No matter where in the world you live, your life is affected by the ocean. But many of our oceans are sick, and have been so for a while.

So what’s keeping them from bouncing back to full health? Well, it’s partly down to not agreeing on what a healthy ocean actually looks like that makes it hard to settle on the best course of action. But things might be about to change, albeit slowly.

New science-based tools like the Ocean Health Index offer comprehensive assessments of the social, economic, and environmental conditions of an ocean.

In this episode, Susa Niiranen talks to Ben Halpern the creator of the Ocean Health Index, and Thorsten Blenckner, a researcher at the Stockholm Resilience Centre who with his team has developed a spin-off called the Baltic Health Index.

Together, they explore what it takes to restore an ocean to a good health and to what extent these new assessments can help us to reach our goals.

About Rethink Talks

Rethink Talks is Stockholm Resilience Centre’s podcast series on resilience thinking and global change. It spotlights conversations between experts on a range of topics that highlight how resilience thinking and biosphere stewardship add value to current debates.

Available on all major platforms such as Spotify, YouTube, Apple Podcast and Soundcloud.