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# Blue Green Future

Valuing a living nature for a regenerative future.

## Sitemaps

- [XML Sitemap](http://bluegreenfuture.org/sitemap.xml): Contains all public & indexable URLs for this website.

## Posts

- [Reconnecting Markets with Nature: An Earth Day Talk with Renowned Financial Economist Ralph Chami](https://www.buzzsprout.com/2367142/episodes/17040747#new_tab) - What if we could see the invisible? The magnificent blue whale, stretching 110 feet long through ocean depths, remains completely invisible to our economic systems—until it's killed. In this profound Earth Day conversation with Ralph Chami, we discover how reconnecting our market systems with living nature might be our most powerful tool for planetary healing.
- [CGTN America: Finding the Value of Nature](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0LaizWncus#new_tab) - Ralph Chami is the founder of Blue Green Future, an organization that provides policy advice on the economic value of nature. “The whale is providing humanity a service, sequestering carbon. That service is valuable," Chami said in an interview with Full Frame host Mike Walter. "How much should we pay the whale? That's a eureka moment ... The whale is providing a service far more valuable than what I'm providing as an economist. They're helping us fight climate change.”
- [Dr. Ralph Chami: The Economist Teaching the World to Value Living Nature](https://sdgnews.com/sdg-news-spotlight-dr-ralph-chami/#new_tab)
- [Ocean Central](http://bluegreenfuture.org/ocean-central/) - Ocean Central is a data-driven platform helping users explore ocean health, track progress toward global ocean goals, and better understand the value marine ecosystems provide to society.
- [Buffalo to Grassland Regeneration](http://bluegreenfuture.org/buffalo-to-grassland-regeneration/) - Bison are a keystone species whose presence restores grasslands and soils, increases carbon storage, and enhances nutrient cycling and biodiversity. Killed by the millions in the 19th century, we learned the hard way that they are essential to land productivity and carbon sequestration.
- [Whales to Ocean Productivity Regeneration](http://bluegreenfuture.org/whales-to-ocean-productivity-regeneration/) - Whales are major contributors to ocean productivity, nutrient cycling, and carbon storage. Valuation of these services transforms ecological value into financial instruments that drive investment into conservation action to protect these sentient beings from human impacts.
- [Sea Otters to Kelp Regeneration](http://bluegreenfuture.org/sea-otters-to-kelp-regeneration/) - Sea otters are a keystone species whose presence promotes recovery and stability of kelp, seagrass, and salt marsh ecosystems. They stabilize fish nurseries, thus benefiting wildlife and providing protein for people. Nearly wiped out by humans, we are learning that sea otters are worth more alive.
- [Can Smarter Markets Help Address Climate Change?](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4m2cSQuMSE0#new_tab)
- [When Nature Has a Number on the Balance Sheet](https://www.healthyseas.org/blog/when-nature-has-a-number-on-the-balance-sheet/#new_tab)
- [COP30: Valuing the Amazon’s Last Flying River](http://bluegreenfuture.org/cop30-valuing-the-amazons-last-flying-river/) - At COP30, Blue Green Future co-founder Connel Fullenkamp presented our work with Gaia Amazonas, ACTO, and the Inter-American Development Bank on creating economic value for the Amazon’s rainfall-generating forests—the “Last Flying River.” Drawing on cutting-edge research, the presentation shows how deforestation reduces rainfall and GDP across Latin America, and how protecting the standing forest safeguards
- [Flying River of the Amazon](http://bluegreenfuture.org/flying-river-the-amazon/) - The northern Amazon is the world’s last contiguous stretch of intact rainforest, generating 20% of global rainfall and 70% of Latin America’s precipitation. These “flying rivers” — massive water vapor systems produced by the forest — sustain global food security, weather stability, and biodiversity. Their loss would carry catastrophic consequences for climate, economies, and societies.
- [Rewilding Buffalo](http://bluegreenfuture.org/rewilding-bison/) - Once numbering 60 million across North America, buffalo shaped entire ecosystems and cultures. Today, the Buffalo Nations Fund (BNF) is pioneering a replicable Indigenous-led model to restore buffalo to ancestral lands, unlock new classes of nature-backed credits, and generate long-term ecological and economic resilience.
- [Bahamas Seagrass](http://bluegreenfuture.org/bahamas-seagrass/) - The Bahamas is home to one of the largest seagrass meadows on Earth, a natural climate solution with immense potential for carbon sequestration, biodiversity protection, and coastal resilience. By restoring and safeguarding this vast ecosystem, the project contributes directly to climate mitigation, sustainable development, and resilient island economies.
- [The Biological Carbon Pump](http://bluegreenfuture.org/the-biological-carbon-pump/) - Blue Green Future (BGF) is proud to be part of team that just released the important article titled “Global distribution, quantification and valuation of the biological carbon pump,” published in Nature Climate Change on March 27, 2025, https://rdcu.be/efknr. The paper focuses on the role of the biological carbon pump (BCP), a crucial oceanic process that
- [Can Natural Capital be the New Real Estate?](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DK-eobDZf_c#new_tab)
- [How much is a whale worth?](https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/how-much-is-a-whale-worth#new_tab)
- [Seas Of Opportunity: Navigating the Blue Economy / EP12: Beyond blue sky thinking, learning from blue projects already in flight](https://www.buzzsprout.com/952195/episodes/15648832-seas-of-opportunity-navigating-the-blue-economy-ep12-beyond-blue-sky-thinking-learning-from-blue-projects-already-in-flight#new_tab)
- [Moana's Journey](https://vimeo.com/992371360?share=copy#new_tab) - “Moana’s Journey is a visually captivating short film that follows Moana, a young whale, as she embarks on a transformative adventure. Drawn by curiosity, Moana leaves the comfort of her mother to explore the human world. Intrigued by their ways, she undergoes a magical transformation into a human herself. However, as time passes, she longs for the ocean’s embrace and eventually returns to the safety and familiarity of her underwater home.
- [How To Build A Solid Blue Natural Capital Market" - Ralph Chami leads the discussion on…](https://youtu.be/LC99Rr24tto#new_tab)
- [Dinah Nieburg leads a discussion on "Protecting Biodiversity: The Role of Whales](http://bluegreenfuture.org/dinah-nieburg-leads-a-discussion-on-protecting-biodiversity-the-role-of-whales/)
- [What's in a Whale? | a conversation with Professor Ralph Chami](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvrlmpViC84#new_tab)
- [The tap & the tub: A better way to envision climate change mitigation](https://illuminem.com/illuminemvoices/the-tap-and-the-tub-a-better-way-to-envision-climate-change-mitigation)
- [Legal personhood combined with financial market responses can protect whales - a breakthrough for nature](https://youtu.be/GECyCza4zVo?si=ChkpPmG1GbBgOUDG#new_tab) - This news report describes how markets work with the whale legal personhood declaration to provide effective global protection for them.
- [Building markets for a nature-positive world: a triple win strategy](https://illuminem.com/illuminemvoices/building-markets-for-a-naturepositive-world-a-triple-win-strategy)
- [Māori and Pacific leaders propose legal personhood for whales at UN](https://newsroom.co.nz/2023/09/18/maori-and-pacific-leaders-propose-legal-personhood-for-whales-at-un/#new_tab)
- [COP27 - Nature as an Asset](http://bluegreenfuture.org/cop27-nature-as-an-asset/#new_tab)
- [Hinemoana Halo: Māori-led Ocean Solutions and Nature Positive Carbon++ Investments](https://www.arcticcircle.org/journal/hineaoana-halo-maori-led-ocean-solutions-and-nature#new_tab)
- [UNGA, NY - September 17 - Maori King and Maori Leaders Support whales as personhood and Ocean Ambassador to the UN](https://vimeo.com/867330054?share=copy#t=0#new_tab)
- [Maori iwi (New Zealand): “Indigenous-led blue carbon regime secures $4mil”](http://bluegreenfuture.org/maori-iwi-new-zealand-indigenous-led-blue-carbon-regime-secures-4mil-2/) - 
- [The price is not right](https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fclim.2023.1225190/full) - The 2015 Paris Agreement requires all nations to combat climate change and to adapt to its effects. Countries promise to reduce their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions through their Nationally Determined Contributions. Pledges to reduce emissions, however, have implications for economic growth. We estimate the link between economic growth and CO2 pollution levels and find that this
- [Blue Economy Summit - Carlos Duarte](https://youtu.be/Vvq75N5vwFc?si=nLHr0jCYzX5PMrMJ#new_tab) - Carlos Duarte presentation at Blue Economy Summit — An event connecting international leaders from the worlds of science, institutions, entrepreneurship, and finance to discuss the current status of the ocean and the urgent need to build a sustainable Blue Economy that keeps the ocean and its resources safe for the future generations, by introducing innovative solutions
- [Blue Economy Summit - Ralph Chami](https://youtu.be/9u55mJCzWm8?si=HDCjmy8xz_45upIu#new_tab) - CEO Ralph Chami presentation at Blue Economy Summit — An event connecting international leaders from the worlds of science, institutions, entrepreneurship, and finance to discuss the current status of the ocean and the urgent need to build a sustainable Blue Economy that keeps the ocean and its resources safe for the future generations, by introducing innovative solutions
- [The Trillion-Dollar Auction to Save the World -- WIRED](https://www.wired.com/story/seagrass-humble-ocean-plant-worth-trillions/#new_tab) - Ocean creatures soak up huge amounts of humanity’s carbon mess. Should we value them like financial assets?
- [TED Radio Hour - What a Living Whale is Worth in Fighting Climate Change](https://www.npr.org/2023/05/17/1176770956/what-a-living-whale-is-worth-in-the-fight-against-climate-change#new_tab)
- [Climate One Podcast - Blue Carbon Sinking it in the Sea](https://www.climateone.org/audio/blue-carbon-sinking-it-sea#new_tab) - Listen here starting 15:00 to hear Ralph Chami
- [Beyond Trophy Hunting - Born Free](https://youtu.be/ZAtlpqgMCuo#new_tab)
- [TED Talk - What a living whale is worth -- and why the economy should protect nature](https://www.ted.com/talks/ralph_chami_what_a_living_whale_is_worth_and_why_the_economy_should_protect_nature?utm_campaign=tedspread&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=tedcomshare#new_tab)
- [The true wealth of the open ocean: a global trust -- The Economist](https://www.wired.com/story/seagrass-humble-ocean-plant-worth-trillions/#new_tab) - The greatest economic and social value of our ocean lies not in the short-sighted goal of dividing up the rights to extract its resources, but in protecting the ocean’s biodiversity, physical structures and biogeochemical functioning—the ocean’s integrity and rights as a living system. These aspects are vital to mitigating climate change, reversing our current biodiversity
- [COP27 - Ocean X Climate Summit - Ralph Chami: The Value of a Living Ocean to Our Health & Economic Well Being w/ Sophia Li COP27](https://youtu.be/OotFlHJVSgc#new_tab)
- [COP27 - Towards an innovative integrated transformative action to tackle climate change](https://youtu.be/MCzdKkh8jqc#new_tab)
- [Valuing Natural Capital Conference - Gem Labs - Geneva September 2022](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9Dof2ctZCQ&list=PLGSSUdqQ9NOr_LenfQrSeGEtIWH3WZHsy&index=1#new_tab) - Listen here to keynote address "Towards an Equitable and Nature-Positive Economy"
- [TEDx Fiesole - If Nature Could Speak, If Humans Could Listen](https://youtu.be/ckgTyUns3g8#new_tab)
- [Podcast for the Planet: Money talks: global capitalism, ecocide law & financing a liveable future](https://www.audible.com/pd/Money-talks-global-capitalism-ecocide-law-financing-a-liveable-future-Podcast/B0B97J3FBF#new_tab)
- [The Value of a Living Ocean to our Health and Economic Well-Being](https://youtu.be/VPfOClaWnjA#new_tab) - Listen here to a presentation at UN World Ocean Day, NYC - June 8th, 2022
- [Financial Times - March 31,  - Champion the whales](https://www.ft.com/content/d5b3d849-f025-4fcc-b82f-dcb8c96ee067?shareType=nongift#new_tab)
- [The Future of Nature Markets by Ralph Chami, Marcelo Furtado and Simon Zadek,](https://www.naturemarkets.net/publications/the-future-of-nature-markets#new_tab) - White paper to launch the Task Force on Nature Markets organized by Finance for Biodiversity
- [Special Event on Saving the Forest Elephant, hosted by EPI Foundation](https://youtu.be/MT0aaM4K0lQ#new_tab) - Listen here to a panel discussion with Ministers from Nigeria, Liberia, Cameroon and Gabon discuss the problems of human-elephant conflict and engaging around a new paradigm presented by Ralph Chami to value forest elephants for their carbon sequestration services.
- [An EcoFlix Change-Maker Interview with Niall McCann and Ralph Chami](https://watch.ecoflix.com/changemakers/videos/change-makers-ralph-chami#new_tab) - Listen here to an interview renowned British biologist, activist, and adventurer, Niall McCann and financial economist, musician and humanist, Ralph Chami talking about the wonders of nature and how to protect it.
- [OECD - DevTalks](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1PtaU4LjYJKOYeb_cl6_axZ0teFp9BJzm/view?usp=sharing#new_tab) - Listen here starting at minute 6:10
- [Save the Whales, Save the World](https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=POBefeesExE#new_tab) - Listen here to an expert panel webinar hosted by WDC in advance of COP26.
- [The role of markets in mitigating climate change - Monaco Scientific Center Workshop](https://vimeo.com/654775190#new_tab) - Listen here to a presentation from the Fifth International Workshop On Ocean Acidification Impacts and Economic Valuation, Monaco Scientific Center, October 12-14, 2021
- [Climate 21 Podcast - Using Finance to Protect and Enhance Biodiversity While Simultaneously Sequestering Carbon](#new_tab) - Listen here to Tom Raftery's podcast Climate 21 - a Chat with Ralph Chami
- [Geneva Impacts Lab - Protecting Whales for our Planet](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sm0OVU5A9K8#new_tab) - Listen here to podcast
- [A new nature-based economic paradigm](https://www.dropbox.com/s/m1le9of506smbuv/IMG-1677.mov?dl=0) - Listen here to a new nature-based economic paradigm developed by Blue Green Future, launched at Davos 2019, and is now being brought to life through Rebalance Earth, working with the government of Gabon, to save elephants and supporting and empowering the local communities.
- [Green Horizon Perspectives - City of London](https://youtu.be/XOgkG3JFso0#new_tab) - Listen here to Ralph Chami present a three minute message on a new economic paradigm with nature at its core that leads to sustainable, equitable and regenerative future.
- [Indian Institutes of Technology: The value of nature to our economic well-being and economic prosperity](https://youtu.be/gSVZCdy_10Q)
- [WEF - Three more vital reasons we need to protect the ocean.](https://www.linkedin.com/company/world-economic-forum/videos/native/urn:li:ugcPost:6802986802966794240/)
- [Financial Times - What if whales could save us?](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXteaylBtgs#new_tab)
- [Gardeners of the Congo: how African elephants fight climate change](https://www.oneearth.org/gardeners-of-the-congo-how-african-elephants-fight-climate-change/)
- [Is Netflix's Seaspiracy film right about fishing damaging oceans? BBC News Reality Check](https://www.bbc.com/news/56660823) - Claim: Micro-organisms absorb four times more CO2 than the Amazon, based on IMF report. Experts say that the figure is about right, and could even be an under-estimate.
- [Ralph Chami on Nature's Solution to Climate Change](https://www.parkviewgroup.com/podcast/episode-14-ralph-chami-natures-solution-climate-change#new_tab) - Listen to podcast by Parkview Group Sustaining Wealth
- [To fight climate change, save the whales, some scientists say - Mongabay](https://news.mongabay.com/2021/03/to-fight-climate-change-save-the-whales-some-scientists-say/#new_tab)
- [On a win-win solution for a vibrant nature and a thriving economy - Nexus "Bigger Than US" (BTU) - part II](https://medium.com/bigger-than-us/a-carbon-sequestration-market-to-protect-nature-with-ralph-chami-assistant-director-in-the-icd-aa8dac2af6e4)
- [Appraising the value of elephants and whales - Nexus Production - "Bigger Than Us" (BTU) - Part I](https://open.spotify.com/episode/5vTY4pAvq48ZSWwkoCHGHi?si=ZtAp5EESSVG-WI63BHRQLg&nd=1#new_tab)
- [How much is an elephant worth? - The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jan/28/how-much-is-an-elephant-worth-meet-the-ecologists-doing-the-sums-aoe#new_tab)
- [Great whales found to have active role and monetary value in fight against climate change - Oceanographic](https://www.oceanographicmagazine.com/news/great-whales-fight-climate-change/#new_tab)
- [A Surprise Hero Taking on Global Warming](https://seaspraylabs.com/posts/#new_tab)
- [How whales help cool the earth - BBC Future Planet](https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20210119-why-saving-whales-can-help-fight-climate-change#new_tab)
- [Boris Johnson vows to 'take a stand' against Japanese whale killing - The Telegraph](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/01/15/exclusive-boris-johnson-says-taking-stand-against-cruel-japanese/#new_tab)
- [Valuing Nature: Whales, Elephants, and the Global Economy - at the Institute for International Economic Policy](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a732LUKw3aE&trk=organization-update-content_share-embed-video_share-article_title#new_tab)
- [Blockchain Supporting Nature’s Solution to Climate Change](https://insureblocks.com/ep-128-blockchain-supporting-natures-solution-to-climate-change-insights-from-the-imf/#new_tab) - Insureblocks
- [Small Elephants Play Big Role in Fighting Climate Change - IMF Finance & Development](https://www.imf.org/en/News/Podcasts/All-Podcasts/2020/09/21/Elephants#new_tab)
- [Nature-Based Solutions to Climate Change: Towards a Blue Carbon Economy Future - T20 Task Force](https://www.g20-insights.org/policy_briefs/nature-based-solutions-to-climate-change-towards-a-blue-carbon-economy-future/) - Oceans are both the greatest victims of climate change and its greatest mitigators. This policy brief urges the G20 to strengthen the role of blue carbon (BC), nature-based solutions (NbS) and ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) at international forums and initiate funding mechanisms for their implementation. The G20 can further ocean science by including BC targets at
- [Economists put a price tag on living whales in Brazil: $82 billion](https://news.mongabay.com/2020/05/economists-put-a-price-tag-on-living-whales-in-brazil-82-billion/) - Mongabay
- [Priceless poo: the global cooling effect of whales](https://chinadialogueocean.net/13512-priceless-poo-the-global-cooling-effect-of-whales/)
- [Save the whale’s (poop) – Save the Planet! (and $2M per whale)](https://www.ecohome.net/guides/3518/save-the-whales-poop-save-the-planet-and-2m-dollars-per-whale-carbon-offset/#new_tab)
- [Opinion: Every Breath You Take: The Economic Case for Marine Life](https://undark.org/2020/03/05/economic-value-marine-life/#new_tab)
- [How whales can solve the climate crisis - Terra Mater Factual Studio](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYBwHnz-yZE#new_tab) - (Tera Mater)
- [An Economist quantifies who valuable whales are to fighting climate change](https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/magazine/an-economist-quantifies-how-valuable-whales-are-to-fighting-climate-change/2019/11/11/b67c5302-f5e6-11e9-8cf0-4cc99f74d127_story.html#new_tab)
- [Living Whales are worth an enormous amount of money](https://www.washingtonpost.com/science/2019/11/04/living-whales-are-worth-an-enormous-amount-money/#new_tab)
- [How Much is a Whale Worth?](https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/2019/09/how-much-is-a-whale-worth/#new_tab) - National Geographic
- [Whales are a trillion dollar climate change fix](https://news.grida.no/whales-are-a-trilliondollar-climate-change-fix#new_tab)
- [The Value of Whales and Every Other Breath](https://soundcloud.com/imf-podcasts/the-value-of-whales-and-every#new_tab)

## Pages

- [Home](http://bluegreenfuture.org/) - Blue Green Future develops science-based financial models to value natural capital, carbon, and biodiversity, turning ecosystems into investable assets.
- [ReGDP – Maldives](http://bluegreenfuture.org/regdp-maldives/)
- [ReGDP – Bahamas](http://bluegreenfuture.org/regdp-bahamas/)
- [ReGDP – Indonesia](http://bluegreenfuture.org/regdp-indonesia/)
- [ReGDP – Panama](http://bluegreenfuture.org/regdp-panama/)
- [Thought Leadership](http://bluegreenfuture.org/our-work/)
- [Our Approach](http://bluegreenfuture.org/our-approach/) - A new economic model between finance and the living world that recognizes the economic value of carbon sequestration, biodiversity protection, and ecosystem health.
- [Portfolio of living nature assets](http://bluegreenfuture.org/portfolio/) - Blue Green Future uses science-based-finance to create an investible asset class in living nature. The portfolio addresses the climate and biodiversity crisis.
- [Home](http://bluegreenfuture.org/home/) - Valuing natural capital for a regenerative future
- [About](http://bluegreenfuture.org/about/)
- [News](http://bluegreenfuture.org/news/)
- [Contact](http://bluegreenfuture.org/contact/)

## Portfolio items

- [Global Distribution, Quantification and Valuation of the Biological Carbon Pump](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41558-025-02295-0#new_tab) - The biological carbon pump (BCP) sequesters vast amounts of carbon in the ocean, but its importance for conservation, climate finance and international policy has not been properly assessed. Here, using spatial analysis and financial valuation of the BCP service, we estimate that, annually, the BCP adds 2.81 GtC (range 2.44–3.53 GtC) to the ocean with a storage time of at least 50 years (±25 years).
- [Assessing the Carbon Market Potential of Global Seagrass Recovery](https://www.nature.com/articles/s44183-026-00218-w.epdf?sharing_token=9d5-gahHTdDEChSIzoPPrdRgN0jAjWel9jnR3ZoTv0OR7ybdFpVINuy0QlNUBKRt-985d-ay1xtNqJuVq9ApxYqZdkeobbTEZipdQzVBo38RML7SUYH-5Koj3jwlBkD-Qu68IyVNFLpKiSL2SJTfryLBmFJbqHkRnpSqeFd5v0E=#new_tab) - Seagrass offers the largest scope for restoration among blue carbon habitats, due to their greater potential extent along with efficient space occupation through their clonal growth. Here we model the upper limit to the value of carbon removal if seagrass were to be restored to approach their maximum global extent, estimated at about one million km2 to yield up to 17.8 CO2-eq. This corresponds to a total value of the associated carbon credits of USD 1.13–2.27 trillion, depending on the length of exponential clonal growth.
- [Building Equitable and Nature-Positive Blue Natural Capital Markets](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2949790626000789#new_tab) - Blue natural capital (BNC) markets have the potential to address global environmental crises such as biodiversity and climate emergencies by contributing to the conservation and restoration of marine ecosystems while providing economic benefits to the owners of these ecosystems and the buyers of their services. Philanthropic and official aid fall short of the funding needed to protect and restore BNC. The resulting finance gap for nature, now approaching USD $1 trillion annually, cannot be closed without mobilizing private capital at scale.
- [Bending the Curve of Land Degradation to Achieve Global Environmental Goals](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09365-5#new_tab) - Land has a vital role in sustaining human communities, nurturing diverse ecosystems and regulating the climate of our planet. As such, current rates of land degradation pose a major environmental and socioeconomic threat, driving climate change, biodiversity loss and social crises.
- [Embedding Equity in Nascent Nature Credit Markets: Key Considerations](https://www.naturefinance.net/resources-tools/embedding-equity-in-nascent-nature-credit-markets-key-considerations/#new_tab) - This Taskforce on Nature Markets paper, with Ralph Chami and Andreas Merkl, maps the risks and equity implications in emerging nature credit markets as a new asset class, namely as natural assets arise, and new markers for ecosystem services develop.
- [The Tap & the Tub: A Better Way to Envision Climate Change Mitigation](https://illuminem.com/illuminemvoices/the-tap-and-the-tub-a-better-way-to-envision-climate-change-mitigation#new_tab) - Climate change experts confirm that humanity still has a (narrow) chance to prevent global mean temperatures from rising more than 1.5°C by 2035. But it falls on non-experts to turn the experts’ projections and advice into policy—and perhaps more importantly, into public awareness that results in needed behavioral changes and support for new policy initiatives.
- [Building Markets for a Nature-Positive World: A Triple Win Strategy](https://illuminem.com/illuminemvoices/building-markets-for-a-naturepositive-world-a-triple-win-strategy#new_tab) - Currently, ships and whales share the ocean. Their interaction, however, has been devastating for the whales, as ship strikes have continued to be a primary cause of whale fatalities, along with entanglements among others. Because whales have existed for millions of years relative to the recent advent of ships, whales have not evolved fast enough to recognize the danger from these vessels.
- [How Legal Personhood and Markets Can Partner to Help Save the Whale](https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/ocean-sustainability/articles/10.3389/focsu.2024.1454751/full#new_tab) - Recently, the Māori People of Aotearoa, Cook Islands, and Tahiti supported a resolution to endorse their ancestors, the whales, as Ocean Ambassadors to the United Nations and to protect their legal personhood. This historic move aims to help protect the whales against dangers such as ship strikes as they migrate through their South Pacific waters.
- [TED: What a Living Whale Is Worth—And Why the Economy Should Protect Nature](https://www.ted.com/talks/ralph_chami_what_a_living_whale_is_worth_and_why_the_economy_should_protect_nature#new_tab) - How much is one living blue whale worth in the fight against climate change? A lot more than you may think, says financial economist Ralph Chami. He explains the value of bringing the language of dollars and cents to conservation—and offers his vision of a new economy that would profit off regenerating nature, not extracting from it.
- [TEDx: If Nature Could Speak, If Humans Could Listen](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ckgTyUns3g8&ab_channel=TEDxTalks#new_tab) - A sustainable future needs a new nature-positive economic paradigm: if we stand up for nature, nature will continue to stand up for us. Dr. Ralph Cham has developed a model for valuing natural capital, including blue and green nature, flora and fauna, and a framework for developing the natural capital markets for ecosystem services.
- [NPR: What a Living Whale Is Worth in the Fight Against Climate Change](https://www.npr.org/transcripts/1176770956#new_tab) - "The value of a living whale is zero, $0, zero in any currency. I'm a financial economist. And I'm listening to these scientists bemoaning what's happening to the whales, and I wanted to help. I didn't know how to help. And I thought, wait a minute. Maybe I can bring your message to the audiences around the world. Maybe I can translate all of that value, those services that they do for us, in a language that we can all understand. It's the language of dollars and cents."
- [Appraising Whales with Ralph Chami](https://medium.com/bigger-than-us/appraising-whales-with-ralph-chami-assistant-director-in-the-icd-international-monetary-fund-df6a9276fdca#new_tab) - Ralph Chami was not an environmental economist. He was a financial economist. But a bucket list trip to see blue whales changed that. Ralph joins us on episode 134 of Bigger Than Us to tell the story of how he ended up calculating the value of whales and their carbon sequestration. His work on whales has given long-needed proof to scientists who have long been concerned about the shrinking whale population.
- [Nature Talks: The Last Cry of the Whale](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwfgKGSib90&ab_channel=Nature4Climate#new_tab) - At COP28, the Nature Positive Pavilion promoted Nature Talks, a platform where influential speakers and experienced leaders converged to deliver impactful TED-style talks on leading nature for climate action. Diverse experts shared transformative ideas, innovative solutions, and personal insights that inspire change and ignite conversations surrounding the crucial role of nature in addressing climate challenges for people and the planet. In this talk, we invite you to listen to Ralph Chami, a financial economist with 25 years at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and co-founder of Blue Green Future and Rebalance Earth.
- [IMF Podcasts: The Value of Whales and Every Other Breath](https://www.imf.org/en/News/Podcasts/All-Podcasts/2019/09/15/value-of-whales#new_tab) - July was the hottest month on record according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Scientific research now indicates more clearly than ever that our growing carbon footprint is warming the planet at an alarming rate and threatening our ecosystems. In this podcast, economist Ralph Chami, and whale conservationist Michael Fishbach, explain the carbon capture potential of whales and how supporting international efforts to restore whale populations around the world is one of the simplest ways to fight climate change.
- [The Value of Nature to Our Health and Economic Well-Being: A Framework with Application to Elephants and Whales](https://www.researchgate.net/publication/365694573_The_Value_of_Nature_to_Our_Health_and_Economic_Well-Being_A_Framework_with_Application_to_Elephants_and_Whales#new_tab) - We develop a framework for natural resource valuation that directly addresses the fundamental collective action problem in environmental protection. Our framework uses the lessons of behavioral economics to create values that individual decision makers find credible and relatable, in addition to stimulating excitement or concern that is essential to prompting action. We then apply this framework to value forest elephants in Africa and great whales that are found off the coasts of Brazil and Chile. The values we estimate for individual members of these species are significant: $1.75 million per forest elephant and an average of $2 million per whale. We discuss how our valuations lead to new designs for environmental preservation and restoration policies.
- [Nature’s Solution to Climate Change](https://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/fandd/2019/12/pdf/natures-solution-to-climate-change-chami.pdf#new_tab) - A strategy to protect whales can limit greenhouse gases and global warming.
- [The Secret Work of Elephants: How African Elephants Fight Climate Change](https://www.imf.org/Publications/fandd/issues/2020/09/how-african-elephants-fight-climate-change-ralph-chami#new_tab) - African forest elephants fight climate change by contributing in surprising ways to natural carbon capture.
- [The Role of Blue Carbon in Climate Change Mitigation and Carbon Stock Conservation](https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fclim.2021.710546/full#new_tab) - In this paper, we discuss Blue Carbon resources in coastal, open-ocean and deep-sea ecosystems and highlight the benefits of measures such as restoration and creation as well as conservation and protection in helping to unleash their potential for mitigating climate change risks. We also highlight the challenges—such as valuation and governance—to marshaling their mitigation role and discuss the need for policy action for natural capital market development, and for global coordination.
- [The Urgent Need to Create a Nature-Based Economy](http://bluegreenfuture.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Article-R-Chami-D-Nieburg-T-Cosimano-C-Fullenkamp-MO-december-2021.pdf#new_tab) - Humanity stands at a crossroad, faced with the dual threats of climate change and species-biodiversity loss. The very foundation upon which our lives depend is at risk, yet our actions—our lifestyles and economic activities—do not yet align with this stark and quickly approaching calamity. COVID-19 exposed what scientists have been saying for many decades—that humanity’s economic and social wellbeing are inextricably bound to nature.
- [The Future of Nature Markets](https://www.naturemarkets.net/publications/the-future-of-nature-markets#new_tab) - This paper sets out challenges and opportunities associated with the surge in monetarisation of nature across the global economy. It establishes a baseline of where we are in the evolution of nature markets and areas that need to be addressed in ensuring that nature markets deliver equitable, nature positive outcomes. The paper does not set out recommendations or conclusions, as this work is only now due to begin.
- [Toward a Nature-Based Economy](https://doi.org/10.3389/fclim.2022.855803#new_tab) - Humanity faces a dual threat to its existence: climate change and biodiversity loss. The two risks are linked through human activity and an economic system that promotes growth at the expense of nature. Creating a nature-based economy can mitigate the dual risks and bring sustained, shared prosperity. The article shows how markets can be developed around the protection and regeneration of nature.
- [Financing Conservation by Valuing Carbon Services Produced by Wild Animals](http://bluegreenfuture.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Berzaghi-2022-Financing-conservation-by-valuing-carbon-services-.pdf#new_tab) - The involvement of financial markets is critical to deliver effective and long-lasting solutions to mitigate climate change and reverse biodiversity loss. However, financial markets have not invested in ecosystem services because these are often valued based on non-market prices, which deter investments.
- [Value Wild Animals’ Carbon Services to Fill the Biodiversity Financing Gap](http://bluegreenfuture.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Berzaghi-et-al_2022_Value-wild-animals-carbon-services-to-fill-the-biodiversity-financing-gap.pdf#new_tab) - Incorporating the carbon services of wild animals into financial markets has the potential to benefit both climate and conservation through the development of carbon offsets that are equitable and nature positive. However, for this paradigm to be successful, many challenges regarding science, finance and law still need to be overcome.
- [Hinemoana Halo Ocean Initiative](http://bluegreenfuture.org/portfolio_page/hinemoana-halo-initiative/) - “Oceania is vast, Oceania is expanding, Oceania is hospitable and generous, Oceania is humanity rising from the depths of brine and regions of fire deeper still, Oceania is us. We are the sea, we are the ocean, we must wake up to this ancient truth…”

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