Drawing on inspirations and wisdom from TED prize winner Dr. Sylvia Earle during our 2023 Antarctic Climate Expedition, I delivered my first TEDx talk to an audience of 1,000+ at BEAMPlus Gold rated green building – Xiqu Centre in West Kowloon.

On “The Case for Building Cities’ Climate Resilience, Now”, I presented to the audience the often overlooked, enormous power of the ocean in climate change mitigation, adaptation and resilience.

“What happens in Antarctica does not stay in Antarctica. If we want solutions, we should not be part of the problem.” In Antarctica, we witnessed first hand how extreme weather is spiraling out of control. We also witnessed the threats of overfishing and microplastics in the Southern Ocean. Recognizing our local actions have far-reaching impacts to the penguins, seals, whales and… krills! Perhaps we will start to make a shift in our mindset and behaviour.

The ocean, our climate and our socioeconomic processes are all inextricably linked. It’s time to view, respect and protect the ocean as a living marine organism. I highlighted the role of marine nature-based solutions in mitigating climate change, as well as enhancing city’s adaptive capacity to build resilience.

Keep the blue heart of our planet beating, so we, and our generations to come, can all thrive.