Ocean Health Index
One group of scientists/economists is attempting to define the health of the ocean by a number: a new Ocean Health Index. Sponsored by Conservation International, the National Geographic Society, the New England Aquarium, and staffed by scientists from many leading ocean research and advocacy organizations around the world, the Index is an attempt to build on consensus on what determines global ocean health and to construct a common metric to measure it. The ultimate goals of the Index are to establish a new world standard for measuring ocean health, to influence decision-makers, and to raise global awareness for improved ocean governance and health. The project is expected to announce its first Index number in February of 2012.
In this episode of World Ocean Radio, host Peter Neill will ask how it's possible to reduce the ocean's health to a single number, and will outline how and when we might be able to measure the success of the Index based on a spectrum of considerations.
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Peter Neill, Director of the W2O and host of World Ocean Radio, provides coverage of a broad spectrum of ocean issues from science and education to advocacy and exemplary projects. World Ocean Radio, a project of the World Ocean Observatory, is a weekly series of five-minute audio essays available for syndicated use at no cost by community radio stations worldwide.
Photo Credit: Flickr Creative Commons | Lauretta Burke | World Resources Institute
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