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Podcast
  • Enric Sala on the Economics of Conservation

    August 24, 2020
  • Enric Sala, National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence and author of "The Nature of Nature: Why We Need the Wild," explains how protecting wildlife and the environment is both ethically and economically crucial.

    Hosted by Jeff Kavanaugh, VP and Head of the Infosys Knowledge Institute.

    “You have to follow your purpose, not just your passion. And if you're good at one thing, just use it to fulfil, to achieve your purpose. And don't let anyone discourage you, don't play in a world of scarcity. Think of a world of abundance. If the current structure doesn't provide the job that you dream of, well, just dream about it. Create it. There are so many possibilities.”

    - Enric Sala

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Show Notes

  • 00:19

    Enric, in your new book "The Nature of Nature," you make the case for why we need the wild. Can you share a particularly poignant example of this?

  • 01:37

    Jeff introduces Enric

  • 03:04

    You once said you were born too late to earn a berth in the Calypso, the great oceanographer Jacques Cousteau's famous ship. How did you get started and what were some of your early influences?

  • 03:39

    In your foreword to the first book, "Pristine Seas," you describe being inside an ivory tower, "Yelling as loud as I could about the threats to the ocean, but very few outside could hear us." Looking back, did you really know what you were doing back then?

  • 04:39

    As a young assistant professor at the University of California, San Diego, you developed a graduate program bridging the gap between marine science, economics and policy. Talk about strange bedfellows. What was, and maybe why, was the immediate social relevance such an uphill battle?

  • 06:25

    How did you make the leap from academia to action?

  • 07:38

    Has your dream been fulfilled yet?

  • 08:17

    Can you tell more about your work with the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation as the National Geographic explorer-in-residence?

  • 09:33

    On a global scale, how close are we to [the iceberg] metaphor for catastrophe, and aside from luck, how do we avoid it?

  • 12:11

    What's a mindset that people can apply for their own businesses, based on this, to bounce back?

  • 14:22

    Given the situation we face today, how can we meaningfully apply the “triple bottom line” to the evolution of global society and systems?

  • 16:06

    Do you think that this hasn't taken off, besides the obvious conflicts of interests for some, because you've only recently established this calculus and these formulas, or has it already been out there for a while and you just simply can't get a decent hearing?

  • 18:07

    What are the key messages that change other people's thinking?

  • 19:13

    How do these metrics play into the great reset narrative of the upcoming World Economic Forum?

  • 21:11

    What about business leaders in the US, Western Europe, around the world, what can they do to expand their horizons from responsibility to resilience and maybe even regeneration?

  • 23:04

    One question, too, in terms of systems change, how do we bridge the disconnect between global problems and national politics?

  • 24:55

    In your view, how can a leader make the long-term decisions and investments that are required while operating in this short-term, highly uncertain world?

  • 27:00

    One of my colleagues has a 10-year-old daughter who, believe it or not, wants to be a marine biologist. What does this all mean, if you're speaking to a 10-year-old girl or boy about the possibility for them, with their lives ahead of them?

  • 29:08

    You wrote in your epilogue to your first book, "While I'm dreaming big, someone reminds I'm not dreaming big enough." What is your next big dream?

  • 30:01

    If we could swap seats and you could interview someone for this podcast, who would you recommend?

  • 31:04

    What resources can you recommend, either books or online resources, for further study?

About Enric Sala

Enric Sala

Enric Sala founded and leads Pristine Seas, a project that combines exploration, research and media to inspire country leaders to protect the last wild places in the ocean. Pristine Seas has helped to create 18 of the largest marine reserves on the planet, covering an area of more than five million square km (half the size of Canada). Sala has received many honors, including 2008 World Economic Forum’s Young Global Leader, 2013 Explorers Club Lowell Thomas Award, 2013 Environmental Media Association Hero Award, 2016 Russian Geographical Society Award, and he's a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society. He serves on the boards of the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation, Global Fishing Watch and the National Aquarium, and he advises international organizations and governments.

Books by Enric Sala

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