Philippe Cousteau, oceanographer, environmentalist and grandson of the French explorer Jacques Cousteau, joins CBS News to discuss climate change and its effect on the ocean.

New York

Philippe Cousteau, oceanographer and environmentalist, addressed the significant effects of climate change on the oceans, including the collapse of coral reefs and rising sea levels. He emphasized that the ocean is vital for regulating climate, supporting agriculture, and providing clean water, impacting everyone regardless of location.

Cousteau introduced initiatives such as Boise Regen, a company focused on rebuilding coral reefs using advanced technologies like 3D printing and heat-tolerant corals. These efforts aim to restore reefs as critical infrastructure, protect coastal communities from severe storms, and deliver economic benefits. He highlighted the need for scalable solutions and collaboration with investors and business leaders to address the ongoing ecological decline.

Philippe Cousteau on climate change and the ocean

Climate change is having a profound impact on the planet's oceans. It can be seen in the collapse of massive coral reefs and rising sea levels. For tonight's interview, we are joined by Philippe Cousteau, oceanographer, environmentalist, and grandson of the French explorer Jacques Cousteau. Thanks so much for being with us. John, delighted to be here. Let's say you could somehow, through magic, talk to your grandfather. Tell him about the state of the oceans right now. Well, listen, I think he would be very alarmed by what's happening in the world today. We're seeing massive ecological decline in the health of the ocean, a trend that he saw, you know, in his lifetime. But there's also a lot of good things happening, too, and that's critical to remember. So what gives you hope? Well, you know, I'm here this week in New York for Climate Week, and I'm meeting with investors and business leaders because we're looking at how you can scale solutions to some of the biggest problems facing the ocean. And, of course, the ocean is the life support system of this planet. It couldn't be more important to everybody on Earth. It's 70% of our planet, right? And so we're here really investigating how we scale some of the solutions that we're engaged in, particularly around coral reefs, that can solve problems. When you make those pitches, give me one or two of the stakes for people. Like, 70% you mentioned, but what does that mean, you know, for me? I'm living in Oklahoma. There is no ocean. Sure. Well, the ocean regulates our climate, right? So if we like our rainfall, we like, you know, it feeds our crops. We like stable weather. We like to have clean water. All of these things are driven by the ocean. Our weather, our climate is driven by the ocean. So no matter where you live, the ocean impacts you. And so what are some, when you talk about scaling solutions, what would, give me one of the solutions, say, on the reefs that you're most interested? Well, so my grandfather, at his core, was a problem solver. And I look, that's part of my legacy, that I look to solve problems. And in particular, one of the biggest problems we're facing in the ocean is the collapse of coral reefs. Now, people think of coral reefs as pretty fish and snorkeling, but in fact, they're home to 25% of the world's fisheries, critical to global economy, and they provide a role as a shield along coastal communities, protecting them from increasingly catastrophic storms. And yet half the world's coral reefs have disappeared in 40 years. And so we launched a company, Boise Regen, as a blues tech company developing and rebuilding coral reefs as critical national infrastructure to protect coastlines from these increasingly damaging storms that are threatening hundreds of billions of dollars and hundreds of millions of lives every year. And remind people why they're disappearing. So they're disappearing because of pollution, of course, localized pollution, and also the ocean is getting warmer, and that's causing bleaching. And in our labs, in our technology, we can grow heat-tolerant corals 20 times faster than they grow in the wild, replant them onto 3D-printed structures that then protect those coastlines. It is a clear economic ROI for those communities and can be a successful business that also provides jobs and restores the ocean. So is it for that community, it's that you have protection from the weather, right? And wait a minute, so I got to go back. You're building them and printing them out? Yeah. So what's amazing, the technology of 3D construction printing now and the scale, we're talking kilometers, not reef balls and small little pieces. We're talking eight meters tall, eight meters wide, kilometers long. So really thinking about reefs and these kinds of ecosystems as critical national infrastructure like roads or rail and thinking about it that way, not protecting and restoring reefs because they're beneficial and diverse and wonderful and beautiful, and they're all those things, but also thinking from a commercial perspective as a business. If we're going to scale the impact and protection of these systems and rebuilding of these systems, there needs to be a clear ROI, and that's what we're building. Philippe Cousteau, that was really fascinating. Thank you so much for being here. Good things happening. Thank you for having me, John.

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Washington

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Los Angeles

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Rome

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Moscow

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Lisbon

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Nashua

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Phoenix

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Tel Aviv-Yafo

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London

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Manhattan

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Kyiv

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Heathrow Airport

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Tallinn

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