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Less Talk, More Action
The nexus of business, policy, and sustainability is more divided than ever, but Less Talk, More Action is here to cut through the noise. Hosted by clean energy experts Joel Cesare and Owen Barrett, this podcast dives into the front lines of decarbonization, net-zero real estate, and entrepreneurship. Each episode features bold questions, real solutions, and stories from leaders in science, tech, and business who are taking action to make the world a better place. Join us as we move beyond talk and work toward a cleaner, net-zero future. Language: en Genres: Business, Entrepreneurship, Technology Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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The Ocean Is the Hero of Climate Change (Here’s How)
Episode 66
Wednesday, 8 April, 2026
In this episode of Less Talk, More Action, Joel and Owen sit down with Kevin Whilden, Co-Founder of Seatrees, to explore whether the ocean can truly help pull us out of the climate crisis. They dig into blue carbon ecosystems like mangroves, kelp forests, coral reefs, and seagrass meadows, and debate the merits and failures of carbon offsets, RECs, and emerging biodiversity credits. The conversation wrestles with geoengineering ideas such as ocean alkalinity enhancement, the risks of treating the planet as an experiment, and why traditional market mechanisms for climate solutions have struggled. Kevin explains how Seatrees is tackling monitoring and verification with new tech (like phone-based 3D reef mapping), how biodiversity credits differ from carbon credits, and why he still refuses to give up hope despite climate tipping points. Listeners come away with a sharper understanding of oceans as climate heroes, the limits of current offset markets, and a more grounded sense of what real, measurable ecosystem restoration looks like in practice. Highlights from this week’s conversation include: Introduction to the Podcast and Kevin’s Work With Seatrees (0:56) Kevin’s Career in Climate Science and Birth of Seatrees (3:58) What Blue Carbon Ecosystems Are and Why the Ocean Is the “Hero” (5:20) Have We Already Lost the Climate Fight and Are We Just Adapting Now? (8:02) Crossing Climate Tipping Points and the Need for a Mindset Shift (9:53) Debating Ocean Alkalinity and “Geoengineering” the Seas (16:15) Who Gets to Decide on Planet-Scale Climate Experiments? (20:11) How Acid Rain and Ozone Were Solved and the Origins of Carbon Offsets (21:23) Why Carbon Markets Broke and How Biodiversity Credits Could Be Better (29:20) Sustainable Surf, Eco Board Certification, and Zero-Waste Surfboards (34:34) Measuring Biodiversity Uplift and Designing Better Nature Markets (42:54) The Lahaina Fire Story, Watershed Restoration, and Why Kevin Still Has Hope (45:09) How to Support Seatrees and the New SeaHouse in Encinitas (46:57) The nexus of business, policy, and sustainability is more divided than ever, but Less Talk, More Action is here to cut through the noise. Hosted by clean energy experts Joel Cesare and Owen Barrett, this podcast dives into the front lines of decarbonization, net-zero real estate, and entrepreneurship. Each episode features bold questions, real solutions, and stories from leaders in science, tech, and business who are taking action to make the world a better place. Join us as we move beyond talk and work toward a cleaner, net-zero future. Learn more and subscribe at lesstalkmoreaction.com. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
