Economics, Humpback Whales and Climate Change

Environmental & Science Education

STEM

Global Warming

Sustainability

Climate Change

Biodiversity

Nature

Edward Hessler

An interesting video  (8m 35s)  on calculating the economic value of an animal when it is reduced to how much that organism can reduce the impact of climate change

Economist Ralph Chami performed the appraisal and according to his analysis, a humpback whale is worth $2 million. The whales perform this job simply by living and because they have a long life they store carbon (sequester is the big word). The contribution is surprising. In addition we learn how the humpback whale performs this remarkable service to ecosystems.

The title is somewhat over the top as most headlines usually are. Contribute would be more accurate. The video calls attention to links most of us know little about. What a complex tangle of relationships.