Richard Vevers is the Founder and CEO of The Ocean Agency. He is a fellow of The Explorers Club and an Adjunct Professor at the University of Rhode Island. He is best known for his leading role in the Emmy Award-winning documentary Chasing Coral on Netflix and his work has been featured in numerous publications and documentaries. Before diving into ocean and coral reef conservation, Vevers worked at some of the top London advertising agencies and then as an artist and underwater photographer. This background guides his unique creative and business-thinking approach to ocean conservation that includes inventing the camera that took Google Street View underwater, pioneering virtual reality ocean education, currently available to over 90 million kids, leading the most comprehensive underwater photographic survey of the world’s coral reefs, and developing a science-based global plan 50 Reefs.
THE CREATIVE PROCESS · ONE PLANET PODCAST
And it's just very cool that you can give that through your different educational outreach like films, Google Street View underwater and virtual reality ocean education, people can experience the ocean because, as you say, so many people are landlocked.
RICHARD VEVERS
We don't use enough good storytelling when it comes to the ocean. We tend to focus on the ocean in almost that natural history approach, rather than talking about the people. Most people wouldn't be able to name an ocean explorer or anybody really associated with the oceans, which is a huge missed opportunity. We need more characters getting actively involved in storytelling around the ocean, so they become the sort of magnet for interest in the oceans.
ONE PLANET PODCAST
And where would we be without the oceans? Again, as you cite in your, your literature and in the documentary, 93% of the heat caused by global warming is absorbed by our oceans. We would just be burning up without it.
VEVERS
People just forget the importance of the ocean. It controls the climate system and sustains life. For example, there are 20 billion carbon-capturing sea creatures for every human being. They are sucking carbon out of the system and pooping it to the ocean floor. And this is one of the solutions happening on an epic scale in the ocean. And there are so many other examples like that. And if you think about our bodies, we're 60% water. And that water was once in the ocean with fish swimming through it.
ONE PLANET PODCAST
And some of your initiatives go beyond oceans. They focus on mangroves or corals reefs. They're not out in the deep, deep ocean. So just tell us a little bit about some of those other initiatives.
VEVERS
So I try to approach things in a different way to be a bit more disruptive. I think individual actions are important, but I think you need to turn it on its head so that it is very scalable, and often we focus on the negative. This is a transformative time, and we need to start thinking smarter about the solutions and how we live our lives. And so what I've tried to do is reframe climate action as something that is exciting and an opportunity. This is a transformative time when we need big ideas and there are opportunities for people doing what people do best - coming up with great ideas.
This interview was conducted by Mia Funk with the participation of collaborating universities and students. Associate Interviews Producer on this episode was Sam Myers.
Mia Funk is an artist, interviewer and founder of The Creative Process & One Planet Podcast (Conversations about Climate Change & Environmental Solutions).
