Why the Ocean?
It covers 70 percent of the earth, yet we have only mapped 26 percent of it. We have mapped Mars and the Moon more extensively. Daniela Fernandez on why we need to save the oceans.
This week, I handed my pen to Daniela Fernandez. I met Daniela at Women Moving Millions in May. She founded the Sustainable Ocean Alliance, the largest global network of 7,000+ young ocean leaders. SOA has supported grassroots ocean initiatives and invested in 56 for-profit ocean tech startups. She has a slew of impressive achievements: a Forbes 30 Under 30 Social Entrepreneur, TEDx speaker, and LinkedIn Top Voice in Social Impact, most impressive to me is her kind heart and dedication to restore ocean health in this lifetime. Thank you Daniela.
We’ll have a final before end-of-summer newsletter next Friday, where we’ll dive into the Venezuela elections on June 28. Then we’ll be off until after Labor Day. 😎🏖 Though I *may* do a cameo piece on foreign policy and the upcoming election. TBD…
My happy place growing up was visiting the pristine beaches in Ecuador, spending time with my grandmother playing in the ocean.
Little did I know that the ocean was the greatest asset in our fight against the climate crisis. Despite this, science tends to focus on what is beyond, over what is below. While the Moon and Mars have been mapped completely, only 26.1 percent of the ocean has — and the ocean makes up 70 percent of the Earth.
At the age of 12, I watched Al Gore's film An Inconvenient Truth. It stirred my adolescent mind, filling me with uneasiness. “I'm going to save the ocean,” I unwaveringly stated to myself. Of course, I didn't know what that meant at the time. I just knew the fear that my happy place with my grandmother would simply cease to exist as I knew it lit a fire in me to help protect and sustain the health of the ocean, and take action.
Later in life, while a student at Georgetown, I attended a meeting at the United Nations where I learned that we didn't have solutions being built to address the threats facing our planet. I thought to myself: “How was it possible that the ocean, our largest carbon sink, which absorbs ~25 percent of humanity’s carbon emissions and captures 90% of the excess heat we generate, was an afterthought?” Nearly all of Earth’s breathable oxygen originated in the ocean, the planet’s true “lungs.”
An Alliance to Sustain the Ocean
In a recent TED Talk, I asked the audience to consider: “What can I, an individual, a single person, do to help protect our planet?” Once exposed to the facts mentioned earlier, it becomes crystal clear that sustaining the ocean also means sustaining humanity’s existence and Earth’s continued ability to host complex life.
The climate anxiety that I felt at that UN meeting generated an idea. I realized that, even though the problems seem big, their magnitude should not be an impediment to work on what could be addressed. Big changes start with people believing that they can change their immediate surroundings first, however little those contributions may seem at first. So my contribution, what I could do, became clear at that moment: Build the table.
The alliance would save the ocean for future generations. Its members would refuse to pull up a chair and listen quietly as leaders of the past made ocean-altering decisions, sealing our fate.
Fueled by this ethos, I founded what started as a spark and is now a global nonprofit, @Sustainable Ocean Alliance. I am proud to share that, since 2018, we’ve deployed $4.86M to visionary grantees and founders, accelerating 56 ocean-health tech startups in our Ecopreneur Network. Half of our startups are women-founded/led (a trend reversal, since female founders receive <3 percent of VC funding). Mother Nature, Mother Earth, and Mother Ocean need female solutionists to build the reimagined table.
Women-Led Ocean Health Solutions
Blue Ocean Gear
Over 14 million metric tonnes of plastic enter the ocean annually. Ten percent is ghost gear (lost and discarded commercial fishing gear), the deadliest form of plastic for marine wildlife and reefs. At Blue Ocean Gear, founder and CEO Kortney Opshaug’s sensor-rich Smart Buoy technology tracks and monitors gear, protecting endangered species. 1,000+ Smart Buoys have been deployed, preventing over 17 tonnes of plastic ocean waste.
Sway
Julia Marsh is the co-founder and CEO of Sway. They leverage seaweed to create TPSea™, a regenerative alternative to plastic nurdles (pellet-like plastic building blocks), and TPSea Flex™, a thin film to make polybags (clothing packaging). The startup won first place in the TOM FORD Plastic Innovation Prize, a 2024 FastCompany World Changing Idea Award, and is rolling out more packaging by Q4.
Navier
Sampriti Bhattacharyya, founder and CEO of Navier, is another incredible ecopreneur we’ve supported at SOA. The electrical, aerospace and nuclear engineer is revolutionizing maritime transport for ocean health with Navier 30 (or “N30”), America’s first all-electric hydrofoil boat and the world’s longest-range electric boat. If Navier scales successfully, fleets of flying water taxis, aka the “Tesla of the seas,” will reduce commutes and pollution in congested coastal cities, where 40 percent of the population resides. — Daniela
Daniela V. Fernandez is the Founder and CEO of the global nonprofit Sustainable Ocean Alliance.
I’m opening up my column to others. Please pitch me your op-ed idea/perspective. Let’s get more female perspectives. Email me on endeavoringe@gmail.com or respond to this post.
Elsewhere in the World.....
On our radar...
“Hell is empty and all the devils are here.” William Shakespeare, The Tempest
That’s how we feel not only about the GOP convention in Milwaukee this week but the man Trump tapped to be his vice president, the very junior Ohio Senator JD Vance.
Here’s a fact that we didn’t know until Monday: The youngest vice president was John Breckinridge, in 1857, to President James Buchanan. In 1953, Richard Nixon became Dwight D. Eisenhower’s veep at 40, which is what Vance will be next month. Not a promising example.
Anyway…. No sooner had the Vance announcement gone out did the moans about what that means for foreign policy come in. Vance, who signed up for the Marines after 9/11 and heeded George W. Bush’s call to fight in Iraq, has talked about his disillusionment with that war and US involvement abroad. He has continually questioned Washington’s support for Ukraine. He is a critic of free trade. In his convention speech, he noted that Biden stood behind the North Atlantic Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) that sent jobs to Mexico. Are the GOP’s days of Reaganite globalization and global leadership over? Emma Ashford says it’s complicated.
Ashford writes in her Substack, What is to be Done?:
The bottom line on Vance’s nomination is much simpler: it highlights the growing influence of the realist, nationalist wing of the Republican party on foreign policy. Their approach is characterized by a willingness to reject Bush-era neoconservatism, prioritization of the China challenge, and a focus on issues like the defense industrial base, trade, and migration, rather than global alliances and value-driven foreign policy.
Elmira may have more on this over the next few weeks… so maybe a cameo from her in August? Maybe…
US
In the US, presidents usually have the final say on foreign affairs and Congress has authority over economic elements of policy. Yet, as Kathleen Claussen and Timothy Meyer note, those lines are being blurred in the name of “economic security.” Both Joe Biden and Donald Trump have argued that “foreign commerce” is a national security matter. Hence, why both have leveled tariffs, particularly on China. The authors explain why that’s wrong. (Just Security)
Last Saturday, Donald Trump narrowly escaped an assassination attempt and plunged an already shaky presidential campaign further into turmoil. Or did it? Based on historical observations and analysis, Dinah Voyles Pulver and Marc Ramirez do not think the attempt will have a lasting effect on the elections or the state. (USA Today) We can only hope.
Democratic Senator Bob Menendez was convicted on corruption charges including bribery, conspiracy, extortion, obstruction of justice, and acting as a foreign agent. He is the first US Senator to be found guilty of acting as an agent of a foreign power. Tracey Tully, Maria Cramer, Benjamin Weiser, and Nicholas Fandos break down the charges. (NYT) All we can say is, good.
“There is nothing unreasonable about Americans wanting our borders and immigration to be orderly, well-managed, and safe,” writes Nazanin Ash. “But the desire for better border management and a more welcoming America are not mutually exclusive.” Welcome.US makes welcoming refugees easy and helps reduce unplanned arrivals. (US News & World Report)
Africa
Gambia’s parliament voted to uphold the country’s ban on genital mutilation after religious groups pushed for the law to be repealed. Rachel Chason has the details on this huge win for gender rights. (Washington Post)
In Rwanda, Paul Kagame won a fourth term as president. Yeah, that’s probably not good. Mariel Muller, Alex Ngarambe, and Isaac Kaledzi on Rwanda’s “controversial and polarizing strongman,” who has ruled since 1994. (DW)
Nigeria is at a tipping point. It is Africa’s largest economy and population. Can it overcome rampant corruption and violence? Jennifer Cunningham and Matthew Tostevin reflect. (Newsweek)
Kenya’s government targets the poor in mass displacements, in the name of flood preparedness, writes Makena Maganjo. (Africa is a Country)
Asia
For about three weeks, students in Bangladesh have taken to the streets to protest the quota system that is in place for government jobs. Megha Bahree explains the quota system, of which 56 percent is reserved for the descendants of the 1971 “freedom fighters.” (Al Jazeera)
China is preparing for the third plenum of the 20th Chinese Communist Party central committee. Yu Jie lays out what’s on the agenda, including making China a global leader in technology. (Chatham House)
When it comes to the fight for women’s rights in Afghanistan, Afghan fathers can be powerful advocates, says Charli Carpenter. (WPR)
The Americas
On July 28, Venezuelans will head to the polls to vote for president. Will the incumbent Nicolás Maduro hold onto power? Shannon O'Neil and Julia Huesa analyze the upcoming presidential elections. (CFR)
Things between the US and Venezuela have been sticky for decades, but earlier this month, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro announced that he will resume talks with the US, which has just reimposed sanctions on the country. What does the future hold for the US-Venezuela relationship? Tamara Taraciuk Broner, Michael Shifter, and Marc Becker discuss. (The Dialogue)
Europe
In the UK, Labour put an end to 14 years of Tory rule. Yay? Nesrine Malik dives into the voting data, which shows that the July 4 election had the lowest turnout. What is happening to the British electorate? (The Guardian)
Ursula von der Leyen secured a second term as president of the European Commission. While predicted, it also required some balancing on her part. Zia Weise, Leonie Cater, and Marianne Gros explain. (Politico)
File under WTF? France has said that it will not allow athletes to wear the hijab during the Olympic games. Tariro Mzezwa has the details. (The Cut)
Stop policing women’s bodies.
Also, felicidades España!!
Middle East
It’s no secret that international humanitarian law has been breached during Israel’s assault on Gaza, but a reminder is important. Ghana Ageel reminds us of the torture and horror that Israeli soldiers inflict on Palestinians every day. (Middle East Eye)
An agreement between the EU and Lebanon to reduce Syrian refugee departures could be at the cost of human rights. Marine Caleb dives deep. (Inkstick Media)
Science & Climate Change
New research indicates that climate change is actually altering time – making days a few milliseconds longer. 😳What does this mean long-term? Laura Paddison discusses. (CNN)
Threatened by climate change, Kuala Lumpur has turned to Tokyo, a city renowned for its pioneering efforts in zero-emission building initiatives. Tokyo’s governor Yuriko Koike joins Kamarulzaman Mat Salleh to help mitigate the effects of frequent and extreme weather in Kuala Lumpur. (Nikkei Asia)
Under the Radar
Why should NATO care about gender? What are women, and women’s networks, doing to advance democracy – and how should a military alliance think about the strategic utility of programs like Women, Peace and Security? Irene Fellin and Kathleen McInnis discuss. (CSIS)
Opportunities
In one of our favorite places in the world, the NYPL is offering the Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies Fellowship, a three-month fellowship with a $25,000 stipend. It almost gives Elmira the incentive to get a PhD. Almost.
In NYC, The Ms. Foundation is hiring for a Program Officer, Grantmaking and Capacity Building.
Editorial Team
Elmira Bayrasli - Editor-in-Chief
Editors:
Pin-Shan Lai
Catherine Lovizio
Emily Smith