Send us a text

The battle for California's coast has erupted once more as offshore drilling returns to Santa Barbara and threatens to spread northward along the entire Pacific coastline. This alarming development follows Trump's late April executive order, which targets even our most protected ocean areas—National Marine Sanctuaries—for oil and gas exploration for the first time in history.

Richard Charter, Senior Fellow at the Ocean Foundation and veteran defender of our coastal ecosystems, explains that this aggressive push by the administration targets specific areas off Bodega Head, Sea Ranch, Gualala, Point Arena, and Mendocino Village. Unlike previous attempts to drill offshore, this one specifically targets marine sanctuaries—areas that took decades of scientific research and public advocacy to establish as protected zones.

The consequences of offshore drilling disasters are etched into California's history. From the infamous 1969 Santa Barbara oil spill to the 2015 Refugio disaster (where oil traveled 150 miles along the coast) and the 2021 Huntington Beach pipeline rupture, California has repeatedly suffered from industry negligence. These aren't just environmental catastrophes—they directly threaten coastal economies dependent on tourism, fishing, and recreation.

What's particularly disturbing is how the administration is dismantling protections from within. Many NOAA scientists have resigned rather than approve drilling permits in sanctuary waters. Safety regulations designed to prevent another Deepwater Horizon disaster are being removed. Even President Biden's January withdrawal of the Pacific coast from oil development—a legally binding protection that courts have upheld—is being simply ignored.

The public has until June 16th to comment on the proposed five-year offshore leasing program through SaveMyCoast.org. Charter reminds us that California's coast isn't just any coastline—it's a global model for marine protection, with carefully designed networks of protected areas studied by planners worldwide. The ecosystem here supports one of the planet's most productive upwelling systems, essential not just for marine life but for the oxygen we breathe.

As Peter Douglas, founder of California coastal protection, famously said: "The California coast is never saved, it's always in the process of being saved." Now is the time to continue that fight.

Support the show

Thank you for listening, subscribing, & supporting Resilient Earth Radio!

Leigh Anne Lindsey, Producer Sea Storm Studios, The Sea Ranch, North Sonoma Coast

Scott & Tree Mercer, Co-hosts/Producers, Mendonoma Whale & Seal Study, Mendocino and Sonoma Coasts.

Planet Centric Media is Media for a Healthier Planet. Resilient Earth is a project of this 501 (c) (3) non-profit that is developing & producing media to elevate awareness of the interconnectedness of all living things.

Follow us!

• Facebook
• Instagram
• Threads
• Soundcloud
• YouTube

We still have time to make a positive impact on the future of life on this planet.

Send us a text

Seacology is a charitable organization headquartered in Berkeley, CA that works to preserve island ecosystems and cultures around the world, as well as conducting annual educational ecotourism trips. Founded in 1991 with the work of ethnobotanist Paul Alan Cox, the high risk of extinction for island fauna and the decline in coral reef ecosystems drives Seacology's focus on projects in which villagers agree to help protect living nature for a specified time in return for things like new buildings, electricity, clean water, or other services - and they work with local businesses to make that happen.

To date, Seacology has completed"

• 441 Projects
• in 70 Countries
• with 1.5 million acres protected

Plus, they helped construct new facilities and provided programs including educational materials, vital medical services, and environmental training. In addition to helping local people on islands like those in Fiji, the Philippines, and Samoa, their projects have helped protect mangrove forests, sea turtles, and one of the rarest primates in the world.

Seacology also awards an annual Prize to indigenous islanders for their efforts in conservation and cultural preservation. The organization has also helped raise emergency funds following destructive tsunamis and other natural disasters. It has won the United Nations Climate Secretariat's Momentum for Change climate action award, was nominated for the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize, and was the top recipient last year of the $250K Lipman Family Prize for outstanding vision, inspiration and impact.

Prior to heading Seacology, Duane Silverstein served for 18 years as Executive Director of the Goldman Fund, a San Francisco based philanthropic foundation where he ove

Support the show

Thank you for listening, subscribing, & supporting Resilient Earth Radio!

Leigh Anne Lindsey, Producer Sea Storm Studios, The Sea Ranch, North Sonoma Coast

Scott & Tree Mercer, Co-hosts/Producers, Mendonoma Whale & Seal Study, Mendocino and Sonoma Coasts.

Planet Centric Media is Media for a Healthier Planet. Resilient Earth is a project of this 501 (c) (3) non-profit that is developing & producing media to elevate awareness of the interconnectedness of all living things.

Follow us!

• Facebook
• Instagram
• Threads
• Soundcloud
• YouTube

We still have time to make a positive impact on the future of life on this planet.

Send us a text

This conversation is a lead up to the annual Sea Turtle Week each June, which kicks off with World Ocean Day June 8th and ends on the 16, Sea Turtle Week. 7 sea turtle species are highlighted each day along with one of the threats they face. Join Brad Nahill’s See Turtle organization, Save the Sea Turtle Foundation, and more than 150 global partners in raising awareness for sea turtles and our ocean planet. SEE Turtles is the organizer of Sea Turtle Week starting on June 8th with World Ocean Day. These are days used to honor and highlight the importance of sea turtles. Not only are sea turtles beautiful animals, but they also show incredible perseverance and resiliency – after all, they have been nesting on beaches for millions of years.

In this episode, we speak with the President of the organization SEE Turtles - and note that it is spelled SEE, not Sea. Brad has worked in sea turtle conservation, ecotourism, and environmental education for 20 years. For these efforts, he received the prestigious Changemakers Award from the World Travel and Tourism Council in 2019 on behalf of the organization SEE Turtles.

Brad is the editor and lead writer of Sea Turtle Research and Conservation: Lessons From The Field published in (2020) and a co-author of the Worldwide Travel Guide to Sea Turtles published in 2014). He is a National Geographic Explorer, was awarded the President’s Award for his work as the chair of the Awards Committee of the International Sea Turtle Society, has authored several book chapters, blogs, and abstracts on turtle conservation and ecotourism, and has presented at major travel conferences and sea turtle symposia.

Brad has a BS in Environmental Economics from Penn State University and has taught ecotourism at Mount

Support the show

Thank you for listening, subscribing, & supporting Resilient Earth Radio!

Leigh Anne Lindsey, Producer Sea Storm Studios, The Sea Ranch, North Sonoma Coast

Scott & Tree Mercer, Co-hosts/Producers, Mendonoma Whale & Seal Study, Mendocino and Sonoma Coasts.

Planet Centric Media is Media for a Healthier Planet. Resilient Earth is a project of this 501 (c) (3) non-profit that is developing & producing media to elevate awareness of the interconnectedness of all living things.

Follow us!

• Facebook
• Instagram
• Threads
• Soundcloud
• YouTube

We still have time to make a positive impact on the future of life on this planet.

Send us a text

Today’s episode is brought to you by Flukes International and is the 2nd half of an Earth Day 2025 conversation we had with Ralph Chami who is Co-Founder/CEO of Blue Green Future, a large team of innovators and thought leaders for natural capital finance and a nature-based economy. Ralph has over 32 years of experience as a financial economist, 25 of those years at the (IMF - the International Monetary Fund). That’s coming up next, right after we hear from Zack Klyver of Flukes International.

Zack is also working with Blue Green Future and helped arrange this Earth Day 2025 conversation with Ralph Chami. And in this 2 part conversation, Ralph spoke with us about the importance of connecting people with nature and forging a new contract for sustainable prosperity and well-being. In part 1, he explained the disconnect between the nature system and the market system, emphasizing the need to make living nature visible and valuable to markets. Ralph argues that by demonstrating the financial value of nature living for itself, such as whales and elephants providing ecosystem services, we can engage the market system in protecting and restoring nature. He highlights the urgency of this mindset shift, given the limited time to address environmental challenges.

We join now halfway through our conversation as he begins speaking about their work in the Amazon with Gaia Amazones founded by Dr. Martín von Hildebrand and run by his son, Francisco or Pacho. Plus, more on what Blue Green Future is doing for the restoration of bison (and why) with the indigenous people in Montana, USA.

See more of what Blue Green Future is doing through YouTube videos posted by one of their co-founders, Dinah Nieberg https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Dinah

Support the show

Thank you for listening, subscribing, & supporting Resilient Earth Radio!

Leigh Anne Lindsey, Producer Sea Storm Studios, The Sea Ranch, North Sonoma Coast

Scott & Tree Mercer, Co-hosts/Producers, Mendonoma Whale & Seal Study, Mendocino and Sonoma Coasts.

Planet Centric Media is Media for a Healthier Planet. Resilient Earth is a project of this 501 (c) (3) non-profit that is developing & producing media to elevate awareness of the interconnectedness of all living things.

Follow us!

• Facebook
• Instagram
• Threads
• Soundcloud
• YouTube

We still have time to make a positive impact on the future of life on this planet.

Send us a text

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.

Chami draws from his 32 years as a financial economist, including 25 at the International Monetary Fund, to explain the fundamental disconnect between our nature system and market system. While markets expertly value dead nature—oil, timber, harvested fish—they remain blind to living nature's immense worth. This blindness stems from catastrophic assumptions made during the Age of Reason: that nature is infinite, mechanical, and soulless.

Through groundbreaking research on whales, forest elephants, and seagrass meadows, Chami demonstrates how living ecosystems provide astonishing financial value. When tiger sharks wearing cameras mapped the Bahamas seagrass—revealing meadows worth potentially $150 billion—it transformed how this small island nation viewed its natural assets. Rather than destroying nature for short-term gain, vulnerable communities worldwide are discovering sustainable prosperity through conservation.

Climate change requires both reducing emissions ("shutting the valve") and removing existing atmospheric carbon ("draining the tub"). Nature restoration offers our most powerful carbon capture technology, creating economic opportunities that align financial and ecological interests. From Native American bison restoration to Polynesian whale protection initiatives, Chami shares inspiring projects creating virtuous cycles of environmental and community well-

Support the show

Thank you for listening, subscribing, & supporting Resilient Earth Radio!

Leigh Anne Lindsey, Producer Sea Storm Studios, The Sea Ranch, North Sonoma Coast

Scott & Tree Mercer, Co-hosts/Producers, Mendonoma Whale & Seal Study, Mendocino and Sonoma Coasts.

Planet Centric Media is Media for a Healthier Planet. Resilient Earth is a project of this 501 (c) (3) non-profit that is developing & producing media to elevate awareness of the interconnectedness of all living things.

Follow us!

• Facebook
• Instagram
• Threads
• Soundcloud
• YouTube

We still have time to make a positive impact on the future of life on this planet.

Send us a text

Our guest today is from Nigeria, Africa - a dynamic scientist who is dedicating his life to helping communities in the Global South do something about the enormous amounts of waste, specifically plastic waste, that is being exported by higher income countries to lower income countries. The name of the non-profit organization is CAPws for Community Action Against Plastic Waste. His name is Hahmed Cee-amiyu, a Research Scientist advancing a toxic-free Plastic, Chemicals and Waste Policy| and Community-based Zero Waste Economy.

He is passionate about driving impactful environmental policies and global cooperation on chemicals, waste, and pollution control. He currently serves as Executive Director at CAPws and as a Senior Policy Advisor on Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) to the Nigerian National Assembly House Committee on Environment.

His work has shaped key national policies, including the Nigeria National Environmental (Plastic Waste) Regulation 2023, and he actively contributes to international efforts through roles in the (Bahzel) Basel Convention’s Expert Group on Plastic Waste and the PREVENT Waste Alliance Steering Committee (launched by Germany’s BMZ). Part of the honorable actions the BMZ does is that it supports developing countries efforts to reduce greenhouse gases and adapt to the consequences of climate change

Hamed is also an accredited observer to major UN environmental processes, including the Global Plastic Treaty INC, Basel, Rotterdam, and Stockholm Conventions, Minamata Convention, SAICM The Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management , GFC the United Nations Global Framework on Chemicals , UNCCaD - the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, an international agreement focuse

Support the show

Thank you for listening, subscribing, & supporting Resilient Earth Radio!

Leigh Anne Lindsey, Producer Sea Storm Studios, The Sea Ranch, North Sonoma Coast

Scott & Tree Mercer, Co-hosts/Producers, Mendonoma Whale & Seal Study, Mendocino and Sonoma Coasts.

Planet Centric Media is Media for a Healthier Planet. Resilient Earth is a project of this 501 (c) (3) non-profit that is developing & producing media to elevate awareness of the interconnectedness of all living things.

Follow us!

• Facebook
• Instagram
• Threads
• Soundcloud
• YouTube

We still have time to make a positive impact on the future of life on this planet.

Send us a text

In today’s episode we talk with Susanne Brander, an Ecotoxicologist who is 1 of 12 core steering committee members overseeing 300 international scientific experts within the International Scientists Coalition for an Effective Plastics Treaty who are assisting with Navigating the Complexities of Plastics.

An Ecotoxicologist as Susanne mentions is a toxicologist who focuses on fish and wildlife and makes links between what's happening in the environment with what might affect human health.

Brander is also an Associate Professor at OSU (Oregon State University) in the Department of Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Sciences, and part of the Coastal Oregon Marine Experiment Station and is based at the The Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport Oregon.

The Scientists Coalition delivers science based information to the delegates within the United Nations who aren't scientists, but need to understand the science. These scientists distill what is in numerous peer reviewed papers some of which might need investigation for accuracy.

The coalition is comprised of ecotoxicologists like Brander, along with Chemists, social scientists, experts in environmental law among other scientific backgrounds who working together to give their an informed opinion on what the best outcome for the treaty would be, and what science data should inform those decisions made during negotiating meetings.

175 nations are currently represented in this Global Treaty on Plastics, but they won't all necessarily be part of the the treaty, as they won't all sign (for example, she says, "the US is notorious for participating but not actually signing anything."

Brander said that it's the people on the policy and environmental law side of things who feel that a minimum of 50 countries signing could hopefully move it forward to the next stages, to implementation.

When she talks about HIGHER AMBITION COUNTRIES - she is talking about those countries interested in things like chemical regulation, regulation of microplastics shedding from products, and safer and sustainable products.

Those that aren't among the Higher Ambition Countries are those countries (mostly petroleum-producing countries like Saudi Arabia, Russia, China, and the US) which are more focused on waste management and recycling. But after decades of seeing this not work, there has to be a better way.

Transparency is key: what chemicals are used.

Support the show

Thank you for listening, subscribing, & supporting Resilient Earth Radio!

Leigh Anne Lindsey, Producer Sea Storm Studios, The Sea Ranch, North Sonoma Coast

Scott & Tree Mercer, Co-hosts/Producers, Mendonoma Whale & Seal Study, Mendocino and Sonoma Coasts.

Planet Centric Media is Media for a Healthier Planet. Resilient Earth is a project of this 501 (c) (3) non-profit that is developing & producing media to elevate awareness of the interconnectedness of all living things.

Follow us!

• Facebook
• Instagram
• Threads
• Soundcloud
• YouTube

We still have time to make a positive impact on the future of life on this planet.

Send us a text

This episode includes a radio show we recorded a year ago, April 2024, when we talked about the March 28, 2024 Declaration for the Ocean signed by Indigenous leaders of New Zealand, the Cook Islands, Tahiti, Tonga, Hawaii, and Easter Island. This treaty declared whales to be legal persons with inherent rights, including the right to freedom of movement, a healthy environment, and the ability to thrive alongside humanity. Signed by chiefs from the island nations, as well as king of the Māori and president of the High Chiefs of the Cook Islands). The Māori King stated: “Ultimately, this is a declaration for future generations.This partnership will establish a marine recovery plan that will accelerate the recovery of populations of sacred species, from whales to sea lions, dolphins, and manta rays.”

This declaration draws upon the traditions of the Māori worldview and emphasizes the interconnectedness of all living things. Recognizing the urgent threats whales face from unsustainable practices, pollution, and climate change, the declaration outlines a plan for their protection, including establishing marine protected areas and implementing customary restrictions guided by ancestral wisdom.

Co-Hosts Scott & Tree Mercer have dedicated their lives to ocean awareness & observation, & have run a whale census program for the past 12 years. They report daily findings along the Northern CA coasts of Sonoma & Mendocino counties to places like Cal Academy of Science in San Francisco, the Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito, the Noyo Center for Marine Science in Fort Bragg, & the LA Chapter of the American Cetacean Society. Tree taught biology for 34 years on Long Island, NY. Scott began researching marine mammals in 1974. He's flown aerial surveys & studied humpback, finback, & North Atlantic right whales, along with co-founding the Briar Island Ocean Study Research Station on Briar Island, Nova Scotia. He led winter expeditions in the British Virgin Islands for humpback whales & coral reef studies, & co-wrote the Great Whale Book.

Ralph Chami, Founder & Director of Blue-Green Future & Rebalance Earth, former Assoc. Dir. of the IMF is also showcased. He inspired us to create & launch this podcast last Sept, 4 years after he was a guest speaker on the Ocean Life Symposium we simulcast on public radio & YouTube. Chami is a financial economist who is helping to create markets around nature that protect nature in perpetuity.

Support the show

Thank you for listening, subscribing, & supporting Resilient Earth Radio!

Leigh Anne Lindsey, Producer Sea Storm Studios, The Sea Ranch, North Sonoma Coast

Scott & Tree Mercer, Co-hosts/Producers, Mendonoma Whale & Seal Study, Mendocino and Sonoma Coasts.

Planet Centric Media is Media for a Healthier Planet. Resilient Earth is a project of this 501 (c) (3) non-profit that is developing & producing media to elevate awareness of the interconnectedness of all living things.

Follow us!

• Facebook
• Instagram
• Threads
• Soundcloud
• YouTube

We still have time to make a positive impact on the future of life on this planet.