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All life once rose from the ocean, and all life still depends on it today. From melting glaciers and rising sea levels to plastic pollution and overfishing, our common origin is in danger. This group of marine biologists, ocean advocates, and researchers of the local coastal ecosystem will venture into a discussion about how the ocean connects us—and what we can do to protect it.

Maximiliano Bello is an international ocean policy expert who has worked in the environmental arena for almost three decades to advance marine conservation priorities. He has worked with diferent international non-governmental organizations. Bello has worked with a wide array of international fora including the United Nations and UN conventions and bodies serving as the UNFCCC. Additionally, Bello has worked directly with governments in Latin America and around the world to establish marine protected areas. Of note, Bello was instrumental in securing protections for over 2.3 million square km of countries’ territorial waters. Bello is a distinguished fellow with the Latin American Program of the Wilson Center, Founder of the Ocean Leader’s Program at Edinburgh University in Scotland, and others. Bello has lead and participated in numerous scientific expeditions including to Antarctica, Cocos Island (Costa Rica), Cordillera de Coiba (Panama), East Timor, Galapagos (Ecuador), Mozambique, Patagonia (Chile) and Revillagigedo (Mexico).

Daniel M. Palacios, Ph.D., (he/him) is a prominent marine biologist and oceanographer recognized for his research into the impact of environmental conditions on whale distribution and behavior. As the incoming Director of the Right Whale Ecology Program at the Center for Coastal Studies in Provincetown, MA, Dr. Palacios is poised to lead cutting-edge research and conservation initiatives for the critically endangered right whale. His work combines scientific rigor with innovative approaches to tackle pressing marine conservation issues. Additionally, Dr. Palacios is a long-term practitioner of the contemporary Japanese martial art, Aikido, known as 'the Art of Peace,' whose principles he incorporates into his daily life to foster more authentic connections.

Bodhi Patil (he/him) is a UN-recognized, award-winning GenZ ocean-climate “Solutionist” and student-leader dedicated to planetary stewardship. He has been featured by the United Nations, Wildlife Conservation Society, Oceanic Global, Aspen Institute, and FutureSwell. He is the Founder & CEO of Inner Light, empowering a generation to build climate resilience from the inside out. As an ocean champion, he works to increase ocean justice, policy, investment, and action with a global community of young ocean leaders he co-created - Ocean Uprise.

Banner Photograph by Vivek Vadoliya for The Overview by Atmos