solutions

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Wed, 13 Nov 2024 15:00:00 -0500

The debate over the reality of climate change is over. There is no place on land or sea that is immune from the effects of extreme weather, fire, flood, inundation, erosion, and social impacts. This week we're discussing carbon as the key culprit to our current condition, and the multitudinous methods and suggestions and investments to remove carbon from the atmosphere and the ocean. Is it possible we've made this all too complicated? Might the solutions be right there, in front of us, having already been discovered at the technological, political, and regulatory levels? What does it look like if we apply simplicity, imagination, collaboration, and energy to guide our way forward, toward solutions?

World Ocean Radio
Since 2010
More than 730 episodes
Ocean is climate | Climate is ocean | The sea connects all things
The full catalog is searchable by theme

Unmanned War at Sea

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Wed, 30 Oct 2024 17:00:00 -0400

The face of war is changing quickly: cheap, unmanned, versatile drones and remotely operated aircraft, coupled with rapidly-advancing technology, ambiguous algorithms, accountability, and responsibility are shifting the shapes of war around the globe, especially as it pertains to the unseen and largely unmonitored high seas. With a world struggling to keep up, the instruments of war are becoming invisible, ephemeral and uncontrollable. What laws are in place to protect the ocean and the natural systems on which life is sustained?

About World Ocean Radio
World Ocean Radio is a weekly series of five-minute audio essays available for syndicated use at no cost by college and community radio stations worldwide. Peter Neill, Director of the World Ocean Observatory and host of World Ocean Radio, provides coverage of a broad spectrum of ocean issues from science and education to advocacy and exemplary projects.

Displacement Reserves and the Repurposing of Abandoned Oil Wells

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Tue, 15 Oct 2024 17:00:00 -0400

This week on World Ocean Radio we are examining Renewell, a company that has developed a method to repurpose abandoned oil wells across the United States into displacement reserves, effectively capping the more than 2 million abandoned, methane-leaking oil wells and converting them into renewable storage and renewed financial return.

Some Ocean Reading

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Wed, 09 Oct 2024 13:00:00 -0400

This week on World Ocean Radio, two new books for readers to consider this fall: "The High Seas: Greed, Power, and The Battle for the Unclaimed Ocean" by Olive Heffernan, and "What the Wild Sea Can Be: The Future of the World Ocean" by Helen Scales. Both books evoke hopeful possibility while exploring the extent of the ocean and the implications of ongoing exploitation and excess.

About World Ocean Radio
World Ocean Radio is a weekly series of five-minute audio essays available for syndicated use at no cost by college and community radio stations worldwide. Peter Neill, Director of the World Ocean Observatory and host of World Ocean Radio, provides coverage of a broad spectrum of ocean issues from science and education to advocacy and exemplary projects.

World Ocean Radio
14 Years, 730+ Episodes
Ocean is climate
Climate is ocean
The sea connects all things

Insuring the Deep Sea

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Wed, 25 Sep 2024 18:00:00 -0400

Insurance is everywhere, established to transfer risk or to compensate for loss. Deep-sea mining has attracted much attention lately, as we look to offshore exploration and extraction for energy and mineral resources. As the UN International Seabed Authority deliberates standards and regulations related to drilling into the ocean floor, insurers of deep-sea risk are calculating potential loss as potentially so great that no coverage would be adequate to cover the costs of consequence, and no payment large enough to mitigate the risk of deep-sea mining.

About World Ocean Radio
World Ocean Radio is a weekly series of five-minute audio essays available for syndicated use at no cost by college and community radio stations worldwide. Peter Neill, Director of the World Ocean Observatory and host of World Ocean Radio, provides coverage of a broad spectrum of ocean issues from science and education to advocacy and exemplary projects.

World Ocean Radio
14 Years, 700+ Episodes
Ocean is climate
Climate is ocean
The sea connects all things

Maritime Work

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Wed, 18 Sep 2024 13:00:00 -0400

The maritime industry is a major contributor to our global systems: our economies, security, and stability. More than 80% of all international trade and transport moves across the ocean: shipbuilding, port operations, shipping, cruise lines, offshore energy, pipelines, salvage, communications, cables, insurance, ferries, exploration and science. This week we are discussing a 2023 United Nations review of maritime transport, and the technologies that rely on the men and women worldwide who work in the maritime industry.

About World Ocean Radio
World Ocean Radio is a weekly series of five-minute audio essays available for syndicated use at no cost by college and community radio stations worldwide. Peter Neill, Director of the World Ocean Observatory and host of World Ocean Radio, provides coverage of a broad spectrum of ocean issues from science and education to advocacy and exemplary projects.

World Ocean Radio
14 Years, 730+ Episodes
Ocean is climate, Climate is ocean
The sea connects all things

Visualizing Success

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Fri, 13 Sep 2024 15:00:00 -0400

As we discuss resiliency, adaptation, and mitigation of climate and ocean, we must also invent--not to merely rearrange the elements of an old plan, but to imaging and consider some things new and different. If the ocean movement is to embrace the change required to respond to challenges worldwide, we must imaging new ways forward, confident in our abilities to solve problems through imagination, action, and energetic response.

About World Ocean Radio
World Ocean Radio is a weekly series of five-minute audio essays available for syndicated use at no cost by college and community radio stations worldwide. Peter Neill, Director of the World Ocean Observatory and host of World Ocean Radio, provides coverage of a broad spectrum of ocean issues from science and education to advocacy and exemplary projects.

World Ocean Radio
14 Years, 700+ Episodes
Ocean is climate
Climate is ocean
The sea connects all things

Understanding the Ocean in the 21st Century

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Fri, 06 Sep 2024 16:00:00 -0400

It has been nearly twenty years since the Ocean Literacy Principles and Framework were first adopted by classroom educators to promote the ocean as a central focus for climate, water, food, health, exploration, science, and more. Today it has been incorporated into the agenda of the UN IOC; it seems Ocean Literacy is riding a new wave of interest and possibility. This week on World Ocean Radio we are laying out the basic tenets and truths of Ocean Literacy, describing the foundational assumptions that underlie the matrix, including the first principle: the earth is one big ocean with many features.

About World Ocean Radio
World Ocean Radio is a weekly series of five-minute audio essays available for syndicated use at no cost by college and community radio stations worldwide. Peter Neill, Director of the World Ocean Observatory and host of World Ocean Radio, provides coverage of a broad spectrum of ocean issues from science and education to advocacy and exemplary projects.

World Ocean Radio
14 Years, 700+ Episodes
Ocean is climate
Climate is ocean
The sea connects all things

Eustacy: A Word for the Ocean

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Thu, 29 Aug 2024 17:00:00 -0400

Eustacy is a word used to describe worldwide changes of sea level. This is a new word for us: even though it seems we live in a eustatic world. We're using this newly-discovered word to distill the five areas of our existence where the ocean matters most: fresh water, the ocean-fresh water continuum, energy, food, health, and exchange.

About World Ocean Radio
World Ocean Radio is a weekly series of five-minute audio essays available for syndicated use at no cost by college and community radio stations worldwide. Peter Neill, Director of the World Ocean Observatory and host of World Ocean Radio, provides coverage of a broad spectrum of ocean issues from science and education to advocacy and exemplary projects.

World Ocean Radio
14 Years, 700+ Episodes
Ocean is climate
Climate is ocean
The sea connects all things

UN Action: A Call for Ocean Communication

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Wed, 14 Aug 2024 15:00:00 -0400

This week on World Ocean Radio: synopsis of a recent report by the UN Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission entitled "Call to All Voices of the Ocean – Consultation of Civil Society in Preparation of the Next United Nations Ocean Conference" addressing issues and providing recommendations and specific actions related to ocean climate, science, and policy. One glaring omission: a powerful specific call for action--a plan through communication that will amplify, advocate, educate, and initiate the change required to connect us all through the sea.

About World Ocean Radio
World Ocean Radio is a weekly series of five-minute audio essays available for syndicated use at no cost by college and community radio stations worldwide. Peter Neill, Director of the World Ocean Observatory and host of World Ocean Radio, provides coverage of a broad spectrum of ocean issues from science and education to advocacy and exemplary projects.

World Ocean Radio
14 Years, 700+ Episodes
Ocean is climate
Climate is ocean
The sea connects all things

Ocean Music

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Wed, 07 Aug 2024 14:00:00 -0400

In this episode of World Ocean Radio we take listeners to the shore, to be reminded of the importance of silence, solitude and renewal in our lives, and of the healing power of the ocean--or water in any form--that is there for us, if and when we choose to stop and listen.

World Ocean Radio offers five-minute weekly insights into ocean science, advocacy and education, hosted by Peter Neill, Director of the W2O, author, and lifelong ocean advocate. Episodes offer perspectives on global ocean issues, today’s challenges, marine science and policy, and exemplary solutions. Available for RSS feed, podcast, and syndicated use at no cost by community radio stations worldwide.

Bright Ideas Toward a Sustainable Future

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Wed, 24 Jul 2024 10:00:00 -0400

This week we are discussing two technological innovations—both bright ideas that could have huge impacts for useful, sustainable change for the future. The first is WaterCube, a machine that pulls vapor from the air and condenses it into liquid form for household use and disaster relief; the second is Sway, a farmed seaweed application designed to create a compostable packaging that is biodegradable and chemical free.

About World Ocean Radio
World Ocean Radio is a weekly series of five-minute audio essays available for syndicated use at no cost by college and community radio stations worldwide. Peter Neill, Director of the World Ocean Observatory and host of World Ocean Radio, provides coverage of a broad spectrum of ocean issues from science and education to advocacy and exemplary projects.

Internal Price on Nature

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Wed, 17 Jul 2024 17:00:00 -0400

As we review the state of climate change challenge and response, it becomes clear we are not succeeding. Is it possible to craft a new economic system that values natural resource sustainability over depletion of those resources? Can we conceive a new economics, a forward-directed system of financial valuation and exchange based on the asset value of Nature? We're discussing this and more this week on World Ocean Radio.
About World Ocean Radio
World Ocean Radio is a weekly series of five-minute audio essays available for syndicated use at no cost by college and community radio stations worldwide. Peter Neill, Director of the World Ocean Observatory and host of World Ocean Radio, provides coverage of a broad spectrum of ocean issues from science and education to advocacy and exemplary projects.

Plastic: Cycle and Recycle

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Wed, 10 Jul 2024 12:00:00 -0400

Plastic. It is ubiquitous. It is everywhere in our lives, yet we do not possess the cycle or recycle to continue production in a sustainable or environmentally friendly way. If offsets and recycling do not provide the answer, what does?

About World Ocean Radio
World Ocean Radio is a weekly series of five-minute audio essays available for syndicated use at no cost by college and community radio stations worldwide. Peter Neill, Director of the World Ocean Observatory and host of World Ocean Radio, provides coverage of a broad spectrum of ocean issues from science and education to advocacy and exemplary projects.

World Ocean Radio
14 Years, 700+ Episodes
Ocean is climate
Climate is ocean
The sea connects all things

How Old is Water?

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Thu, 04 Jul 2024 17:00:00 -0400

How old is water? Where on earth is water found? How is it circulated, cycled, and recycled? We know where water is distributed on the planet down to the fraction of a percentage. We know that water is finite in volume and its utility is constant. What happens when we pollute water? What happens when there is no water? We discuss this and more this week on World Ocean Radio.

About World Ocean Radio
World Ocean Radio is a weekly series of five-minute audio essays available for syndicated use at no cost by college and community radio stations worldwide. Peter Neill, Director of the World Ocean Observatory and host of World Ocean Radio, provides coverage of a broad spectrum of ocean issues from science and education to advocacy and exemplary projects.

World Ocean Radio
14 Years, 700+ Episodes
Ocean is climate
Climate is ocean
The sea connects all things

An Ocean Literacy Declaration

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Thu, 27 Jun 2024 14:00:00 -0400

World Ocean Observatory is ever in search of new systems that convert knowledge into action, especially as they relate to ocean education and communication. Here on World Ocean Radio we often discuss the concepts and principles of ocean literacy, and the ways in which they can be distilled into learning opportunities for educators and students everywhere. We are pleased to report a prospective turning point in the ocean literacy movement: concepts that have been articulated into a new report out of the first Ocean Literacy World Conference held in Venice, Italy 7-8 June, 2024.

About World Ocean Radio
World Ocean Radio is a weekly series of five-minute audio essays available for syndicated use at no cost by college and community radio stations worldwide. Peter Neill, Director of the World Ocean Observatory and host of World Ocean Radio, provides coverage of a broad spectrum of ocean issues from science and education to advocacy and exemplary projects.

World Ocean Radio
14 Years, 700+ Episodes
Ocean is climate
Climate is ocean
The sea connects all things

My Meeting with the Alewives

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Wed, 19 Jun 2024 15:00:00 -0400

The State of the Ocean, 2024

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Tue, 18 Jun 2024 12:00:00 -0400

"The state of the ocean is not good." So states Vidar Helgesen in the forward to the UNESCO Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) State of the Ocean Report that was released in May. This week on World Ocean Radio we are summarizing the findings.

About World Ocean Radio
World Ocean Radio is a weekly series of five-minute audio essays available for syndicated use at no cost by college and community radio stations worldwide. Peter Neill, Director of the World Ocean Observatory and host of World Ocean Radio, provides coverage of a broad spectrum of ocean issues from science and education to advocacy and exemplary projects.

What is World Ocean Day Meant to Do?

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Fri, 07 Jun 2024 12:00:00 -0400

On June 8th each year we come together as a global community to celebrate World Ocean Day, a date set aside to recognize our relationship with the ocean. Public awareness of ocean issues in the United States barely advances year on year, despite consistent efforts by conservation, ocean, and other environmental organizations like World Ocean Observatory whose mission it is to inform and educate. What is World Ocean Day meant to do? Do we have the will to coalesce around a single issue, to be informed and changed into a voice for change?
Learn more at https://worldoceanobservatory.org/world-ocean-radio

A Rescue Blueprint: How the Ocean Can Save Civilization pt 2 of 2

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Wed, 29 May 2024 13:00:00 -0400

We have launched a Substack to share a plan for specific action and public participation. In this two-episode arch we reintroduce listeners to RESCUE: a 33-part series outlining a plan for specific action and public participation, providing a blueprint for how the ocean can save civilization. In the series we cover ocean topics related to Science, Policy, Energy and Technology, Finance and Ecosystem Services, Education and Ocean Literacy, Culture, and Human Health. RESCUE stands for: Renewal, Environment, Society, Collaboration, Understanding, Engagement. Join the conversation on Substack for weekly free 4-minute reads: substack.com/@oceanblueprint

About World Ocean Radio
World Ocean Radio is a weekly series of five-minute audio essays available for syndicated use at no cost by college and community radio stations worldwide. Peter Neill, Director of the World Ocean Observatory and host of World Ocean Radio, provides coverage of a broad spectrum of ocean issues from science and education to advocacy and exemplary projects.

World Ocean Radio
14 Years, 700+ Episodes
Ocean is climate
Climate is ocean
The sea connects all things

A Rescue Blueprint: How the Ocean Can Save Civilization

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Wed, 22 May 2024 11:00:00 -0400

We have launched a Substack to share a plan for specific action and public participation. This week and next on World Ocean Radio, we will reintroduce listeners to RESCUE: a 33-part series outlining a plan for specific action and public participation, providing a blueprint for how the ocean can save civilization. In the series we cover ocean topics related to Science, Policy, Energy and Technology, Finance and Ecosystem Services, Education and Ocean Literacy, Culture, and Human Health. RESCUE stands for: Renewal, Environment, Society, Collaboration, Understanding, Engagement. Join the conversation on Substack for weekly free 4-minute reads: substack.com/@oceanblueprint

About World Ocean Radio
World Ocean Radio is a weekly series of five-minute audio essays available for syndicated use at no cost by college and community radio stations worldwide. Peter Neill, Director of the World Ocean Observatory and host of World Ocean Radio, provides coverage of a broad spectrum of ocean issues from science and education to advocacy and exemplary projects.

World Ocean Radio
14 Years, 700+ Episodes
Ocean is climate
Climate is ocean
The sea connects all things

Looking East from West

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Wed, 15 May 2024 16:00:00 -0400

After a recent visit to Japan, an island nation, World Ocean Radio host Peter Neill ponders, what if, as in Japan, we applied values individually, locally, and nationally to our purchases, foodways, institutions, public relations, our life choices? Look from the East, look from the West: are we not all islanders?

About World Ocean Radio
World Ocean Radio is a weekly series of five-minute audio essays available for syndicated use at no cost by college and community radio stations worldwide. Peter Neill, Director of the World Ocean Observatory and host of World Ocean Radio, provides coverage of a broad spectrum of ocean issues from science and education to advocacy and exemplary projects.

World Ocean Radio
14 Years, 700+ Episodes
Ocean is climate
Climate is ocean
The sea connects all things

Bio-Regional Thinking and the Deep Sea

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Wed, 08 May 2024 12:00:00 -0400

Bio-regions on Earth are organized into types, then realms, and are further distinguished and mapped for planning, strategizing, developing, and as a tool for protection of the planet. A major trouble with bio-regional mapping is that it neglects nearly 83 percent of the ocean–beyond marine protected areas–leaving the high seas and deep sea unaddressed and vulnerable.

About World Ocean Radio
World Ocean Radio is a weekly series of five-minute audio essays available for syndicated use at no cost by college and community radio stations worldwide. Peter Neill, Director of the World Ocean Observatory and host of World Ocean Radio, provides coverage of a broad spectrum of ocean issues from science and education to advocacy and exemplary projects.

World Ocean Radio
14 Years, 700+ Episodes
Ocean is climate
Climate is ocean
The sea connects all things

What is Profit?

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Thu, 02 May 2024 12:00:00 -0400

This week on World Ocean Radio we're defining new ways to consider profit as a return on investment--not as an enemy of change but as a catalyst for a sustainable strategy for the future. An effective sustainability strategy must include the true asset cost of natural resources and the post-production costs of downstream effects to include pollution, public health, and remediation.

About World Ocean Radio
World Ocean Radio is a weekly series of five-minute audio essays available for syndicated use at no cost by college and community radio stations worldwide. Peter Neill, Director of the World Ocean Observatory and host of World Ocean Radio, provides coverage of a broad spectrum of ocean issues from science and education to advocacy and exemplary projects.

World Ocean Radio
14 Years, 700+ Episodes
Ocean is climate
Climate is ocean
The sea connects all things

Tactics for Change

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Wed, 24 Apr 2024 12:00:00 -0400

This week on World Ocean Radio we're sharing some methods and means to make small and large changes that can have effects on the climate and sustainability challenges that are caused in large part by the consumer choices we make every day.

About World Ocean Radio
World Ocean Radio is a weekly series of five-minute audio essays available for syndicated use at no cost by college and community radio stations worldwide. Peter Neill, Director of the World Ocean Observatory and host of World Ocean Radio, provides coverage of a broad spectrum of ocean issues from science and education to advocacy and exemplary projects.

World Ocean Radio
14 Years, 700+ Episodes
Ocean is climate
Climate is ocean
The sea connects all things

Regulation

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Fri, 19 Apr 2024 13:00:00 -0400

This week on World Ocean Radio we're discussing a recent trip to Lisbon, Portugal to attend the Economist Ocean Summit. One such conversation we participated in was on the topic of regulation--those systems and structures that frame best practices and are designed to control abuse. Regulation is conflicting and contradictory, especially when most regulatory decisions are followed by time-extending litigation. What if we could redefine regulation as an incentive to succeed? What if regulation could become a motivating context to advance change, rather than a backwards impediment to progress? We'll explore this and more.

About World Ocean Radio
World Ocean Radio is a weekly series of five-minute audio essays available for syndicated use at no cost by college and community radio stations worldwide. Peter Neill, Director of the World Ocean Observatory and host of World Ocean Radio, provides coverage of a broad spectrum of ocean issues from science and education to advocacy and exemplary projects.

World Ocean Radio
14 Years, 700+ Episodes
Ocean is climate
Climate is ocean
The sea connects all things

Nocturn

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Tue, 09 Apr 2024 12:00:00 -0400

A nocturne is a short musical composition: dreamy, romantic, suggestive of the night, a passage from one place to the next. This week we're asking: What comes next for our collective energy and focus? What it is that will get us safely from this place of climate crisis and uncertainty to another place of reinvention, newly-conceived solutions, and sustainability? We are committed to talking about it, and we urge you to join us as we dream of a new way forward.

About World Ocean Radio
A weekly series of five-minute audio essays available for syndicated use at no cost by college and community radio stations worldwide, providing coverage of a broad spectrum of ocean issues from science and education to advocacy and exemplary projects.

World Ocean Radio
14 Years, 700+ Episodes
Ocean is climate
Climate is ocean
The sea connects all things

Distillation

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Tue, 09 Apr 2024 12:00:00 -0400

What are the five areas of our collective existence on earth where the ocean matters most? If we are looking for a context to drive motivation and action, we have in our view the necessary clear focus through these absolutes--water, energy, food, health, and exchange--that can guide us toward a sustainable future, with the ocean at our center.

A weekly series of five-minute audio essays available for syndicated use at no cost by college and community radio stations worldwide, providing coverage of a broad spectrum of ocean issues from science and education to advocacy and exemplary projects.

World Ocean Radio
14 Years, 700+ Episodes
Ocean is climate
Climate is ocean
The sea connects all things

Nature's Balance Sheet

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Wed, 20 Mar 2024 11:00:00 -0400

In business, as in life, there is a balance sheet, a statement of assets, profit and loss, income and expense, showing whether our accounts are in balance, or not. In a consumption and production driven society, we must understand the asset value, balance and imbalance of our planet's natural resources: coal, oil, gas, minerals, water, and food: the wealth of our world.

About World Ocean Radio
World Ocean Radio is a weekly series of five-minute audio essays available for syndicated use at no cost by college and community radio stations worldwide. Peter Neill, Director of the World Ocean Observatory and host of World Ocean Radio, provides coverage of a broad spectrum of ocean issues from science and education to advocacy and exemplary projects.

World Ocean Radio
14 Years, 700+ Episodes
Ocean is climate
Climate is ocean
The sea connects all things

What About the Land?

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Wed, 13 Mar 2024 13:00:00 -0400

40% of the planet is used for farming and livestock, often degraded by unsustainable or destructive practices. Coupled with coastal, wetland and reclaimed land development in the name of urban expansion, we are fast-approaching a tipping point wherein infrastructure exceeds demand. What to do? Are we destined to repeat the mistakes of the past? Or do we possess the collective will to develop creative solutions for repair, redesign and reconstruction for our 21st century transportation, supply, and municipal needs?

About World Ocean Radio
World Ocean Radio is a weekly series of five-minute audio essays available for syndicated use at no cost by college and community radio stations worldwide. Peter Neill, Director of the World Ocean Observatory and host of World Ocean Radio, provides coverage of a broad spectrum of ocean issues from science and education to advocacy and exemplary projects.

World Ocean Radio
14 Years, 700+ Episodes
Ocean is climate
Climate is ocean
The sea connects all things

Aqua-Cultural Thoughts

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Thu, 07 Mar 2024 14:00:00 -0500

Seafood is a world staple, under siege by increased consumption and over-fishing. Aquaculture is the necessary alternative, yet is a polarizing issue in coastal communities. What are we to do? This week we explore two Maine-based successes in aquaculture that are building local supply chains, increasing resilience in rural communities, promoting environmentally responsible solutions, and integrating indigenous and cultural knowledge and skills for an emerging industry.

World Ocean Radio is a weekly series of five-minute audio essays available for syndicated use at no cost by college and community radio stations worldwide, providing coverage of a broad spectrum of ocean issues from science and education to advocacy and exemplary projects.

World Ocean Radio:
14 Years, 700+ Episodes
Ocean is climate. Climate is ocean
The sea connects all things

Ecological Overshoot, part two

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Thu, 22 Feb 2024 16:00:00 -0500

"We are not blind to the overall problem, and if we were in doubt, recent climate-explained events, near and far, should open our eyes more widely. With climate conditions constantly in the news, public awareness must follow," says Peter Neill, director of the World Ocean Observatory. This week on World Ocean Radio we wrap up a two-part series with a message of hope.

> Ecological Overshoot, part one

About World Ocean Radio
World Ocean Radio is a weekly series of five-minute audio essays available for syndicated use at no cost by college and community radio stations worldwide. Peter Neill, Director of the World Ocean Observatory and host of World Ocean Radio, provides coverage of a broad spectrum of ocean issues from science and education to advocacy and exemplary projects.

World Ocean Radio
14 Years, 700+ Episodes
Ocean is climate
Climate is ocean
The sea connects all things

Ecological Overshoot, part one

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Wed, 14 Feb 2024 15:00:00 -0500

In this episode and the next, World Ocean Radio reports on the status quo, business-as-usual, tunnel vision conclusions at COP28 in Dubai, hosted by the United Arab Emirates, December 2023. While many millions of dollars and intentions were pledged toward solutions, the focus and associated response was too narrow and inadequate to address the deficit consumption of our world's natural and ecological resources.

About World Ocean Radio
World Ocean Radio is a weekly series of five-minute audio essays available for syndicated use at no cost by college and community radio stations worldwide. Peter Neill, Director of the World Ocean Observatory and host of World Ocean Radio, provides coverage of a broad spectrum of ocean issues from science and education to advocacy and exemplary projects.

Global Climate Events

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Wed, 24 Jan 2024 13:00:00 -0500

Devastating weather and water events abound worldwide. Rain, flooding, strong winds, extreme high tides, coastal erosion and inundation have caused havoc in ports and on waterfronts. These events are neither new nor are they going away any time soon. While we will continue to rebuild and revive, the time is now to plan a response as complicated as the issues we face, to admit to mistakes made, and to welcome new policies and initiatives that build a future that works, even in the face of increasingly unpredictable climate events.

About World Ocean Radio
World Ocean Radio is a weekly series of five-minute audio essays available for syndicated use at no cost by college and community radio stations worldwide. Peter Neill, Director of the World Ocean Observatory and host of World Ocean Radio, provides coverage of a broad spectrum of ocean issues from science and education to advocacy and exemplary projects.

700 Episodes of World Ocean Radio: Thanks for Listening!

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Wed, 10 Jan 2024 13:00:00 -0500

This week we are celebrating our 700th episode of World Ocean Radio--5-minute reflections featured as podcast and interstitial radio syndicate for 14 years. From these ongoing observations have come four books and continuous contribution toward a strategy to communicate the importance of healthy climate and ocean, a succession of examples, emphasis, and explanation of how Nature and ocean are all-encompassing and connects us all.

About World Ocean Radio
World Ocean Radio provides coverage of a broad spectrum of ocean issues from science and education to advocacy and exemplary projects. Hosted by Peter Neill, Director of W2O, World Ocean Radio is a weekly series of five-minute audio essays available for syndicated use at no cost by college and community radio stations worldwide.

An End-of-Year Reading of "At the Fishhouses"

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Wed, 27 Dec 2023 14:00:00 -0500

At each year's end, World Ocean Radio host Peter Neill reads "At The Fishhouses" by Elizabeth Bishop. This poem, a perennial favorite, was chosen not only for its relevance for the New Year, but also because it distills years of Bishop's seaside meditations and evokes the clarity of meaning contained in personal encounters with the world ocean.

About World Ocean Radio
World Ocean Radio is a weekly series of five-minute audio essays available for syndicated use at no cost by college and community radio stations worldwide. Peter Neill, Director of the World Ocean Observatory and host of World Ocean Radio, provides coverage of a broad spectrum of ocean issues from science and education to advocacy and exemplary projects.

Christmas At Sea

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Wed, 20 Dec 2023 14:00:00 -0500

This holiday season on World Ocean Radio we return with a special reading of "Christmas at Sea", an evocative poem by Robert Louis Stevenson written in 1883. Stevenson, the son of a lighthouse engineer, had intimate knowledge of nor'westers... Merry Christmas to all from the World Ocean Observatory.

Christmas at Sea
A poem by Robert Louis Stevenson
Christmas at Sea is an evocative seasonal poem published in 1888, five years after Robert Louis Stevenson’s beloved novel, Treasure Island, was published. The Scottish writer was the son of a lighthouse engineer and had intimate, first-hand knowledge of extreme weather, storms and nor'westers. Christmas at Sea appears in an anthology of poems compiled by the Radio4 program Poetry Please: The Nation’s Best-Loved Poems, with a forward by Roger McGough, published in 2014 by Faber & Faber Books.
Christmas at Sea is in the public domain.

About World Ocean Radio
World Ocean Radio is a weekly series of five-minute audio essays available for syndicated use at no cost by college and community radio stations worldwide. Peter Neill, Director of the World Ocean Observatory and host of World Ocean Radio, provides coverage of a broad spectrum of ocean issues from science and education to advocacy and exemplary projects.

Marine Biomimetics, part three

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Thu, 14 Dec 2023 21:00:00 -0500

In part three of this 3-part series, we continue to explore the recent publication related to marine biomimetics and the deep sea, identifying the seven broad categories of biomimetic design, discussing each with examples of application, technological invention, and as effective solution models for response to negative human intervention and climate change, and for ocean protection and conservation.

World Ocean Radio provides coverage of a broad spectrum of ocean issues from science and education to advocacy and exemplary projects. Hosted by Peter Neill, Director of W2O, World Ocean Radio is a weekly series of five-minute audio essays available for syndicated use at no cost by college and community radio stations worldwide.

Marine Biomimetics, part two

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Fri, 08 Dec 2023 09:00:00 -0500

In these three episodes of World Ocean Radio we are exploring a recent publication entitled “A Forgotten Element in the Blue Economy: Marine Biomimetics and Inspiration from the Deep Sea,” authored by Robert Blasiak from the Stockholm Resilience Center in Sweden. The article identifies seven broad categories of biomimetic design: adhesion, anti-fouling, armor, buoyancy, movement, sensory, and stealth. In this 3-part series we'll discuss each with examples of application, technological invention, and as effective solution models for response to negative human intervention and climate change, and for ocean protection and conservation.

World Ocean Radio provides coverage of a broad spectrum of ocean issues from science and education to advocacy and exemplary projects. Hosted by Peter Neill, Director of W2O, World Ocean Radio is a weekly series of five-minute audio essays available for syndicated use at no cost by college and community radio stations worldwide.

Marine Biomimetics, part one

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Wed, 08 Nov 2023 11:00:00 -0500

Over the next few editions of World Ocean Radio we will be discussing a recent publication entitled “A Forgotten Element in the Blue Economy: Marine Biomimetics and Inspiration from the Deep Sea,” authored by Robert Blasiak from the Stockholm Resilience Center in Sweden. The article identifies seven broad categories of biomimetic design: adhesion, anti-fouling, armor, buoyancy, movement, sensory, and stealth. In this 3-part series we'll discuss each with examples of application, technological invention, and as effective solution models for response to negative human intervention and climate change, and for ocean protection and conservation.

World Ocean Radio provides coverage of a broad spectrum of ocean issues from science and education to advocacy and exemplary projects. World Ocean Radio, a project of the World Ocean Observatory, is a weekly series of five-minute audio essays available for syndicated use at no cost by college and community radio stations worldwide.

Two Steps Forward in a Changing Climate

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Thu, 02 Nov 2023 11:00:00 -0400

This week on World Ocean Radio are two forward-looking government-proposed initiatives that offer opportunities for progress in climate policy, investment, resiliency and sustainability. The first is Bridgetown 2.0, proposed by the Prime Minister of Barbados, to urge UN member states to consider an ambitious finance-driven program of climate-change response and implementation; the second is an ambitious climate commitment by the State of California to reach 100% carbon-free by 2045, as part of their proven commitment to environmental protection and action.

About World Ocean Radio
Peter Neill, Director of the World Ocean Observatory and host of World Ocean Radio, provides coverage of a broad spectrum of ocean issues from science and education to advocacy and exemplary projects. World Ocean Radio, a project of the World Ocean Observatory, is a weekly series of five-minute audio essays available for syndicated use at no cost by college and community radio stations worldwide.

Insurance in a New Climate Era

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Wed, 18 Oct 2023 13:00:00 -0400

We are aware of the key role played by insurance, more so as we face increasing events of extreme weather destruction. Government agencies are signaling policy and coverage shifts, and there is a growing realization that existing policies and programs are not adequate to the new realities. Insurance is fundamental yet largely invisible until it is not there, and may be the driving force toward necessary change for the future.

Megaphonics: Ocean Communication Heroes

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Thu, 12 Oct 2023 12:00:00 -0400

This week on World Ocean Radio we're talking about the megaphonics of ocean communications. How do we as communicators break through? How do we create messaging that resonates and reaches the millions of citizens whose lives are so dependent on the ocean’s bounty? We highlight two ocean heroes, Dr. Sylvia Earle and Sir David Attenborough, whose quiet successes have combined to reach millions worldwide.

About World Ocean Radio
Peter Neill, Director of the World Ocean Observatory and host of World Ocean Radio, provides coverage of a broad spectrum of ocean issues from science and education to advocacy and exemplary projects. World Ocean Radio, a project of the World Ocean Observatory, is a weekly series of five-minute audio essays available for syndicated use at no cost by college and community radio stations worldwide.

Ocean Storytelling

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Thu, 05 Oct 2023 12:00:00 -0400

This week on World Ocean Radio host Peter Neill talks about the power of storytelling and the vast catalog of tales of adventure, sailors, song, battle, Captain's logs, letters home, and more that tell the stories of our ocean culture and civilization.

About World Ocean Radio
Peter Neill, Director of the World Ocean Observatory and host of World Ocean Radio, provides coverage of a broad spectrum of ocean issues from science and education to advocacy and exemplary projects. World Ocean Radio, a project of the World Ocean Observatory, is a weekly series of five-minute audio essays available for syndicated use at no cost by college and community radio stations worldwide.

Change Is In the Details

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Wed, 27 Sep 2023 15:00:00 -0400

This week on World Ocean Radio we're discussing a topic close to our home waters in Maine: the dispute between the lobster fishery and environmentalists over gear modification and the entanglement of migrating right whales. And we highlight the Maine Coast Fisherman's Association who recently addressed the US House of Representatives to discuss amendment to the Farm Bill that would extend those bill's advantages and opportunities to fisheries and marine coastal development.

https://worldoceanobservatory.org/wor/change-details

Rescue, part 33: A Personal Call to Action

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Wed, 20 Sep 2023 15:00:00 -0400

This week on World Ocean Radio we wrap up the 33-part RESCUE series with a a checklist of steps and questions for a practical, personal plan and strategy to embrace the transformational change required to sustain the deteriorating world ocean.

About World Ocean Radio
Peter Neill, Director of the World Ocean Observatory and host of World Ocean Radio, provides coverage of a broad spectrum of ocean issues from science and education to advocacy and exemplary projects. World Ocean Radio, a project of the World Ocean Observatory, is a weekly series of five-minute audio essays available for syndicated use at no cost by college and community radio stations worldwide.

Rescue, part 32: World Ocean Ethos

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Wed, 13 Sep 2023 13:00:00 -0400

This week on World Ocean Radio we are discussing the means to accelerate the urgent response required to visualize, plan, and implement for a new ocean future. ETHOS is defined as the spirit of a culture, era, or community as manifested in its beliefs and aspirations."

About World Ocean Radio
Peter Neill, Director of the World Ocean Observatory and host of World Ocean Radio, provides coverage of a broad spectrum of ocean issues from science and education to advocacy and exemplary projects. World Ocean Radio, a project of the World Ocean Observatory, is a weekly series of five-minute audio essays available for syndicated use at no cost by college and community radio stations worldwide.

See the entire RESCUE series under the SOLUTIONS banner.

Oceanic Feeling

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Thu, 07 Sep 2023 16:00:00 -0400

In this episode of World Ocean Radio host Peter Neill reflects on a landscape of special importance to him on the coast of Iceland, and the ways that the experience of visiting it for the first time shaped his future and his dedication to sharing the meaning of the ocean with others, and to its contributions for the health and welfare of us all.

Do you prefer the written word? Visit Medium.com/@TheW2O.

About World Ocean Radio
Peter Neill, Director of the World Ocean Observatory and host of World Ocean Radio, provides coverage of a broad spectrum of ocean issues from science and education to advocacy and exemplary projects. World Ocean Radio is a weekly series of five-minute audio essays available for syndicated use at no cost by college and community radio stations worldwide.

World Ocean Culture

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Thu, 31 Aug 2023 18:00:00 -0400

This week on the RESCUE series we're continuing our discussion of the water cycle and the ways it defines our cultural identity from global to local. We are surrounded by evidence of our cultural ocean: we see it at all shores both fresh and salt, we see it the location of our settlements, in our bridges and dams, in fishing vessels and practices, in ports, and so much more. In this episode we'll explore these myriad connections in depth.

Rescue, part 30: Water and World Ocean Health

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Wed, 23 Aug 2023 12:00:00 -0400

We are nearing the end of the RESCUE series. This week, in its 30th edition, we're talking about water: the well-spring of world ocean health and the essential natural system that sustains us all, thus its protection and sustainability are the key strategy for RESCUE.

About World Ocean Radio
Peter Neill, Director of the World Ocean Observatory and host of World Ocean Radio, provides coverage of a broad spectrum of ocean issues from science and education to advocacy and exemplary projects. World Ocean Radio, a project of the World Ocean Observatory, is a weekly series of five-minute audio essays available for syndicated use at no cost by college and community radio stations worldwide.

See the entire RESCUE series under the SOLUTIONS banner.

RESCUE, part 29: Trans-Generational Urgency

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Wed, 16 Aug 2023 16:00:00 -0400

We are nearing the end of the 33-part RESCUE series. This week we turn our attention to the young people around the world that are approaching outdated conventions with resilience and resolve. Thousands upon thousands of youth activists are having their voices heard and their calls to action heeded. We must reinforce their resolve, their commitment and their acceptance of RESCUE: R for renewal; E for environment; S for society; C for collaboration; U for understanding; and E for engagement.

World Ocean Radio provides coverage of a broad spectrum of ocean issues from science and education to advocacy and exemplary projects. A project of the World Ocean Observatory, World Ocean Radio is a weekly series of five-minute audio essays available for syndicated use at no cost by college and community radio stations worldwide.

RESCUE, part 28: A Transformational Tool for Ocean Literacy

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Wed, 09 Aug 2023 12:00:00 -0400

This week we continue the multi-part RESCUE series with a highlight of the World Ocean Explorer virtual aquarium project of the W2O, an innovative tool by which to present responsible science, innovative education, and a unique virtual experience freely accessible to all. For further information, to promote and support, please visit worldoceanexplorer.org. Dive deep, share with your children and grandchildren, and spread the word.

RESCUE as an acronym offers a plan for specific action and public participation: Renewal, Environment, Society, Collaboration, Understanding, and Engagement.

About World Ocean Radio Peter Neill, Director of the World Ocean Observatory and host of World Ocean Radio, provides coverage of a broad spectrum of ocean issues from science and education to advocacy and exemplary projects. World Ocean Radio, a project of the World Ocean Observatory, is a weekly series of five-minute audio essays available for syndicated use at no cost by college and community radio stations worldwide.

RESCUE, part 27: How to Advance Ocean Literacy

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Wed, 02 Aug 2023 17:00:00 -0400

This week on World Ocean Radio we continue the RESCUE series with recommendations to further protect the ocean--by building ocean literacy into every level of education and action around the world.

RESCUE, part 26: The Missing Links--Education and Communication

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Wed, 19 Jul 2023 16:00:00 -0400

This week we continue the multi-part RESCUE series with a shift from suggestions for change to analysis and observation of those things that are missing from the equation--namely ocean education and communication. And we assert that the need for ocean literacy has never been more important, and that we must consider ocean understanding as the key factor that enables communication and informs responsible decisions regarding the sustainable use of ocean systems and resources. RESCUE as an acronym offers a plan for specific action and public participation: Renewal, Environment, Society, Collaboration, Understanding, and Engagement.

About World Ocean Radio
Peter Neill, Director of the World Ocean Observatory and host of World Ocean Radio, provides coverage of a broad spectrum of ocean issues from science and education to advocacy and exemplary projects. World Ocean Radio, a project of the World Ocean Observatory, is a weekly series of five-minute audio essays available for syndicated use at no cost by college and community radio stations worldwide.

A Night Sky

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Thu, 13 Jul 2023 12:00:00 -0400

This week on World Ocean Radio we are re-broadcasting an episode in which we look to the night sky, to ponder the wonder contained therein, and to explore the danger of polluting it forever in the name of modern navigation and instant communications worldwide.

RESCUE, part 25: How to Transform the Ocean Apparat

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Wed, 05 Jul 2023 13:00:00 -0400

This week we continue the multi-part RESCUE series with a proposed solution to advance successful connection and communication within and with those who fund and communicate ocean programs and projects. RESCUE as an acronym offers a plan for specific action and public participation: Renewal, Environment, Society, Collaboration, Understanding, and Engagement.

About World Ocean Radio
5-minute weekly insights dive into ocean science, advocacy and education hosted by Peter Neill, lifelong ocean advocate and maritime expert. Episodes offer perspectives on global ocean issues and viable solutions, and celebrate exemplary projects. Available for syndicated use at no cost by college and community radio stations worldwide.

Image
NOAA Photo Library OAR
National Undersea Research Program (NURP)

RESCUE, part 24: Ocean Finance Reform: Step by Step

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Wed, 28 Jun 2023 15:00:00 -0400

This week we continue the multi-part RESCUE series by listing some of the most critical changes and improvements required to create a new, sustainable ocean economy--in essence a checklist for step-by-step actions toward future governance, regulation and investment in the world ocean.

RESCUE as an acronym offers a plan for specific action and public participation: Renewal, Environment, Society, Collaboration, Understanding, and Engagement.

RESCUE, part 23: Financial Instruments for a New Ocean Ethos

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Wed, 21 Jun 2023 16:00:00 -0400

This week on World Ocean Radio as part of the multi-part RESCUE series we revisit the concept of ecosystem services accounting and propose that, in order to create a culture of investment for our future, we must apply energy, imagination and innovation to enable transition and success. RESCUE as an acronym offers a plan for specific action and public participation: Renewal, Environment, Society, Collaboration, Understanding, and Engagement.

About World Ocean Radio
World Ocean Radio offers 5-minute weekly insights dive into ocean science, advocacy and education hosted by Peter Neill, lifelong ocean advocate and maritime expert. Episodes offer perspectives on global ocean issues and viable solutions, and celebrate exemplary projects. Available for syndicated use at no cost by college and community radio stations worldwide.

RESCUE, part 22: What is Net Zero?

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Wed, 14 Jun 2023 14:00:00 -0400

The multi-part RESCUE series continues this week with a discussion of the reality of carbon offsets, corporate accounting, and the concept of net zero. In this episode we lay out three paths forward toward a sustainable future: 1. remove subsidies 2. embrace renewable alternatives and 3. shift funds and banks to these options. RESCUE as an acronym offers a plan for specific action and public participation: Renewal, Environment, Society, Collaboration, Understanding, and Engagement.

Ecosystem Services Accounting: An Example

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Wed, 31 May 2023 15:00:00 -0400

This week the multi-part RESCUE series continues with a hypothetical tale of investment, manufacture and accounting, and the financial analyses of both sides of the balance sheet: the initial investments and benefits to investors and the long-term debits of extraction, public health, emissions, downstream effect, and what is left behind. What would project proposal budgets look like if all near and long-term costs were included? Would projects be viable and approvable? How would investments, incentives, and subsidies be recalculated? Would the public approve and would such projects be feasible at all?

RESCUE as an acronym offers a plan for specific action and public participation: Renewal, Environment, Society, Collaboration, Understanding, and Engagement.

RESCUE, part 20: How to Account for an Ocean Economy

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Wed, 24 May 2023 11:00:00 -0400

This week the multi-part RESCUE series continues with a breakdown of a 2020 Report by the World Resource Institute High Level Panel for Sustainable Ocean Economy that offered some revised definitions and pathways toward a more sustainable future, including three fundamental questions as a framework for change: 1. How will a decision change the wealth on an ocean balance sheet, including all produced assets? 2. How will a decision change net national income or welfare, and how will those changes be distributed between different groups of people? and 3. How will the decision change ocean-based economic production and create new means to achieve social and economic goals?

RESCUE, part 19: Valuing Ecosystem Services

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Wed, 17 May 2023 15:00:00 -0400

This week the multi-part RESCUE series continues with a call for a new valuation of ecosystem services and natural resources that reflects the true costs of goods, services and ecosystem functions inclusive to habitat, food, water, regulation and recycling that serve human populations now and in the future.

RESCUE as an acronym offers a plan for specific action and public participation: Renewal, Environment, Society, Collaboration, Understanding, and Engagement.

RESCUE, part 18: Opportunity for Ocean Finance

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Wed, 10 May 2023 09:00:00 -0400

This week the multi-part RESCUE series continues with a turn toward the topic of finance. This episode lays out a plan for future editions that focuses on examples that calculate the value of the ocean including ecosystems services, accounting and practices that calculate the value of goods and services, accounting of measured growth, and public acceptance of some the changes required to transform the world we live in.

RESCUE as an acronym offers a plan for specific action and public participation: Renewal, Environment, Society, Collaboration, Understanding, and Engagement.

RESCUE, part 17: Technology and the Ocean Pharmacopeia

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Wed, 03 May 2023 16:00:00 -0400

This week the multi-part RESCUE series continues with an examination of familiar products derived from the ocean that we use to support our ways of life, our well-being and our health: from vitamins and supplements to pain and cancer treatments. And we discuss the future of exploration and exploitation of resources as the bio-prospecting rush heats up. How are we regulating extraction from the ocean and seafloor? Who owns the proprietary rights to marine resources, and what criteria are applied to protect biodiversity, ocean ecosystems and future resource potential to revolutionize medicine and treat disease?

About World Ocean Radio
5-minute weekly insights dive into ocean science, advocacy and education hosted by Peter Neill, lifelong ocean advocate and maritime expert. Episodes offer perspectives on global ocean issues and viable solutions, and celebrate exemplary projects. Available for syndicated use at no cost by college and community radio stations worldwide.

RESCUE, part 16: Technology and Ocean Farming

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Wed, 26 Apr 2023 14:00:00 -0400

This week the multi-part RESCUE series continues with an advancement of the sub-theme of technology. We're talking about the pitfalls of modern agriculture, examples of sustainable fisheries, and the innovative ways that we might farm the marine environment that positively impact human health and have a regenerative, sustainable response to our harvest and use. RESCUE as an acronym offers a plan for specific action and public participation: Renewal, Environment, Society, Collaboration, Understanding, and Engagement.

RESCUE, part 15: Technology Food and Health

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Thu, 20 Apr 2023 13:00:00 -0400

This week we continue the multi-part RESCUE series with the topic of seafood consumption. While more than 3 billion people worldwide rely on wild-caught and farmed seafood as a significant source of animal protein, unsustainable and illegally caught seafood harvest threatens a major health crisis if we do not confront the issue through regulation and enforcement of best practice, change in social behavior and consumption, and new technological innovations toward a sustainable future.

RESCUE, part 14: Technology and Climate Action

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Wed, 12 Apr 2023 10:00:00 -0400

This week we continue the multi-part RESCUE series with an outline of the four technological focus areas of the recently announced Ocean Climate Action Plan, the organizing connection of which is technology. Guiding the actions of the plan are a commitment to be responsible stewards of a healthy and sustainable ocean, to advance environmental justice and engage with all communities, and to coordinate action across governments.

RESCUE, part 13: The Democratization of Technology

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Wed, 05 Apr 2023 12:00:00 -0400

This week we continue the multi-part RESCUE series with defined programs and relationships that apply technologies toward public good, such as a universal grid system, battery generation and storage, desalination, and better understanding of natural systems and our relationship to them. RESCUE as an acronym offers a plan for specific action and public participation: Renewal, Environment, Society, Collaboration, Understanding, and Engagement.

RESCUE, part 12: Technological Innovation

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Wed, 05 Apr 2023 11:00:00 -0400

This week we continue the multi-part RESCUE series with a discussion of alternative energy solutions, battery technology, geothermal energy production, and the adaptation of existing at-sea platforms and rigs to capture energy from the ocean as a less-polluting, renewed, refit utility, taking an old technology and transforming it into a new solution for our energy future. RESCUE as an acronym offers a plan for specific action and public participation: Renewal, Environment, Society, Collaboration, Understanding, and Engagement.

RESCUE, part 11: Earth Law

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Wed, 22 Mar 2023 15:00:00 -0400

This week we continue the multi-part RESCUE series with a discussion of Earth law, a framework built upon the idea that ecosystems have the right to exist and thrive, and that Nature should be able to defend those rights in court. Can we ratify a collective treaty toward the protection of Nature? RESCUE as an acronym offers a plan for specific action and public participation: Renewal, Environment, Society, Collaboration, Understanding, and Engagement.

RESCUE, part 10: UNCLOS and Biological Diversity

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Wed, 15 Mar 2023 12:00:00 -0400

This week we continue the multi-part RESCUE series with a continuation of UNCLOS, the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. In early March, the UN finalized a consensus agreement to work toward the conservation and protection of ocean resources and ecosystems. RESCUE as an acronym offers a plan for specific action and public participation: Renewal, Environment, Society, Collaboration, Understanding, and Engagement.

RESCUE, part 9: UNCLOS, A Plan in Hand

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Wed, 08 Mar 2023 15:00:00 -0500

This week we continue the multi-part RESCUE series with a highlight of UNCLOS, the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, a major example of a far-reaching universal agreement that was drafted in 1982 and ratified in 1984. At the recent Davos gathering, a call to overhaul the UNCLOS instrument of ocean protection went largely unheeded. Who will be willing to step up and redress priorities to conserve and sustain the ocean? RESCUE as an acronym offers a plan for specific action and public participation: Renewal, Environment, Society, Collaboration, Understanding, and Engagement.

About World Ocean Radio
5-minute weekly insights dive into ocean science, advocacy and education hosted by Peter Neill, lifelong ocean advocate and maritime expert. Episodes offer perspectives on global ocean issues and viable solutions, and celebrate exemplary projects. Available for syndicated use at no cost by college and community radio stations worldwide.

RESCUE, part 8: Policy Applied

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Tue, 28 Feb 2023 10:00:00 -0500

This week we continue the multi-part RESCUE series with a highlight of two policies--the Antarctic Treaty and the Hamilton Agreement for the Sargasso Sea--that are working to successfully engage parties and members and maintain oversight for ocean and ecosystem conservation. RESCUE as an acronym offers a plan for specific action and public participation: Renewal, Environment, Society, Collaboration, Understanding, and Engagement.

RESCUE, part 7: Policy That Works

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Wed, 22 Feb 2023 10:00:00 -0500

This week we continue the multi-part RESCUE series by featuring some successful initiatives and ocean progress, with examples of policies related to Marine Protected Areas that are working and thriving. RESCUE as an acronym offers a plan for specific action and public participation: Renewal, Environment, Society, Collaboration, Understanding, and Engagement.

RESCUE, part 6: The Fallacy of Consensus

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Wed, 15 Feb 2023 12:00:00 -0500

This week we continue the multi-part RESCUE series with a conversation about consensus, a policy-making tool that has historically served to progress issues forward. In this episode we argue that, in light of recent conversations and outcomes from COP27 and Davos, consensus may have become diluted, compromised and corrupted. What's next? Might it be time for bottom-up collective action and social invention? RESCUE as an acronym offers a plan for specific action and public participation: Renewal, Environment, Society, Collaboration, Understanding, and Engagement.

RESCUE, Part 5: Policy

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Wed, 08 Feb 2023 10:00:00 -0500

This week we continue the multi-part RESCUE series with a discussion about ocean policy and the myriad organizations and initiatives around the world developing guidelines that inform decisions, rules and laws for the ocean future. RESCUE as an acronym offers a plan for specific action and public participation: Renewal, Environment, Society, Collaboration, Understanding, and Engagement.

RESCUE, part 4: The Fallacy of Denial

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Wed, 01 Feb 2023 17:00:00 -0500

This week we continue the multi-part RESCUE series with observations about the climate future and our relationship to facts and truth, the spread of misinformation, the belief in and skepticism of science, denial, inaction, and vested interest in the status quo. If we are to enact the changes required to move toward a more sustainable climate future, how do we, collectively, turn toward acceptance of scientific fact and affirmation of a new world view? RESCUE as an acronym offers a plan for specific action and public participation: Renewal, Environment, Society, Collaboration, Understanding, and Engagement.

About World Ocean Radio
5-minute weekly insights dive into ocean science, advocacy and education hosted by Peter Neill, lifelong ocean advocate and maritime expert. Episodes offer perspectives on global ocean issues and viable solutions, and celebrate exemplary projects. Available for syndicated use at no cost by college and community radio stations worldwide.

RESCUE, part 3: Observation and Science

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Thu, 26 Jan 2023 11:00:00 -0500

This week we continue the multi-part RESCUE series with a call for better communications of ocean science: translation, packaging, distribution and presentation to the millions around the world who live by and rely on the ocean for survival. The RESCUE series is outlining a new plan for the ocean and a new perspective to enable a new set of actions for the future.

About World Ocean Radio
5-minute weekly insights dive into ocean science, advocacy and education hosted by Peter Neill, lifelong ocean advocate and maritime expert. Episodes offer perspectives on global ocean issues and viable solutions, and celebrate exemplary projects. Available for syndicated use at no cost by college and community radio stations worldwide.

RESCUE, part 2: Ocean Science Imperative

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Thu, 19 Jan 2023 14:00:00 -0500

This week on World Ocean Radio, part two of a multi-part series entitled RESCUE, outlining a new plan for the ocean and a new perspective to enable a new set of actions for the future of the ocean. In this episode we argue that science and technology are our best tools and the imperative foundation for any future ocean plan.

RESCUE, part 1

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Thu, 12 Jan 2023 12:00:00 -0500

This week on World Ocean Radio, part one of a multi-part series entitled RESCUE, outlining a new plan for the ocean and a new perspective to enable a new set of actions: from the smallest to the largest solutions and inventions, to radical methods and policy changes for a sustainable future. RESCUE, a plan for specific action and public participation, stands for: Renewal, Environment, Society, Collaboration, Understanding, and Engagement.

About World Ocean Radio
5-minute weekly insights dive into ocean science, advocacy and education hosted by Peter Neill, lifelong ocean advocate and maritime expert. Episodes offer perspectives on global ocean issues and viable solutions, and celebrate exemplary projects. Available for syndicated use at no cost by college and community radio stations worldwide.

Year Out, Year In

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Thu, 05 Jan 2023 10:00:00 -0500

This week on World Ocean Radio we lay the groundwork for a new and upcoming multi-part series--RESCUE--outlining a new plan for the ocean and a new perspective to enable a new set of actions: from the smallest to the largest solutions and inventions, to radical methods and policy changes for a sustainable future.

Holiday Episode: A Reading of At the Fishhouses

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Thu, 29 Dec 2022 07:00:00 -0500

Our annual gift to World Ocean Radio listeners. In this episode, host Peter Neill reads "At the Fishhouses" by Elizabeth Bishop, a poem from 1955 that distills Bishop's seaside meditations and evokes the clarity of meaning contained in personal encounters with the ocean. A favorite of ours, with profound relevance for the New Year. Please enjoy.

About World Ocean Radio
A weekly audio broadcast of five-minute essays covering a broad spectrum of ocean issues from science and education to advocacy and exemplary projects. World Ocean Radio, a project of the World Ocean Observatory is available for syndicated use at no cost by college and community radio stations worldwide. Contact director@thew2o.net if you are interested in becoming an affiliate or know of a radio station that should be broadcasting these episodes each week.

Christmas at Sea

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Wed, 21 Dec 2022 15:00:00 -0500

This week on World Ocean Radio we have a special seasonal reading of "Christmas at Sea", an evocative poem by Robert Louis Stevenson written in 1883. Stevenson, the son of a lighthouse engineer, had intimate knowledge of extreme weather, storms, and especially nor'westers. Merry Christmas to all from the World Ocean Observatory.

The Ocean and Religious Doctrine

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Wed, 14 Dec 2022 15:00:00 -0500

This week we're examining religious beliefs around the world and religious commitment to the ocean and to the protection of natural resources, and reading from various doctrinal statements by leaders of the major religions of the world that pertain to ocean and water.

What COP 27 Might Have Been

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Thu, 08 Dec 2022 14:00:00 -0500

In this episode we provide three examples of initiatives, proposals and financial solutions that could change the shape of our climate future, including the Bridgetown Initiative by Mia Amor Mottley, the Prime Minister of Barbados, whose radical plan lays out specific actions to reform the global financial architecture to respond to the critical impacts of climate. Each of the initiatives discussed were cautiously embraced by world leaders and the status quo. Is change possible? What will it take?

About World Ocean Radio
5-minute weekly insights dive into ocean science, advocacy and education hosted by Peter Neill, lifelong ocean advocate and maritime expert. Episodes offer perspectives on global ocean issues and viable solutions, and celebrate exemplary projects. Available for syndicated use at no cost by college and community radio stations worldwide.

COP 27 Implementation Plan

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Wed, 30 Nov 2022 14:00:00 -0500

The 27th Conference of the Parties (COP 27) closed recently in Egypt. Reactions to outcomes of the climate change conference have been mixed, and the Sharm el-Sheikh Implementation Plan, which should have provided a comprehensive outline for concrete action, read more as a description of aspiration and suggestion: a plan to plan to plan a plan. Should we have expected more?

COP27

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Wed, 23 Nov 2022 12:00:00 -0500

This week on World Ocean Radio we're discussing COP27, the annual Conference of the Parties, that took place this year in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. What should we expect for outcomes of the conference? Empty pledges and resolutions unmet? Or will actionable, lasting national commitments be forthcoming and methane emissions at last curtailed? The truth will be in the details.

Desert Reflections

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Thu, 17 Nov 2022 14:00:00 -0500

This week on World Ocean Radio host Peter Neill reflects on a recent trip to Egypt, a dry desert land in the heart of Africa, the civilizations of which are clustered along the Nile, the longest river in the world. The desertification on display there offers clues to universal threats and our climate future: freshwater disruption, loss of land and wetland, urbanization, saltwater intrusion, and rising temperatures.

A Minister for the Ocean

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Wed, 09 Nov 2022 14:00:00 -0500

How do we govern the ocean? This week on World Ocean Radio we introduce a concept that advocates for a centralized Ministry for the Ocean, a voice at the highest level of government to champion for ocean policy and protection.

Hurricane Ian

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Fri, 04 Nov 2022 14:00:00 -0400

This week on World Ocean Radio we're discussing the harsh realities of 21st century storms in the face of climate change: hurricanes more powerful, more destructive, and more impactful on our ways of life. And we're asking, what will we pay if we continue to deny the realities of our climate challenges, and when will we accept responsibility for such disasters now and into the future?

A Natural Capital Revolution

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Wed, 26 Oct 2022 11:00:00 -0400

This week on World Ocean Radio we're discussing an Executive Order entitled "Change in Natural Asset Wealth" signed by US President Joe Biden on Earth Day in April 2022, and the recommendations laid out in the 15-year plan that will measure economic value of natural resources, recognizing that a robust economy depends on a healthy natural environment.

About World Ocean Radio
5-minute weekly insights dive into ocean science, advocacy and education hosted by Peter Neill, lifelong ocean advocate and maritime expert. Episodes offer perspectives on global ocean issues and viable solutions, and celebrate exemplary projects. Available for syndicated use at no cost by college and community radio stations worldwide.

Implications of Arctic Ice Melt

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Wed, 19 Oct 2022 16:00:00 -0400

This week on World Ocean Radio host Peter Neill shares observations from a recent trip to Greenland in collaboration with the Arctic Futures Institute. While visiting the four major coastal towns along the western coast, the melting glaciers that cover most of Greenland were dramatically visible. In this episode he discusses the several consequences of climate change and the rapid loss of sea ice.

About World Ocean Radio
5-minute weekly insights dive into ocean science, advocacy and education hosted by Peter Neill, lifelong ocean advocate and maritime expert. Episodes offer perspectives on global ocean issues and viable solutions, and celebrate exemplary projects. Available for syndicated use at no cost by college and community radio stations worldwide.

The Nord Stream Line

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Wed, 12 Oct 2022 13:00:00 -0400

This week on World Ocean Radio we discuss the disruption and potential sabotage of the Nord Stream Line, the underwater natural gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea and North Atlantic that connect Poland to Norway, causing enormous leaks of methane within the ocean and atmosphere. Who did this and why? And what does it mean for future disruptions of its kind that could affect all of us here on Earth?

Reinventing Canals

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Fri, 07 Oct 2022 13:00:00 -0400

This week on World Ocean Radio we're talking about the circulation of water worldwide, and the importance of canals and waterways to bring us together and sustain us into the future.

Sovereignty and the Ocean

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Thu, 29 Sep 2022 11:00:00 -0400

This week on World Ocean Radio we're offering two extremely important ocean examples where the opposition of sovereignty and commonality collide. This first is the UN Treaty for the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), and the second is a treaty for the management of the high seas and seabed--the vast areas that make up the boundaries beyond national jurisdiction.

New Ocean Challenges

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Wed, 21 Sep 2022 11:00:00 -0400

This week on World Ocean Radio: a summary of fifteen new ocean challenges as identified by the conclusions of thirty conservation experts around the world, published in a July 2022 report in the journal "Nature Ecology and Evolution."

A Plan for Plastic, part two

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Thu, 15 Sep 2022 13:00:00 -0400

This week, part two of a two-part series laying out steps with examples that represent a coherent and provocative way forward toward a plastic-free future. In this episode we discuss the list of specific recommendations from the Pew Foundation / SYSTEMIQ Report, actions to redress the plastic pollution crisis--in effect a coherent Plan for Plastic.

A Plan for Plastic, part one

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Thu, 08 Sep 2022 15:00:00 -0400

A new analysis by The Pew Charitable Trusts, in association with SYSTEMIQ, finds that without immediate and sustained action, the annual flow of plastic into the world ocean could nearly triple by 2040. The study also identifies solutions that could cut this volume by more than 80% if we use technologies available today and if key decision-makers are willing to make the changes required. This week and next on World Ocean Radio we are laying out steps with examples that represent a coherent and provocative way forward toward a plastic-free future. Part one of a two-part series.

World Ocean Radio 5-minute weekly insights dive into ocean science, advocacy and education hosted by Peter Neill, lifelong ocean advocate and maritime expert. Episodes offer perspectives on global ocean issues and viable solutions, and celebrate exemplary projects. Available for syndicated use at no cost by college and community radio stations worldwide.

Healing Wounds with Fish

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Wed, 31 Aug 2022 13:00:00 -0400

This summer we are revisiting some of our favorite World Ocean Radio episodes that highlight optimism for the ocean. This week we are discussing an innovative company in Iceland that has developed a product from fatty acid-rich fish skin to treat chronic wounds so that new skin can grow. Called Omega 3 Wound and developed by Kerecis Limited, this FDA-approved skin is grafted onto damaged human tissue such as a burn or a diabetic wound, and is ultimately converted into living tissue. This product illustrates the capacity to use 100% of the fish, thereby maximizing the value of the catch and accelerating economic opportunity around the globe.

About World Ocean Radio
5-minute weekly insights dive into ocean science, advocacy and education hosted by Peter Neill, lifelong ocean advocate and maritime expert. Episodes offer perspectives on global ocean issues and viable solutions, and celebrate exemplary projects. Available for syndicated use at no cost by college and community radio stations worldwide.

Synergy in Ocean Innovation

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Tue, 23 Aug 2022 13:00:00 -0400

This summer we are revisiting some of our favorite World Ocean Radio episodes that highlight optimism for the ocean. In this episode we discuss two examples of innovative practices and their relationships to each another: 1. ocean research and data collection and the connection to geothermal energy generation, and 2. offshore wind energy and its relationship to desalination plants and the energy required to operate.

Catalogue of Life and the Ocean

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Wed, 17 Aug 2022 15:00:00 -0400

This summer we are revisiting some of our favorite World Ocean Radio episodes that highlight optimism for the ocean. In this episode we highlight The Catalogue of Life, an online database of the world's known species of animals, plants, fungi and micro-organisms. It holds the essential information on the names, relationships and distributions of over 1.8 million species worldwide, helping to address the concerns of sustainability and biodiversity on our fast-changing planet.

Resource from this Episode
The Catalogue of Life is an online database that provides the world’s most comprehensive and authoritative index of known species of animals, plants, fungi and micro-organisms. It was created in 2001 as a partnership between the global Species 2000 and the American Integrated Taxonomic Information System and is a system that is maintained by hundreds of global taxonomists. Online at catalogueoflife.org.

Valuing Cultural Resources

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Wed, 10 Aug 2022 12:00:00 -0400

This summer we are revisiting some of our favorite World Ocean Radio episodes that highlight optimism for the ocean. This week we outline the myriad ways that UNESCO World Heritage sites both on land and at sea are an essential part of a strategy to conserve and protect the ocean’s vast contributions to our scientific knowledge, and their importance for our cultural history, for protection, conservation, diversity, sustainability, survivability, and as treasured pieces of our cultural heritage, connecting us all for generations to come.

About World Ocean Radio
World Ocean Radio is a weekly series of five-minute audio essays available for syndicated use at no cost by college and community radio stations worldwide. Peter Neill, Director of the World Ocean Observatory and host of World Ocean Radio, provides coverage of a broad spectrum of ocean issues from science and education to advocacy and exemplary projects.

Ocean Visualization: Changing the Way We See the World

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Thu, 04 Aug 2022 12:00:00 -0400

This summer we are revisiting some of our favorite World Ocean Radio episodes that highlight optimism for the ocean. This week we're discussing visualization as a powerful tool for understanding beyond data, opening our minds and enabling transformative change through a new way of seeing. The Spilhaus World Ocean Map, a projection of earth centered on Antarctica, makes the ocean the focus of an astonishing worldview, pushing the land to the outer edges of the square and re-organizing our global geography around the true natural systems of the world ocean.

About World Ocean Radio
World Ocean Radio is a weekly series of five-minute audio essays available for syndicated use at no cost by college and community radio stations worldwide. Peter Neill, Director of the World Ocean Observatory and host of World Ocean Radio, provides coverage of a broad spectrum of ocean issues from science and education to advocacy and exemplary projects.

Earth Overshoot Day 2022

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Wed, 27 Jul 2022 12:00:00 -0400

Earth Overshoot Day marks the date when humanity consumes from Nature more than the planet can provide, either as natural or renewable resources in a year. In 2022, Earth Overshoot Day falls on July 28th, showing the start reality that we are living far beyond Nature's means to sustain our growing demands.

About World Ocean Radio
World Ocean Radio is a weekly series of five-minute audio essays available for syndicated use at no cost by college and community radio stations worldwide. Peter Neill, Director of the World Ocean Observatory and host of World Ocean Radio, provides coverage of a broad spectrum of ocean issues from science and education to advocacy and exemplary projects.

Seagrass in Tampa Bay

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Wed, 13 Jul 2022 11:00:00 -0400

This summer we are revisiting some of our favorite World Ocean Radio episodes that highlight optimism in ocean news, science and advocacy. In this episode we're highlighting Tampa Bay, Florida, whose revival of seagrass and cleaner waters have served as an example of engagement, cooperation, determination, and leadership. What can be learned from this success in order to meet environmental challenges and solve today’s problems?

Protecting Our Ocean

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Wed, 06 Jul 2022 12:00:00 -0400

This summer we are revisiting some of our favorite World Ocean Radio episodes highlighting optimism in ocean news, science and advocacy. In this episode we discuss marine protected areas and their importance to biodiversity and to the mitigation of climate change and other destructive forces at work on the planet.

Ocean Mapping

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Wed, 29 Jun 2022 09:00:00 -0400

This summer we are revisiting some of our favorite World Ocean Radio episodes that highlight optimism in ocean news, science and advocacy. In this episode we discuss the need for more funding and energy directed toward the still largely unknown ocean, and the importance of scientific endeavor and observation, and we highlight the General Bathymetric Chart for the Oceans (GEBCO), a project dedicated to completing the full mapping of the world ocean by 2030.

World Ocean Radio provides coverage of a broad spectrum of ocean issues from science and education to advocacy and exemplary projects; it is a weekly series of five-minute audio essays available for syndicated use at no cost by college and community radio stations worldwide.

Billion Oyster Project

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Wed, 22 Jun 2022 10:00:00 -0400

This summer we are revisiting some of our favorite World Ocean episodes that highlight optimism in ocean news, science and advocacy. In this episode we're talking about the history of oysters, New York Harbor, and the Harbor School—an innovative high school on Governor’s Island in New York City, highlighting their Billion Oyster Project, designed to revive the defunct oyster populations through an ambitious goal of restoring no less than one billion oysters to New York harbor. Harbor School's restorative ecosystem service activities are reconnecting the harbor to the 30 million people living within its vast urban watershed.

World Ocean Radio provides coverage of a broad spectrum of ocean issues from science and education to advocacy and exemplary projects; it is a weekly series of five-minute audio essays available for syndicated use at no cost by college and community radio stations worldwide.

New Ocean Finance

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Wed, 15 Jun 2022 12:00:00 -0400

We have focused the last few World Ocean Radio episodes on the value of ecosystems, how we assess, monetize and protect with new practices that are constructive and sustainable. How do we move forward? This week we are discussing potential approaches that include protection of resources and new regulations against abuse and irresponsible consumption, and we propose expanding the Global Environment Facility (GEF), a multi-lateral trust fund, to include a new ocean sustainability bank that incentivizes change and lends funds based on sustainability principles and a new definition of return on investment.

World Ocean Radio provides coverage of a broad spectrum of ocean issues from science and education to advocacy and exemplary projects. World Ocean Radio is a weekly series of five-minute audio essays available for syndicated use at no cost by college and community radio stations worldwide.

World Oceans Day

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Tue, 07 Jun 2022 09:00:00 -0400

Each year on June 8th we celebrate World Oceans Day, a day set aside to recognize our relationship with the ocean through global connection. What is Oceans Day meant to do? Is it working? Are the voices and the will of the people translating into a voice for change toward a healthy ocean and a sustainable future?

About World Ocean Radio
Peter Neill, Director of the World Ocean Observatory and host of World Ocean Radio, provides coverage of a broad spectrum of ocean issues from science and education to advocacy and exemplary projects. World Ocean Radio is a weekly series of five-minute audio essays available for syndicated use at no cost by college and community radio stations worldwide.

Sustainable Ocean Solutions

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Wed, 01 Jun 2022 14:00:00 -0400

This week on World Ocean Radio we are discussing the work of the Sustainable Ocean Alliance and their "222 Solutions to Heal, Restore and Sustain Our Ocean". We break down the report's accomplishments, results, facts and figures. The full report can be read at impact.soalliance.org.

The Money Cycle

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Wed, 25 May 2022 14:00:00 -0400

This week on World Ocean Radio we're talking about the latest OUR OCEAN Conference in Palau and the contradiction of mangrove protection and invested monies for environmental protection interests. What happens with all the promises made at OUR OCEAN? Where does the money go? What have past commitments achieved and how are outcomes measured?

World Ocean Radio, a project of the World Ocean Observatory, is a weekly series of five-minute audio essays available for syndicated use at no cost by college and community radio stations worldwide. FMI: https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/world-ocean-radio

The Accelerating Water Cycle

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Wed, 18 May 2022 11:00:00 -0400

Climate change is accelerating change to all global systems. Do we have the power and the will to break the systemic corruption of the global water cycle and take risks to intervene and change?

World Ocean Radio is produced in association with WERU-FM in Blue Hill, Maine and is distributed worldwide by the Public Radio Exchange and the Pacifica Network.

Available for podcast download wherever you listen

Pharma Pollution

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Mon, 16 May 2022 13:00:00 -0400

Pharmaceutical pollution is as important and critical a factor for public health as microplastics and other chemical wastes that enter the water cycle, marine biota, and our bodies. A recent study by researchers at the Global Monitoring of Pharmaceuticals examined 258 rivers around the world and found that pharmaceutical pollution is contaminating water on every continent.

Taiga Syndrome

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Thu, 05 May 2022 10:00:00 -0400

Last week we discussed the vast bio-region of the Amazon River, one of the most productive and important ecosystems on the planet. This week we highlight another system--the taiga--an enormous boreal forest and wetland at the top of Canada and part of the Russian federation. Both of these systems are more valuable sustained than exploited.

Amazon Syndrome

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Wed, 27 Apr 2022 11:00:00 -0400

The Amazon is one of the most productive and important ecosystems on the planet. What will continue to be lost if we fail to protect the last great wilderness area on Earth?

World Ocean Radio is produced in association with WERU-FM in Blue Hill, Maine and is distributed worldwide by the Public Radio Exchange and the Pacifica Network.

Available for podcast download wherever you listen to your favorites.

Ocean Capitalism: Under the Guise of New

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Wed, 20 Apr 2022 12:00:00 -0400

Is economic growth antithetical to the overall health of society? This week on World Ocean Radio we discuss the concentration of capital and offer two examples of an ocean economy currently dominated by special interests, including the recent creation of Natural Asset Companies designed to turn ecosystem services into tradable commodities.

Ocean Advertising

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Thu, 14 Apr 2022 12:00:00 -0400

The biggest single problem facing ocean conversation is the lack of public awareness and political will. Public engagement efforts by agencies, institutes and NGOs are more fulsome than ever, yet the campaigns and power of those invested in the status quo to undermine the data, resist the alternatives, and misinform the public are as robust as ever. Enter The Economist Magazine--connected to more than 100 million worldwide, and their latest effort to inform the public about marine chemical pollutants. With access to such a vast audience of change agents, it is an opportunity ripe with recruitment opportunity, and an invitation for alliance and amplification.

Intergenerational Ocean Memory

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Wed, 06 Apr 2022 10:00:00 -0400

This week on World Ocean Radio we're discussing the ways we are connected through shared ocean memory and experiences. This episode offers reflections on the ocean as a healing place, where we can use its power to offer hope for generations to come.

World Water Crisis

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Thu, 24 Mar 2022 15:00:00 -0400

Millions of people worldwide do not have access to adequate water supply for drinking, cooking and basic sanitation. According to a February report, more than 3.5 billion people worldwide live in areas that experience water scarcity. This week on World Ocean Radio we're discussing the need for invention and some prospective ways forward: not just new ideas and technology, but taking what we already know and applying it differently, locally and internationally, to scale.

World Ocean Explorer: Introducing a Virtual Aquarium Project

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Wed, 16 Mar 2022 12:00:00 -0400

This week we introduce listeners to World Ocean Explorer, a new, revolutionary and immersive 3D virtual aquarium project the W2O team has been developing over the past year. Explorer is a game-based learning environment designed to promote ocean literacy and excitement for ocean exploration. Launching in late March.

How to Understand the Ocean

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Wed, 09 Mar 2022 16:00:00 -0500

This week on World Ocean Radio we're discussing the importance of ocean literacy and ocean education to transform our understanding of the ocean's contributions to human health and survival. We highlight the seven principles of Ocean Literacy and some perspectives that we can use to expand them into a set of curricular approaches that pertain to science, climate impacts and solutions for our future.

World Ocean Radio is produced in association with WERU-FM in Blue Hill, Maine and is distributed worldwide by the Public Radio Exchange and the Pacifica Network.

The Irony of Deep Ocean Water

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Tue, 01 Mar 2022 11:00:00 -0500

This week on World Ocean Radio we are discussing an emerging new phenomenon called the Global Deep Ocean Water Market and the food industry companies that are extracting salt water from the ocean depths, desalinating, trading as deep ocean water futures, and packaging for distribution and sale.

About World Ocean Radio
Peter Neill, Director of the World Ocean Observatory and host of World Ocean Radio, provides coverage of a broad spectrum of ocean issues from science and education to advocacy and exemplary projects. World Ocean Radio, a project of the World Ocean Observatory, is a weekly series of five-minute audio essays available for syndicated use at no cost by college and community radio stations worldwide.

The World Bankers

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Tue, 22 Feb 2022 13:00:00 -0500

The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund have long been the cogs turning the wheel of global economics, driving infrastructure growth and economic development while often supporting the exploitation of natural resources and ignoring the social consequences of poverty, displacement, and disruption. Some have argued that the World Bank and the IMF have outlived their purpose, no longer effective as tools for the future. This week we're discussing the Global Environment Facility (GEF), a little known agency that finances large international projects with demonstrated financial outcomes that are progressive and sustainable.

Morality and the Ocean

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Wed, 16 Feb 2022 11:00:00 -0500

This week on World Ocean Radio: reflections on the morality of nature and the ocean. How do we change the consequences of our actions, and take responsibility for what we have done to create the world we find ourselves in? Is it time for a bit of moral neutrality to return to a more accommodating, natural state?

Water Ethics Network

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Sun, 13 Feb 2022 12:00:00 -0500

This week on World Ocean Radio we're introducing listeners to the Water Ethics Charter-- recommendations from a global Water Ethics Steering Committee with draft principles for water sustainability based on five themes: environmental, economic, social, cultural, and governance.

World Ocean Radio provides coverage of a broad spectrum of ocean issues from science and education to advocacy and exemplary projects. World Ocean Radio, a project of the World Ocean Observatory, is a weekly series of five-minute audio essays available for syndicated use at no cost by college and community radio stations worldwide.

World Ocean Radio is produced in association with WERU-FM in Blue Hill, Maine and is distributed by the Public Radio Exchange and the Pacifica Network.

How to Fund Ocean Conservation

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Wed, 02 Feb 2022 13:00:00 -0500

This week on World Ocean Radio: five suggested strategies as laid out by Karl Burkart (Managing Director of One Earth and formerly the Director of Science & Technology at the DiCaprio Foundation) by which to create the funds required to meet the urgent global climate crisis.

World Ocean Radio is produced in association with WERU-FM in Blue Hill, Maine and is distributed by the Public Radio Exchange and the Pacifica Network.

The Age of Waste

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Tue, 25 Jan 2022 11:00:00 -0500

This week we're discussing the consequence of consumption. We point to a recent exhibit entitled "Waste Age: What Can Design Do?" that highlights the fusion of nature and culture and the ways that we have produced a culture of waste. How might we transform our waste into materials that can be recycled, repurposed, and reprogrammed by design? What if we choose to create a culture designed to retain and maximize the built environment rather than destroy it? How do we transform waste into something lasting and sustainable?

Legacy Plastic

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Tue, 18 Jan 2022 14:00:00 -0500

This week on World Ocean Radio we're discussing recent reporting on the impact of deteriorated plastic waste and the ways that it has invaded our waterways, our oceans and our bodies. If we never made another piece of plastic again, are we able to ever be free of the damage plastic has already done worldwide? Can it be reversed? Are we even trying?

World Ocean Radio is produced in association with WERU-FM in Blue Hill, Maine and is distributed by the Public Radio Exchange and the Pacifica Network.

Sargasso Sea

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Wed, 05 Jan 2022 11:00:00 -0500

This week on World Ocean Radio we discuss the Sargasso Sea--a verdant, vital ecosystem that supports a great diversity of life, provides shelter for marine mammals, and serves as a repository for much of the spoils of human endeavor: shipping, fishing, harvesting, and pollution. And we discuss conservation efforts including the Hamilton Declaration and the formation of the Sargasso Sea Commission, protection measures working toward the establishment of an International Marine Protected Area.

At the Fishhouses

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Mon, 27 Dec 2021 14:00:00 -0500

Xenobiotic

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Tue, 21 Dec 2021 16:00:00 -0500

This week on World Ocean Radio we introduce listeners to a word many may have never heard before: xenobiotic--defined as a chemical substance found within an organism that is not naturally produced or expected to be present--often referred to as a pollutant. Dioxins and polychlorinated biphenyls, carcinogens, drugs, food additives, hydrocarbons, plastics, pesticides--all manner of human-driven interventions from our interactions here on earth. Are we turning the world into a xenobiotic dump? Is there another way?

Visit https://worldoceanobservatory.org/wor/xenobiotic for the original episode.

Peter Neill, Director of the World Ocean Observatory and host of World Ocean Radio, provides coverage of a broad spectrum of ocean issues from science and education to advocacy and exemplary projects. World Ocean Radio, a project of the World Ocean Observatory, is a weekly series of five-minute audio essays available for syndicated use at no cost by college and community radio stations worldwide.

World Ocean Radio is produced in association with WERU-FM in Blue Hill, Maine and is distributed by the Public Radio Exchange and the Pacifica Network.

The Ocean Solution

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Tue, 14 Dec 2021 13:00:00 -0500

This week on World Ocean Radio, we're discussing the final declaration of the climate pact post-COP26, in which the ocean was finally acknowledged as the intangible link between climate and biodiversity, and recognition of the need for integration of ocean-based actions into mandates and work plans. For the first time, the ocean is finally included in discussions about our climate future. While this is a start, it's too little. We argue that we must dare to envision a dramatic restructuring of law and focus that envisions the ocean as the blueprint for all further action.

World Ocean Radio is produced in association with WERU-FM in Blue Hill, Maine and is distributed by the Public Radio Exchange and the Pacifica Network.

Available for podcast download wherever you listen to your favorites.

New Systems Thinking

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Wed, 08 Dec 2021 11:00:00 -0500

This week on World Ocean Radio: new systems thinking offers alternatives to failing structures and behaviors. As food, energy and water are the three aspects most relevant to future survival, we argue that we must examine the innovations that pertain to each: aquaculture, renewable energy and desalination--to create an integrated, self-supporting new system is key to a sustainable future.

World Ocean Radio is produced in association with WERU-FM in Blue Hill, Maine and is distributed by the Public Radio Exchange and the Pacifica Network.

Achieving the Ocean Commons

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Wed, 01 Dec 2021 10:00:00 -0500

How do we govern and manage the ocean inside and outside of national jurisdiction in order to use it responsibly and assure its long-term potential? How do we collectively affirm the transformational change required to meet the conditions and challenges we face worldwide? In this week's episode of World Ocean Radio we seek answers in a recent article published in "Proceedings of the US National Academy of Science" that suggest principles for change and action required to sustain the value of the ocean now and for the future.

World Ocean Radio provides coverage of a broad spectrum of ocean issues from science and education to advocacy and exemplary projects. World Ocean Radio, a project of the World Ocean Observatory, is a weekly series of five-minute audio essays available for syndicated use at no cost by college and community radio stations worldwide.

Ocean Power

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Wed, 24 Nov 2021 13:00:00 -0500

This week on World Ocean Radio we're discussing energy present and energy future, and the ways that alternative energy technologies are changing the landscape as our energy needs grow. We offer examples of proven alternative fuels such as wind, solar, wave and tidal energy and share some lesser-known technologies such as salinity gradient power and geo-thermal energy that could use the power of the ocean to meet global electrical demand.

Backwash

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Tue, 16 Nov 2021 13:00:00 -0500

This week on World Ocean Radio we're defining "backwash" as the movement of water for filtration, for desalination, and for clearing of debris and toxins, and we're discussing methods that clean and protect Nature, using the strategies of bio-remediation to detoxify and cleanse against the human-caused destruction of natural systems.

Peter Neill, Director of the World Ocean Observatory and host of World Ocean Radio, provides coverage of a broad spectrum of ocean issues from science and education to advocacy and exemplary projects. World Ocean Radio, a project of the World Ocean Observatory, is a weekly series of five-minute audio essays available for syndicated use at no cost by college and community radio stations worldwide.

World Ocean Radio is produced in association with WERU-FM in Blue Hill, Maine and is distributed by the Public Radio Exchange and the Pacifica Network.

Ocean Music

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Mon, 08 Nov 2021 12:00:00 -0500

In this episode of World Ocean Radio we take listeners to the shore, to be reminded of the importance of silence, solitude and renewal in our lives, and of the healing power of the ocean--or water in any form--that is there for us, if and when we choose to stop and listen.

About World Ocean Radio
Peter Neill, Director of the World Ocean Observatory and host of World Ocean Radio, provides coverage of a broad spectrum of ocean issues from science and education to advocacy and exemplary projects. World Ocean Radio, a project of the World Ocean Observatory, is a weekly series of five-minute audio essays available for syndicated use at no cost by college and community radio stations worldwide.

World Ocean Radio is produced in association with WERU-FM in Blue Hill, Maine and is distributed by the Public Radio Exchange and the Pacifica Network.

The Future of Aquaculture, part four

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Tue, 02 Nov 2021 15:00:00 -0400

In this brief series we have explored technologies, initiatives and other advancements for aquaculture with the power to improve efficiency and safety as a positive contribution to our future food supply and global health. This week represents the fourth and final installment of the series, focusing on the broader view of the word "aquaculture"—Water plus Culture—the universal source and guiding influence for our lives that will nurture and sustain us into the future if we can recognize and protect its significance for every aspect of our being.

The Future of Aquaculture, part three

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Tue, 26 Oct 2021 09:00:00 -0400

In this brief series we're exploring disruptive technologies for aquaculture, specific initiatives and other advancements to improve efficiency and safety as a positive contribution to out future food supply and global health. This week we are discussing the challenges to aquaculture, the perils of some new unmanned technologies on the horizon, the pros and cons of offshore systems, and the spectrum of alternative projects that could alleviate the typical pitfalls of offshore aquaculture.

The Future of Aquaculture, part two

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Tue, 19 Oct 2021 15:00:00 -0400

In this brief series we're exploring disruptive technologies for aquaculture, specific initiatives and other advancements to improve efficiency and safety as a positive contribution to out future food supply and global health. This week we are acknowledging some of the improvements made by the aquaculture industry in terms of feed, antibiotics, waste, disease, off-shore structures, water treatment, quality control, and other factors that have in the past turned public interest and support for aquaculture toward misunderstanding and opposition.

World Ocean Radio is produced in association with WERU-FM in Blue Hill, Maine and is distributed by the Public Radio Exchange and the Pacifica Network.

Available for podcast download wherever you listen to your favorites.

The Future of Aquaculture, part one

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Tue, 12 Oct 2021 09:00:00 -0400

Without mitigation of consumption and illegal fishing, we face a global crisis of protein supply to feed a growing world population. Over the next few editions of World Ocean Radio we will explore disruptive technologies for aquaculture, specific initiatives and novel technologies and other advancements to improve efficiency and safety of aquaculture as a positive contribution to out future food supply and global health.

World Ocean Radio is produced in association with WERU-FM in Blue Hill, Maine and is distributed by the Public Radio Exchange and the Pacifica Network.

Saltwater Irrigation

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Mon, 04 Oct 2021 16:00:00 -0400

Sea level rise and coastal inundation are changing the agricultural landscape around the world. Fortunately, saltwater irrigation has been studied for decades, and experiments have succeeded while research and experiments have grown and demonstrated the viability of some plants such as halophytes that have the potential to change our conventional food landscape. In this episode we explore questions related to saltwater irrigation such as: what type of new crops can be developed for sustainable harvest, and what techniques can be invented to succeed without additional environmental damage?

Irrigation Efficiency Paradox

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Tue, 28 Sep 2021 11:00:00 -0400

According to the US Geological Survey, 70% of the available freshwater worldwide is used for irrigation. Industrial agriculture and modern irrigation practices have today brought us to a global water crisis. This week we're discussing what has been called the “irrigation efficiency paradox,” when farmers use more water, even as they are becoming more efficient in their irrigation practices. What will happen when the water cycle fails because we won’t change our water wasting ways?

Thinking Like a Sponge

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Tue, 21 Sep 2021 14:00:00 -0400

Intense weather events are calling attention to not just local but worldwide water crises caused by climate. Coastal inundation, community disruption, dislocation and recovery are problems that we seem increasingly unable to withstand. This week on World Ocean Radio: the Danish Hydraulic Institute and their experiments with the concept of "sponge cities", a revolutionary planning tool to integrate urban design with water management strategies such as ground conditions, road and construction patterns and more, to create responses to rapidly changing coastal conditions.

The Spilhaus World Ocean Map

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Mon, 13 Sep 2021 15:00:00 -0400

Visualization is a powerful tool for understanding beyond data, opening our minds and enabling transformative change through a new way of seeing. This week we're discussing the Spilhaus World Ocean Map, a projection of earth centered on Antarctica that makes the ocean the focus of an astonishing worldview, pushing the land to the outer edges of the square and re-organizing our global geography around the true natural systems of the world ocean.

Hydrospace

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Tue, 07 Sep 2021 12:00:00 -0400

This week on World Ocean Radio we are discussing hydrology, the "hydrospatial" perspective, and the importance of multi-dimensional analyses and visualizations for planning and decision-making that break down the artificial disciplinary boundaries of science to allow for comprehensive inclusion of multiple perspectives and better understanding of complex ocean systems for international goals and objectives.

The Night Sky

World Ocean Observatory — Tue, 31 Aug 2021 09:00:00 -0400

This week on World Ocean Radio we're looking to the night sky, to ponder the wonder contained therein, and to explore the danger of polluting it forever in the name of modern navigation and instant communications worldwide.

Shades of Blue

World Ocean Observatory — Tue, 24 Aug 2021 10:00:00 -0400

This week on World Ocean Radio we reflect on "blue" and the profound stages of meaning beyond the color of the sea and sky to encompass depth, stability, wisdom, faith, truth, redemption, and the natural world.

The Four Treaties

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Tue, 17 Aug 2021 12:00:00 -0400

Four Essential Steps toward a Responsible U.S. Ocean Policy

International agreements are essential if we are to sustain natural resources as natural capital for our future. In this episode of World Ocean Radio we outline four major environmental treaties the United States never ratified—but should.

Fossil Fuel Reparations

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Tue, 03 Aug 2021 14:00:00 -0400

This week on World Ocean Radio: an idea to confront the big polluters of the fossil fuel industry for their indifference to redress, by attaching reparations for the exploitation of natural resources over time, thereby providing incentives for new, non-polluting technologies of energy generation, storage and distribution toward a more sustainable future for our climate and ourselves.

21st Century Alchemy: Capturing Carbon from the Ocean

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Mon, 19 Jul 2021 14:00:00 -0400

This week on World Ocean Radio we are discussing the challenges of excess carbon dioxide in the air and some of the engineered solutions now being employed to sequester carbon from the ocean and transform it into a solid.

The "BLUEprint Series: How the Ocean Will Save Civilization" outlines a new and sustainable path forward, with the ocean leading the way.

About World Ocean Radio
Since 2009, a weekly 5-minute podcast covering a broad spectrum of ocean issues from science and education to advocacy and exemplary projects. World Ocean Radio, a project of the World Ocean Observatory, is available for syndicated use at no cost by college and community radio stations worldwide. Contact director@thew2o.net if you are interested in becoming an affiliate or know of a radio station that should be broadcasting these episodes each week.

Leadership and Macro-Ethics

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Tue, 06 Jul 2021 16:00:00 -0400

To execute transformative response to the challenges of the 21st century we will need a new style of leadership action: from governance and corporate consciousness to manufacturing, engineering and design, from research to education to new moral standards at all levels of society. What are the change agents that will allow us to realize change? What are the financial tools that will include equity and justice? This week on World Ocean Radio, part 44 of the BLUEprint Series, we discuss macro-ethics and leadership in the fields of engineering and the planning, design and construction of sustainable, socially responsible, environmentally sound and politically fair systems of development.

The "BLUEprint Series: How the Ocean Will Save Civilization" outlines a new and sustainable path forward, with the ocean leading the way.

The Transition Movement

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Tue, 29 Jun 2021 11:00:00 -0400

This week on World Ocean Radio: part 43 of the BLUEprint Series outlining a new and sustainable path forward with the ocean leading the way. In this episode we introduce listeners to The Transition Network, outlining some of the 1,150 global initiatives that reflect the principles and practical actions of community, sustainability, resilience, justice and change.

Third Nature

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Mon, 21 Jun 2021 15:00:00 -0400

Since the origins of planet earth, through the foundation of civilization, to the exhausted land we live in today, we are faced with a Third Nature. If we can abandon the old paradigms, we can make the shift toward water--our watersheds, rivers, lakes and primarily coasts and ocean--the places we will turn for our energy, our fresh water, our food and all of the things that contribute to our sustainability and survival.

The "BLUEprint Series: How the Ocean Will Save Civilization" outlines a new and sustainable path forward, with the ocean leading the way.

Ocean Resilience and the Blue Economy

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Tue, 15 Jun 2021 10:00:00 -0400

How can ecological resistance be sustained? This week on World Ocean Radio, part 40 of the BLUEprint Series, we outline various tools to confront the challenge of stressed ocean systems: coastal zone management, pollution reduction, marine spatial planning, and other active restoration programs that may serve to diminish the negative decline and define a new, sustainable way forward.

The "BLUEprint Series: How the Ocean Will Save Civilization" outlines a new and sustainable path forward, with the ocean leading the way.

How to Implement the Blue Economy

World Ocean Observatory — Tue, 01 Jun 2021 12:00:00 -0400

The Blue Economy is providing new investment in ocean resources. How might individual investors do blue economy investing the right way, and which investments meet the criteria for true blue investing? This week on World Ocean Radio, part 40 of the BLUEprint Series, host Peter Neill dives into the true meaning of the often over-used "blue economy" terminology and describes his recent discovery of a strategic initiatives portfolio conceived by JPI Oceans in Europe that strives to increase the impact of national investments in marine and maritime research and innovation. And he shares the values, goals and objectives that propose a structure around which specific investments could be made to achieve social and monetary return while achieving a commitment to sustainability and the ocean.

A Utopian Solution

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Tue, 25 May 2021 10:00:00 -0400

In this episode, part thirty-nine of the multi-part BLUEprint series, we follow up on last weeks' examination of China's response to the climate crisis and ask readers to consider whether a democracy as vocal and divided as the United States can make meaningful change. We discuss bottom-up solutions beginning at the local level, where real transformative action and societal regeneration toward sustainability begins.

An Autocratic Solution

World Ocean Observatory — Mon, 17 May 2021 16:00:00 -0400

In this episode, part thirty-eight of the multi-part BLUEprint series, we examine some statistics that show steps China is taking to confront the climate crisis—one of the only nations in the world whose government has recognized the realities of climate change and all of its manifestations as measured by environmental degradation, the corruption of land and water, and the inevitable decline in economy and community, and the steps the nation has taken to develop policy, incentive, and frameworks toward ecosystem health and sustainability.

The "BLUEprint Series: How the Ocean Will Save Civilization" outlines a new and sustainable path forward, with the ocean leading the way.

International Ecosystem Accounting

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Mon, 10 May 2021 15:00:00 -0400

In this episode, part thirty-seven of the multi-part BLUEprint series, we continue to discuss the take-aways from the recently published 2nd United Nations World Ocean Assessment, a report that looks at the social, environmental, demographic and economic trends, as well as a review of the integrated sustainable management of coasts and oceans as driven by science, technology and innovation. In this episode we look at the report through the lens of ecosystem service analysis, the ways in which we view and value Nature, and some examples of projects globally that are based ecosystem service accounting that are preserving places and biodiversity.

Tools for Ocean Assessment

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Mon, 03 May 2021 16:00:00 -0400

In this episode, part thirty-six of the multi-part BLUEprint series, we outline the key state of the ocean and ocean science take-aways from the recently published 2nd United Nations World Ocean Assessment, a report that looks at the social, environmental, demographic and economic trends, as well as a review of the integrated sustainable management of coasts and oceans as driven by science, technology and innovation. Additionally, we give credit to the Ocean Health Index, another important metric for providing baseline measurements and updates toward ocean sustainability year by year.

The Ocean Genome, part 3

World Ocean Observatory — Tue, 27 Apr 2021 15:00:00 -0400

This week on World Ocean Radio: part thirty-five of the multi-part BLUEprint series. This week, as part of our focus on new approaches and ideas to simplify our strategies for living sustainably on earth, we are continuing our discussion of the ocean genome with an outline of the global protections required if we are to equitably protect natural resources derived from the ocean.

The "BLUEprint Series: How the Ocean Will Save Civilization" outlines a new and sustainable path forward, with the ocean leading the way.

The Ocean Genome, part 2

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Tue, 20 Apr 2021 09:00:00 -0400

This week on World Ocean Radio: part thirty-four of the multi-part BLUEprint series. This week, as part of our focus on new approaches and ideas to simplify our strategies for living sustainably on earth, we are continuing our discussion of the ocean genome as well as the commercial interests, applications and marine drug and health discoveries made and yet to be discovered. We also warn that marine protected areas remain vulnerable to limited enforcement and over-exploitation of their natural resources.

The "BLUEprint Series: How the Ocean Will Save Civilization" outlines a new and sustainable path forward, with the ocean leading the way.

The Ocean Genome, part 1

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Tue, 13 Apr 2021 09:00:00 -0400

This week on World Ocean Radio: part thirty-three of the multi-part BLUEprint series. This week, as part of our focus on new approaches and ideas to simplify our strategies for living sustainably on earth, we discuss RNA, DNA, the concept of the genome as an encyclopedic catalog for Nature as a way to provide guidance and explanations for how life works, and the various implications of eDNA on the ocean.

Chaos and the Ocean

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Tue, 06 Apr 2021 10:00:00 -0400

This week on World Ocean Radio: part thirty-two of the multi-part BLUEprint series. In the next few weeks we'll introduce new approaches that have the potential to bring order to the chaos around us: ideas to simplify our strategies for living on earth, fresh approaches, new technologies, novel ideas and examples of ingenuity and invention.

The "BLUEprint Series: How the Ocean Will Save Civilization" outlines a new and sustainable path forward, with the ocean leading the way.

Established in 2009, World Ocean Radio is a weekly 5-minute podcast covering a broad spectrum of ocean issues from science and education to advocacy and exemplary projects. World Ocean Radio, a project of the World Ocean Observatory, is available for syndicated use at no cost by college and community radio stations worldwide. Contact director@thew2o.net if you are interested in becoming an affiliate or know of a radio station that should be broadcasting these episodes each week.

Paradox and the Blue Economy

Peter Neill — Mon, 29 Mar 2021 15:00:00 -0400

This week on World Ocean Radio we broadcast the 31st part of the ongoing BLUEprint series. In this episode we discuss the Blue Economy and the "business as usual" operations of The Ocean 100--the largest trans-national companies that account for the most profits from the ocean while also generating the most emissions, waste and other pollutants to the ocean. We describe what is known as the Blue Acceleration and argue that current economic activity is not meeting the requirements for economic growth and improved livelihoods while simultaneously preserving the health of the ocean ecosystem, and that these Ocean 100 companies could be a force for change of the Blue Economy with help from public awareness and consumer pressure.

The "BLUEprint Series: How the Ocean Will Save Civilization" outlines a new and sustainable path forward, with the ocean leading the way.

An Ocean Services Summary

World Ocean Observatory — Mon, 22 Mar 2021 17:00:00 -0400

This week on World Ocean Radio: part thirty of the multi-part BLUEprint series. In this episode we ask, "What is the natural capital value of our human connection to the Ocean?" and we provide ten declarations concluding that the ocean is the essential place for us to imagine, implement and design a sustainable future for humankind.

The UN Environmental Accounting Framework: A Breaking Wave

World Ocean Observatory — Mon, 15 Mar 2021 14:00:00 -0400

This week on World Ocean Radio: part twenty-nine of the multi-part BLUEprint series. In this episode we discuss the March 2021 release by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs announcing a new statistical framework entitled the "System of Environmental/Economic Accounting" (SEEA EA) which would ensure that natural capital (the contributions of forests, oceans, and other ecosystems) are integrated into economic reporting. This move may reshape decision and policy-making towards sustainable development: natural capital calculated as equal to financial capital, as a mandatory inclusion in the budgets and estimates for all new development projects and corporate initiatives.

Batteries, the Rare Earth Quandary and the Deep Sea

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Mon, 08 Mar 2021 17:00:00 -0500

This week on World Ocean Radio: part twenty-eight of the multi-part BLUEprint series. In this episode we talk about batteries, increasingly in demand as we push toward a carbon-neutral future. There is a quandary built into this solution: the extraction of rare metals, the push for mining permits on land and sea, the waste and by-product, the emissions, and the collateral damage to the environment is all reminiscent of the fossil fuel paradigm. Is this old strategy, dressed in new clothing, a mistake?

Value Trade Off

Peter Neill, World Ocean Observatory — Mon, 01 Mar 2021 14:00:00 -0500

This week on World Ocean Radio: part twenty-seven of the multi-part BLUEprint series. In this episode we talk about a carbon-free future: one that requires batteries that currently rely on rare metals such as nickel, copper, cobalt and molybdenum being extracted from the sea floor in the central Pacific Clarion Clipperton Fracture Zone, threatening biodiversity and the nearby Pacific small island states. Will the short-term financial profit over the long-term social and ecosystem loss be worth the trade off?

Value Through Innovation

World Ocean Observatory — Tue, 23 Feb 2021 10:07:17 -0500

This week on World Ocean Radio: part twenty-six of the multi-part BLUEprint series. In this episode we introduce listeners to Molly Burhans, a young activist and founder of GoodLands, who is using geographic information systems (GIS) to map the worldwide holdings of the Catholic Church as an inventory of ownership and potential investment for society, health, security and ecological justice. Burhans and her group are mapping archived Vatican holdings that have never been recorded using GIS software--a revolutionary step toward committing them to ecological planning, environmental protection, climate mitigation, sustainability of natural resources, and a potential contribution to a global renaissance.

How to Understand the Ocean

World Ocean Observatory — Tue, 16 Feb 2021 09:09:55 -0500

This week on World Ocean Radio: part twenty-five of the multi-part BLUEprint series. In this episode: the importance of ocean literacy and ocean education to transform our understanding of the ocean's contributions to human health and survival. We discuss the seven principles of Ocean Literacy and some perspectives that we can use to expand those principles into a set of curricular approaches that pertain to science, climate impacts and solutions for our future.

Valuing Cultural Resources

World Ocean Observatory — Tue, 09 Feb 2021 09:38:07 -0500

This week on World Ocean Radio: part twenty-four of the multi-part BLUEprint series. In this episode: the myriad ways that UNESCO World Heritage Sites--on land and at sea--are an essential part of a strategy to conserve and protect the ocean’s vast contributions to our scientific knowledge. But also their importance for our cultural history, for protection, conservation, diversity, sustainability, survivability, and as treasured pieces of our cultural heritage that connect us for generations to come.

Units of Calculation

World Ocean Observatory — Tue, 02 Feb 2021 09:43:27 -0500

This week on World Ocean Radio: part twenty-three of the multi-part BLUEprint series. In this episode: the importance of including true accounting costs for natural resources extracted or exploited; for the downstream effects of industry and enterprise; for loss of revenue by destroyed habitats; and much more. We argue that ecosystem services can be easily estimated and added as we begin to calculate the true costs of all externals for inclusion in future analyses and development.

Mapping the Ocean: Material Survey

World Ocean Observatory — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 15:25:51 -0500

This week on World Ocean Radio: part twenty-two of the multi-part BLUEprint series. In this episode we discuss the history of resource extraction on land and sea and the ways that new modes of thinking and new alternative energy generation technologies are leading us away from old paradigms toward new sustainable patterns of production, consumption and distribution--mapping the way toward a very different future.

Mapping the Ocean: Physical Cartography

World Ocean Observatory — Tue, 19 Jan 2021 09:54:18 -0500

This week on World Ocean Radio: part twenty-one of the multi-part BLUEprint series. In this episode we introduce listeners to the concept of ocean mapping and the GEBCO Seabed 2030 project which promises to develop a high res 3d bathymetric map of the entire world ocean. And we share some new and exciting oceanographic research discoveries made by the Schmidt Ocean Institute in the waters off Australia.

The Ocean as Natural Capital

World Ocean Observatory — Tue, 12 Jan 2021 10:27:01 -0500

This week on World Ocean Radio: part twenty of the multi-part BLUEprint series. In this episode we discuss natural capital and the true cost of things both financial and social. And we argue that the price we pay must include the cost of irreplaceable raw materials, waste, the harvest and exploitation of natural resources, workforce health, and community impacts.

Financial Tools

World Ocean Observatory — Mon, 04 Jan 2021 13:33:23 -0500

This week on World Ocean Radio: part nineteen of the multi-part BLUEprint series. In this episode we discuss the financial tools such as subsidies, regulation and private investment that have historically been used to advance conventional change in the economy. We ask listeners to consider these same tools of finance used to sustain natural capital, releasing value for the benefit of all mankind.

At the Fishhouses

World Ocean Observatory — Mon, 28 Dec 2020 11:16:38 -0500

Our annual gift to fellow ocean lovers: a reading of "At the Fishhouses" by Elizabeth Bishop, a poem from 1955 that distills Bishop's seaside meditations and evokes the clarity of meaning contained in personal encounters with the ocean. A perennial favorite of ours, with profound relevance for the New Year.

Reciprocity and the Art of Giving Back to Nature

World Ocean Observatory — Tue, 22 Dec 2020 09:09:03 -0500

This week, as we lean into the holiday season of giving and gratitude, World Ocean Radio host Peter Neill asks us to consider the concept of reciprocity--a give and take with the land and sea. And he provides us with three examples of ways that we can give back to Nature as part of our obligation and contribution.

Blue Bonds

World Ocean Observatory — Mon, 14 Dec 2020 14:22:59 -0500

This week on World Ocean Radio: part eighteen of the multi-part BLUEprint series. In this episode we discuss the concept of blue bonds and a new Nature Conservancy program designed for small island and coastal nations to reinvest in their natural resources by refinancing national debt in a way that secures funding for a commitment to protect near-shore ocean areas such as coral reefs and mangroves.

Insurance and the Ocean

World Ocean Observatory — Tue, 08 Dec 2020 14:29:28 -0500

This week on World Ocean Radio: part seventeen of the multi-part BLUEprint series. In this episode we ask a series of questions that challenge the current insurance system in the US, including a vision for a redesign built around risk prevention and for reinvestment of premiums in systems that anticipate disruption and aggregate to larger strategies that reduce costs overall.

Ocean Equity Banking

World Ocean Observatory — Tue, 01 Dec 2020 11:29:39 -0500

This week on World Ocean Radio: part sixteen of the multi-part BLUEprint series. In this episode we talk about the blue and the green economy in the context of profit motive and how it can be good business to adopt climate risk disclosure and guidelines for investment assessment standards that balance risk against opportunity. We argue that if used properly, this could result in new and transformative change toward a cleaner, more sustainable future.

Central Banking

World Ocean Observatory — Tue, 24 Nov 2020 09:32:49 -0500

This week on World Ocean Radio: part fifteen of the multi-part BLUEprint series. In this episode we look at the Federal Reserve in the USA through the lens of environmental destruction, biodiversity loss and other impacts. And we ask, "Why would any central bank enable investment that is proven to be destructive to the value of Nature--our most precious asset?"The "BLUEprint Series: How the Ocean Will Save Civilization" outlines a new and sustainable path forward, with the ocean leading the way.

Structuring a New Economy

World Ocean Observatory — Tue, 17 Nov 2020 11:40:55 -0500

This week on World Ocean Radio: part fourteen of the multi-part BLUEprint series. In this episode we assert that it's time to close our minds to past ways, open our eyes to new ones, and imagine a new economy reshaped from the bottom up and inside out--a process that will grow and progress in outwardly expanding concentric circles to include everyone and everything within. The "BLUEprint Series: How the Ocean Will Save Civilization" outlines a new and sustainable path forward, with the ocean leading the way.

The Quest for Solutions

World Ocean Observatory — Tue, 10 Nov 2020 10:53:12 -0500

This week on World Ocean Radio: part thirteen of the multi-part BLUEprint series. In this episode we ask listeners to consider implementation of a new paradigm of managed growth based on the conservation and sustainability of all natural resources—particularly the ocean-fresh water continuum—if we are to experience attitude shifts and innovations that will enable progress toward a sustainable future.

The Challenge of Technological Change

World Ocean Observatory — Tue, 03 Nov 2020 10:00:04 -0500

This week on World Ocean Radio: part twelve of the multi-part BLUEprint series. As we embark on our collective quest for a sustainable future, we argue that we must embrace science and technology as the essential tools for defining problems and imagining the multiple possibilities for solutions, innovations and alternatives that will provide us with a new way forward.

Realizing Equity

World Ocean Observatory — Mon, 26 Oct 2020 15:12:09 -0400

This week on World Ocean Radio: part eleven of the multi-part BLUEprint series. As we launch headlong into a new phase in the series we'll begin to present ideas for a new foundation built on fresh aspirations and new premises. This week we lay out a blueprint for the future, with the intent to realize equity through a vision for solutions and for how we can move forward to transform the world we live in today.

A New Normal

World Ocean Observatory — Tue, 20 Oct 2020 11:12:22 -0400

This week on World Ocean Radio: part ten of the multi-part BLUEprint series. We have entered a phase in the series where we will begin to present ideas and solutions for construction of a new foundation built on fresh aspirations and new premises. In this episode: five steps forward that will affirm equity and justice as part of a new paradigm for a sustainable future.

Who is Listening?

World Ocean Observatory — Tue, 13 Oct 2020 14:11:15 -0400

This week on World Ocean Radio: part nine of the multi-part BLUEprint series. Myriad organizations, environmental groups and fervent individuals are advocating for the ocean by promoting the science and implications of climate change, launching initiatives, recommending policies, lobbying, advancing research based on the best science, and reaching out via podcast, blog, and social media platforms to amplify a message and agenda for reaction and change worldwide. Is anyone listening amidst all the noise?

Ocean Justice

World Ocean Observatory — Mon, 05 Oct 2020 16:19:26 -0400

This week on World Ocean Radio: part eight of the multi-part BLUEprint series. In this episode we propose a new framework for establishment of an ocean commons beyond the protections already in place to support the health and well-being of a larger percentage of the ocean and its finite resources. The "BLUEprint Series: How the Ocean Will Save Civilization" outlines a new and sustainable path forward, with the ocean leading the way.

Inter-Generational Equity

World Ocean Observatory — Tue, 29 Sep 2020 15:12:13 -0400

This week on World Ocean Radio: part seven of the multi-part BLUEprint series. In this episode "Inter-Generational Equity" we ask listeners to think about the inequity of the damage that we are leaving for our children: a legacy of denial and a negative inheritance for future generations. The "BLUEprint Series: How the Ocean Will Save Civilization" outlines a new and sustainable path forward, with the ocean leading the way. This week we warn of the perils of continuing to ignore the alarm bells that have been sounding for years, and the ways that we can change our way forward through solutions based on alternative behavior.

Climate Equity

World Ocean Observatory — Mon, 21 Sep 2020 16:00:33 -0400

This week on World Ocean Radio: part six of the multi-part BLUEprint series. In this episode–Climate Equity–we talk about the continued devolving U.S. response to the Paris Climate Accord and the potential pitfalls of indifference, inadequate reaction and failed governance. The "BLUEprint Series: How the Ocean Will Save Civilization" outlines a new and sustainable path forward, with the ocean leading the way.

Equity Challenges

World Ocean Observatory — Tue, 15 Sep 2020 13:11:30 -0400

This week on World Ocean Radio: part five of the multi-part BLUEprint series. In this episode–Equity Challenges–we discuss the lopsided outcomes born out by government subsidies and other tax-payer incentives that have, over time, driven consumption toward depletion, the outcomes of which we are dealing with today. Global industry on land, driven by unlimited growth, is now playing out similarly on the ocean through oil and gas exploration, deep sea mining, lack of fisheries catch limits, coastal development, and much more–leaving us poised to repeat the demonstrated failures of our past. The "BLUEprint Series: How the Ocean Will Save Civilization" outlines a new and sustainable path forward, with the ocean leading the way.

Ecology, Ocean and Equity

World Ocean Observatory — Tue, 08 Sep 2020 12:58:19 -0400

This week on World Ocean Radio: part four of a multi-part series entitled "BLUEprint: How the Ocean Will Save Civilization". In this episode--Ecology, Ocean and Equity--we share findings from the High Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy and assert that the sum of an equation of ecology to ocean to equity is the total of inclusion, connection, and justice. "BLUEprint: How the Ocean Will Save Civilization" is a multi-part series outlining a new and sustainable way forward for civilization, with the ocean leading the way. This series will run through the end of 2020.

What is Ocean Equity?

World Ocean Observatory — Tue, 01 Sep 2020 12:23:31 -0400

This week on World Ocean Radio: part three of a multi-part series entitled "BLUEprint: How the Ocean Will Save Civilization". In this episode, WHAT IS OCEAN EQUITY?, we dive into the High Level Panel for Sustainable Ocean Economy and their series of Blue Papers and subsequent report entitled "Towards Ocean Equity" released in August 2020. The Report highlights nine key points on which any future discussions of ocean equity should be based.

Quest for Equity On the Ocean

World Ocean Observatory — Tue, 25 Aug 2020 16:40:58 -0400

This week on World Ocean Radio: part two of a multi-part series entitled "BLUEprint: How the Ocean Will Save Civilization." In this episode, QUEST FOR EQUITY ON THE OCEAN, we discuss the concept of equity as it relates to ownership and share of investment, and we ask listeners to consider whether equity can be equally and inclusively shared in order for there to be security and peace for all. And we assert that if we look to the ocean as a place for equal shareholders not just to take, buy, and sell but also to give back, we may sustain our equity, and to build investment to meet the demands of diversity, inclusion, equality, justice, and survival.

Security and Peace on the Ocean

World Ocean Observatory — Tue, 18 Aug 2020 09:33:47 -0400

This week on World Ocean Radio: part one of a new multi-part series entitled "BLUEprint: How the Ocean Will Save Civilization". In this episode, Security and Peace on the Ocean, we are asked to examine our current conventions, ideas and interests related to equity, justice, morality and consumption if we are to achieve true peace and security as a human race, sharing a finite amount of resources. The BLUEprint series will serve to outline a new and sustainable way forward for civilization, with the ocean leading the way.

Certify Water

World Ocean Observatory — Tue, 11 Aug 2020 09:49:31 -0400

There are numerous examples of the ways that water consumption and use go unseen in our daily lives. From clothing to food, from paper to metal and wood products, from packaging to smart phones, automobiles to energy extraction, and so much more. In this episode of World Ocean Radio we argue for the ways that water use and consumption should be rated and labeled on every product we consume as a means to calculate the true cost of the most important and valuable resource on earth.

Ocean and Freedom

World Ocean Observatory — Tue, 04 Aug 2020 13:45:00 -0400

This week on World Ocean Radio we share the final episode of the five-part Slavery: Heritage and Identity series. In this broadcast we look at the ways we as global citizens can promote and connect with the ocean community to advance understanding of the African experience as part of our shared maritime history. We highlight two examples of projects in Africa promoting connection and ocean literacy.

Amistad

World Ocean Observatory — Tue, 28 Jul 2020 12:42:39 -0400

This week on World Ocean Radio: part four of the five-part Slavery: Heritage and Identity series. In this episode we discuss the history of La Amistad , the 19th century Spanish slave ship that ran kidnapped human cargo to Cuba to support the sugar plantations. La Amistad is famous for the 1839 slave uprising and capture of the vessel, the ensuing legal battle for their freedom, and the construction effort of a replica ship launched in 2000 to continue an international conversation about slavery and its impacts on African Americans' past, present and future.

Diving with a Purpose

World Ocean Observatory — Mon, 20 Jul 2020 17:16:16 -0400

In this episode of World Ocean Radio, part three of the five-part Slavery: Heritage and Identity series, we introduce listeners to Diving with a Purpose, an organization dedicated to the conservation and protection of submerged heritage resources by providing education, training, certification and field experience to adults and youth in the fields of maritime archaeology and ocean conservation, and to document and protect African slave trade shipwrecks and the maritime history and culture of African Americans.

The Slave Route

World Ocean Observatory — Tue, 14 Jul 2020 10:33:06 -0400

In this episode of World Ocean Radio, part two of the four-part Slavery: Heritage and Identity series, we discuss trans-Atlantic slavery in the context of the UNESCO Slave Route Project: Resistance, Liberty, Heritage that was established to break the silence and liberate the history surrounding slavery and the slave trade.

The Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade

World Ocean Observatory — Mon, 06 Jul 2020 15:57:06 -0400

What were thought to be the remains of America's last slave ship--the Clotilda--were unearthed on a muddy river bank in the Mobile-Tensaw Delta in Alabama in 2018. These purported remains, and the artifacts from another slave ship, the São José-Paquete de Africa, are important symbols of the cultural relationship and interconnected history of the trans-Atlantic slave trade. In this episode of World Ocean Radio, part one of a four-part series on Slavery in America, we discuss maritime culture, the last slave ships, the atrocities of the slave trade, and the ways in which our cultural identity in the United States has been shaped by an amalgamation of cultures.

The Human Planet

World Ocean Observatory — Mon, 29 Jun 2020 16:57:14 -0400

This week on World Ocean Radio we review a new book by photographer George Steinmetz with essays by Andrew Revkin. "The Human Planet: Earth at the Dawn of the Anthropocene" is a collection of stunning photographs of our planet taken from above. The photos are evocative, powerful, emotional and stunning encapsulations of Nature and, for better and for ill, the aspirations of civilization. Published by Harry N. Abrams, April 7, 2020. Available at your local bookseller.

Confluence

World Ocean Observatory — Tue, 23 Jun 2020 15:23:07 -0400

This week on World Ocean Radio host Peter Neill asks us to look to the ocean during these turbulent times of social unrest, to recognize the ocean as at times a connector and circulator of slaves and refugees, but now also as the great equalizer and unifier for all who care to live collaboratively, in agreement, with equity and reciprocity.

The Sargasso Sea

World Ocean Observatory — Tue, 16 Jun 2020 16:04:01 -0400

This week on World Ocean Radio we discuss the Sargasso Sea--a verdant, vital, biodiverse ecosystem that supports a great diversity of life, provides shelter for marine mammals, and serves as a repository for much of the spoils of human endeavor: shipping, fishing, harvesting, and pollution. And we discuss conservation efforts including the Hamilton Declaration and the formation of the Sargasso Sea Commission, protection measures working toward the establishment of an International Marine Protected Area.

World Oceans Day 2020

World Ocean Observatory — Mon, 08 Jun 2020 14:46:33 -0400

World events have made 2020 a more difficult year than it was already shaping up to be. Ocean systems have never been more challenged than today, and the ocean has never been more essential as we plan for change. The World Ocean Observatory is a major utility for ocean communication, and we are dedicated to our work as a means to advance public awareness and political will. On this World Oceans Day--and every day--we are advocating for the health of the ocean through education, public connection and relentless communications. We hope you will take a moment today to think about the ways that the ocean is influenced by you, and the ways that you are influenced by the ocean. Enjoy this week's episode of World Ocean Radio: a celebration of World Oceans Day.

Revealing the Seabed Floor

World Ocean Observatory — Mon, 01 Jun 2020 15:49:26 -0400

In 2019 a partnership was announced between The Nippon Foundation and the International Hydrographic Organization to undertake the GEBCO Seabed 2030 Project that aims to bring together all available data to produce A General Bathymetric Chart of the Ocean by 2030. This week on World Ocean Radio we outline the purposes of the project, seen as a major contribution to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG 14): to conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas, and marine resources for sustainable development.

Shades of Blue

World Ocean Observatory — Tue, 26 May 2020 17:07:25 -0400

This week on World Ocean Radio: host Peter Neill offers reflections on the word "blue" and the profound stages of meaning beyond the color of the sea and sky to encompass depth, stability, wisdom, faith, truth, redemption, and the natural world.

Per Mortem Oleum: Death by Oil

World Ocean Observatory — Tue, 19 May 2020 13:47:24 -0400

This week on World Ocean Radio we assert that the age of oil is over: from the rise of renewable energy production worldwide to the reevaluation of oil based plastics and fertilizers, to the increased recognition of the effects of climate change, instability, and social disruption, the tide has turned on fossil fuel extraction and the corruption of natural resources worldwide.

Ocean Literacy Series Conclusion

World Ocean Observatory — Thu, 14 May 2020 12:00:49 -0400

This week concludes the nine-part ocean literacy series, a framework for formal and informal education to help us better understand the ocean's influence on us and our influence on the ocean. We are challenging the existing methods for teaching and learning about the ocean, suggesting that traditional curricula could be re-examined and multi-disciplinary approaches explored so that we all may begin to understand the ocean as the defining feature of our planet and the influence it has on all things living on earth.

Ocean Literacy: The Ocean is Largely Unexplored

World Ocean Observatory — Tue, 05 May 2020 15:43:02 -0400

"The ocean is largely unexplored." So states the seventh and final Ocean Literacy principle, a series of fundamental concepts to help us better understand the ocean's influence on us and our influence on the ocean. World Ocean Radio's Ocean Literacy series continues this week with a discussion about how little we know about the ocean, and the need to designate vast marine protected areas around the world in order to protect the planet's natural biodiversity (known and unknown) from further destruction. This episode is part eight of a nine-part series on Ocean Literacy, an anthology of reflections, examples and illustrations that represent responses to the ocean and the environmental challenges we face.

Ocean Literacy: The Ocean Supports a Great Diversity of Life and Ecosystems

World Ocean Observatory — Mon, 20 Apr 2020 11:52:22 -0400

"The ocean supports a great diversity of life and ecosystems." So states the fifth Ocean Literacy principle, a series of fundamental concepts to help us better understand the ocean's influence on us and our influence on the ocean. This week: the complex diversity contained in the world ocean and the ways that ocean systems, relationships and processes might be observed and understood for scientific gain. This episode is part six of a nine-part series on Ocean Literacy, an anthology of reflections, examples and illustrations that represent responses to the ocean and the environmental challenges we face.

The Ocean Makes Earth Habitable

World Ocean Observatory — Mon, 13 Apr 2020 14:09:46 -0400

"The ocean makes Earth habitable."So states the fourth Ocean Literacy principle, a series of fundamental concepts to help us better understand the ocean's influence on us and our influence on the ocean. World Ocean Radio's ocean literacy series continues this week with thoughts on the complex diversity contained in the world ocean, and the importance of a healthy ocean as the universal operating system that provides fresh air, water, food, and every nurturing condition upon which all life depends. This episode is part five of a nine-part series on Ocean Literacy, an anthology of reflections, examples and illustrations that represent responses to the ocean and the environmental challenges we face.

Ocean Literacy: Weather and Climate

World Ocean Observatory — Wed, 08 Apr 2020 10:04:47 -0400

"The ocean is a major influence on weather and climate."So states the third Ocean Literacy principle, a series of fundamental concepts to help us better understand the ocean's influence on us and our influence on the ocean. World Ocean Radio's Ocean Literacy series continues this week with an overview of the various ways that the ocean influences all weather and climate on the earth. In this episode we examine the behaviors that are most adversely affecting ocean chemistry. This episode is part four of a nine-part series on Ocean Literacy, an anthology of reflections, examples and illustrations that represent responses to the ocean and the environmental challenges we face.

All in the Same Boat

World Ocean Observatory — Mon, 30 Mar 2020 15:46:34 -0400

This week we bring you an abbreviated special edition of World Ocean Radio in response to the global Covid-19 pandemic. In this edition we'll reiterate the words of Jacques Cousteau, reminding us that we're all in this together and that, as a unified world community, we are now more than ever connected by the sea.

A Viral Opportunity for Change

World Ocean Observatory — Tue, 24 Mar 2020 15:36:01 -0400

This week on World Ocean Radio we confront the crises caused by the worldwide Coronavirus outbreak. In this episode, host Peter Neill asks, "Is this not an astonishing opportunity for change? Does not logic and practical need demand progress away from demonstrated failure toward new options and inventions for the future?"

Ocean Literacy: The Ocean Shapes the Features of Earth

World Ocean Observatory — Mon, 16 Mar 2020 16:34:48 -0400

"The ocean and life in the ocean shape the features of Earth." So states the second principle of the ocean literacy curriculum, a series of fundamental concepts to help us better understand the ocean's influence on us and our influence on the ocean. World Ocean Radio's Ocean Literacy series continues this week with an overview of the various ways that the one oceanic system shapes the terrestrial landscape, the environment, the watersheds, plant life, and human existence. This episode is part three of a nine-part series on Ocean Literacy, an anthology of reflections, examples and illustrations that represent responses to the ocean and the environmental challenges we face.

Ocean Literacy: One Big Ocean

World Ocean Observatory — Tue, 10 Mar 2020 12:26:18 -0400

"The Earth Has One Big Ocean With Many Features." So states the first principle of the ocean literacy curriculum, a series of fundamental concepts to help us better understand the ocean's influence on us and our influence on the ocean. World Ocean Radio's Ocean Literacy series continues this week with an overview of the various ways that the one oceanic system connects us all, with examples of the connections that occur worldwide: shipping, trade, circulation of water, watershed connections, weather, climate, food, coastal settlement, social connections, and much more. "One Big Ocean" is episode two of a nine-part series on Ocean Literacy, an anthology of reflections, examples and illustrations that represent responses to the ocean and the environmental challenges we face.

An Introduction to Ocean Literacy

World Ocean Observatory — Wed, 04 Mar 2020 13:54:09 -0500

This week's episode of World Ocean Radio kicks off a multi-part series on the key principles of Ocean Literacy. The next eight episodes will provide an anthology of reflections, examples and illustrations that represent responses to the ocean and the environmental challenges we face. We will focus not only on ocean science and the ways that the Ocean Literacy curriculum aligns with the current educational system in the United States, but also on the ways that ocean relates to climate, fresh water, food, energy, health, work, trade, transportation and much more.

A Blue Energy Future

World Ocean Observatory — Mon, 24 Feb 2020 18:00:28 -0500

Alternative energy is needed more today than ever before. In this episode of World Ocean Radio, host Peter Neill asserts that the fossil fuel era is over, and it is time to look toward ocean energy, wind, hydropower, salinity gradient power, and further inventive blue energy technologies newly and not yet discovered to get on toward our clean energy future.

Oceanic Feeling

World Ocean Observatory — Tue, 18 Feb 2020 14:37:29 -0500

Carbon Offsets at a Scale That Matters

World Ocean Observatory — Tue, 11 Feb 2020 15:09:59 -0500

Carbon offset programs offer ways for retailers and consumers to help address the challenge of climate impacts and environmental consequences, and can provide an effective means of contributing to conservation and sustainable practices . In this episode of World Ocean Radio we share a carbon offset initiative in partnership with South Pole and UCapture that supports progressive action toward a carbon-diminished future.

A Green Swan

World Ocean Observatory — Tue, 04 Feb 2020 11:39:25 -0500

Since the mid 2000s, economists have spoken of Black Swans, disruptive financial events that embody three special characteristics: they are rare, wide-ranging and extreme, and they are explicable only after the fact. Now there are Green Swan events, a new scientific classification for climate catastrophes that can trigger systemic financial crisis unless authoritative action is taken. In this episode of World Ocean Radio, host Peter Neill argues that due to the global disruption caused by the Coronavirus outbreak, we may now be in the midst of our first major global Green Swan event.

Trust the Children

World Ocean Observatory — Mon, 27 Jan 2020 15:31:39 -0500

The climate is in crisis, and the next generation is committed to and has been successful in raising awareness, demanding political action, seeking legal recourse for offenders, and developing inventive responses to the problems we face. This week on World Ocean Radio we discuss the many ways that climate change is becoming part of the larger conversation around the world, entering into educational systems and curriculum, and calling young people to activism and demand for change around the globe.

A Haiku for Ocean Innovation in Japan

World Ocean Observatory — Tue, 21 Jan 2020 12:39:30 -0500

This week on World Ocean Radio we highlight the innovative work of the Sasagawa Peace Foundation in Tokyo, Japan, an organization using philanthropy to stimulate practical and transformative change for ocean communities in the Pacific, innovating through community, partnership and social engagements to bring about real and lasting change for communities, fishers, harvesters and others affected by severe weather, economic uncertainty and climate change.

Moken: People of the Water

World Ocean Observatory — Tue, 14 Jan 2020 10:27:04 -0500

Moken is a Thai word meaning sea people, people of water, sea nomads or sea gypsies. The Moken are a group of Austronesian people of an archipelago claimed by both Myanmar and Thailand. Their way of life is under pressure by assimilation, subversion, suppression, climate change, and corporate greed. This week on World Ocean Radio we discuss their way of life, the challenges the Moken face, and the ways that some in Western civilizations are seeking a similar, simpler way of life, opting out of consumerism and seeking a deeper engagement with nature, land and sea as a means to achieve sustainability and community connection.

Ocean Alchemy: Clean Water for Kiunga and Beyond

World Ocean Observatory — Tue, 07 Jan 2020 13:03:33 -0500

In the middle ages, alchemists for a time believed they could turn base metal into gold. This early endeavor may be the origin story for modern invention and transformative technologies that benefit mankind. This week on World Ocean Radio we introduce listeners to GivePower, an NGO working in coastal communities around the world challenged by the fresh water crisis, to turn brackish seawater into enough drinking water for more than 35,000 people each day. Could desalination be the new modern alchemy for a sustainable future: turning undrinkable water into liquid gold?