What a living whale is worth in the fight against climate change

Part 2 of the TED Radio Hour episode Found in Translation

Poachers can make a lot of money killing whales. But what if a living whale fetched a bigger price? Ralph Chami uses the language of dollars and cents to conserve nature and fight climate change.

About Ralph Chami

Ralph Chami is a financial economist and co-founder of Blue Green Future and Rebalance Earth. He retired from the International Monetary Fund after 25 years, where he most recently worked as an assistant director. He's developed a novel way to tackle both climate change and biodiversity loss: namely, to reposition species such as whales and elephants as crucial allies in the quest to sequester carbon, secure climate-resilient ecosystems and generate income for local communities. Chami himself experienced the majesty of whales firsthand in the Sea of Cortez in 2017.

This segment of the TED Radio Hour was produced by Andrea Gutierrez and edited by Sanaz Meshkinpour. You can follow us on Facebook @TEDRadioHour and email us at TEDRadioHour@npr.org.