What's Next for Oceans? | Global Conference 2025

Critical Timing & Scale of Oceans:

• Decisions made today regarding ocean management could impact life for 18,000 years into the future.
• The ocean underpins the global economy, generating approximately $24 trillion in annual value.
• Humans have mapped only 25% of the ocean floor in high resolution; better maps of Mars currently exist.
• Oceans serve as the center of the global economy for food, labor, transportation, and tourism.

Financing & Investment Landscape:

• Less than 1% of global environmental philanthropy is currently directed toward ocean conservation.
• Hawaii recently passed a 0.75% climate impact fee on hotel and short-term rental stays, projected to raise $100 million annually and potentially bond up to $2 billion.
• Venture capital firms are targeting ocean-based solutions in three key areas: low-carbon shipping (e.g., carbon-sailing), food system biotechnology, and resilient coastal infrastructure.
• Successful early-stage investments have scaled rapidly, such as Saildrone, which grew from a $5,000 seed investment in 2009 to attracting $100 million in venture capital by 2021.
• New entrepreneurs are developing stainless steel-coated rebar to ensure coastal infrastructure lasts 100 years rather than the current 20-year lifespan in rising sea levels.
• Venture investors note that direct air capture from ocean ships is now enabled by IMO price-tier formats designed to penalize ocean industry emissions.

Philanthropy & Research Support:

• The Schmidt Ocean Institute launched its first ship in 2012 after starting in 2009 to fill gaps in government research funding.
• A $5,000 investment in Hohonu sensors for the Purple Maya group in Hawaii 10 years ago has since allowed sensors to be deployed globally for community fish pond restoration.
• The Schmidt Family Foundation assumed the cost of running the Keeling Curve (CO2 measurement) in 2014 after it faced closure due to lack of government funding.
• Government investment in science has reached a 25-year low, creating an immediate "science emergency" for marine biology and oceanography.
• The University of Hawaii at Manoa lost $30–50 million in direct research dollars over the last 100 days, threatening the continuity of critical climate and marine biology projects.
• The University of Hawaii conducts over $700 million in annual research, serving as a core economic driver for the state.

Deep-Sea Mining Risks & Policies:

• Governor Josh Green signed a ban on deep-sea mining in Hawaii's waters, citing the destruction of unknown ecosystems.
• Critics argue deep-sea mining is short-sighted because the global battery industry is shifting toward sodium-lithium batteries, reducing demand for cobalt mined from the sea.
• Recent discoveries indicate that polymetallic nodules on the ocean floor produce oxygen, a function not previously understood and critical to climate and atmospheric health.
• Marine life in mining zones (e.g., Clarion-Clipperton Zone) grows back on geological timescales; some sponges and corals are 18,000 years old and could take 162,000 years to recover from damage.
• President Trump signed an executive order fast-tracking permitting for deep-sea mining in U.S. and international waters, drawing international protests regarding jurisdiction.

Technology & Public Engagement:

• Project SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) is being utilized by Project SETi (Science and Engineering for the Tech of Interstellar communication) to decode sperm whale language and facilitate interspecies communication.
• New technologies include autonomous sailing fleets and soft robotic fingers designed to interact with marine life gently without causing harm.
• Digital holotyping allows scientists to scan, DNA-swap, and create 3D models of new species before releasing them, enabling study without physical collection.
• Undersea cables, used for communication and energy, are being repurposed as "tripwires" to monitor ocean conditions and improve offshore wind farm efficiency.
• Indigenous knowledge is being integrated with modern technology to create holistic conservation strategies.

Policy & Geopolitical Context:

• Despite U.S. non-participation in recent International Maritime Organization (IMO) voting, 150 other nations voted to establish emissions restrictions for the global shipping industry.
• Hawaii is positioning itself as a diplomatic hub for climate adaptation, maintaining relationships with Asian and Pacific nations regardless of federal policy shifts.
• A UN Oceans Conference is scheduled for next month in Nice to address the High Seas Treaty and plastic pollution treaties.
• Governor Green advocates for a model where committed, tax-based revenue (like the green fee) is less susceptible to political shifts than annual appropriations.
• Panelists emphasize that international cooperation on ocean health is unprecedented in human history, representing a new era of self-regulation for a species.