My studio session, “Facing a Sea Change,” focused on reversing the damage that has been done to the oceans and how we should build on recent successes. I was the third participant, following Tony Haymet from Scripps Institution of Oceanography and Eric Sala from National Geographic.

During my 10 minute talk, I made the case for the oceans, highlighting some solutions to counteract the wide ranging and damaging threats. These solutions were focused in two areas: oceanscapes, which is a large-scale method of managing ocean areas which often encompass a number of different countries and stakeholders, and the establishment of an “Ocean Health Index” which can be thought of as a “Dow Jones Index” for the oceans—a way of measuring ocean health at various locations.

It is especially exciting to see the oceans getting notice at such a high level event as Davos. As the world recognizes that maintaining healthy oceans is good business, these vital ecosystems are taking on a larger role in the global agenda.

The WEF is a Swiss-based, independent nonprofit organization that works internationally. This year, the meeting’s theme was a call-to-action—”Improve the State of the World: Rethink, Redesign and Rebuild”. WEF’s meetings are often attended by world leaders and top-level economic and business-minded decision makers. This year saw such notable speakers as French President Nicolas Sarkozy, former U.S. president Bill Clinton, Microsoft Head Bill Gates, and film director James Cameron. JWQX7JBAV82P