Rodrigo Prudencio

What's Next for Oceans? | Global Conference 2025

Justin Worland, Josh Green, David Gruber, Rodrigo Prudencio, Wendy Schmidt

A high-stakes gathering of entrepreneurs, philanthropists, and policymakers highlights the urgent need to redirect global investment toward ocean conservation, noting that less than 1% of environmental philanthropy currently supports the $24 trillion economy the seas underpin. While Governor Josh Green's ban on deep-sea mining in Hawaii counters federal fast-tracking efforts, the event emphasizes how innovative financing models and private ventures are filling the void left by a 25-year low in government science funding. Ultimately, participants underscore that international cooperation is unprecedented as nations move to establish emissions restrictions and protect fragile deep-sea ecosystems that could take 162,000 years to recover from industrial exploitation.