Currents of Change - Governing the Ocean Commons
Louise Carver + Francesca Santoro, with Giulia Foscari
Date: 07 May 2025
As we reach the midpoint of the UN Decade of Ocean Science — coordinated by the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO — a pressing question surfaces: how can we co-create a just, inclusive, and enforceable governance architecture for the Ocean Commons? While dominant worldviews remain grounded in terrestrial thinking, a liquid oceanographic renaissance is underway. With the recent signing of the High Seas Treaty and rising calls for ocean protection, we are beginning to reckon with our “terraqueous” condition — recognising that Ocean bodies, which cover over 70% of our planetary home, play a critical role in sustaining Earth’s life-support systems.
This conversation brings together Francesca Santoro and Louise Carver, moderated by Giulia Foscari, to chart plural pathways toward Ocean futures. It explores the visions, narratives, and institutions shaping Ocean literacy, science, and governance — deepening our understanding of the interdependence between human life and marine systems. The dialogue interrogates extractive paradigms, reimagines a sustainable blue economy, and asks what voices and actions are needed to restore the Ocean as a Commons.
This conversation brings together Francesca Santoro and Louise Carver, moderated by Giulia Foscari, to chart plural pathways toward Ocean futures. It explores the visions, narratives, and institutions shaping Ocean literacy, science, and governance — deepening our understanding of the interdependence between human life and marine systems. The dialogue interrogates extractive paradigms, reimagines a sustainable blue economy, and asks what voices and actions are needed to restore the Ocean as a Commons.
Louise Carver is a human geographer and political ecologist. She currently leads a transdisciplinary programme on Convivial Marine Conservation with the arts and advocacy platform TBA21–Academy and their partners in Jamaica. She is also a founding member of the Convivial Conservation Centre at Wageningen University, part of a global network reimagining conservation science, practice, and economy for the 21st century. Her work investigates how governance, knowledge, politics, and technology shape interactions between society and the environment. Her transdisciplinary research focuses on critical questions of value and valuation in the green and blue economy, particularly in relation to biodiversity. She actively works at the intersection of research, policy, and contemporary arts and culture, bridging science and society to address real-world environmental challenges. Dr. Carver holds a PhD and brings a strong academic and practical foundation to her work, contributing thought leadership across diverse platforms and international collaborations. Louise was born at 345 parts per million carbon dioxide in the Atmosphere.
Francesca Santoro is a leading expert in ocean governance, education, and science communication. She currently serves as the Senior Programme Officer for Ocean Literacy at the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO (UNESCO-IOC). Since joining UNESCO-IOC in 2011, she has played a pivotal role in promoting Ocean education for a sustainable blue economy. Francesca also coordinated the development of the tsunami warning system for the Mediterranean and North-East Atlantic regions. Prior to her work at UNESCO-IOC, she was a lecturer at Ca' Foscari University of Venice, contributing to the PhD program on climate change. Francesca has gained significant experience working at international research centers, including the Euro-Mediterranean Center for Climate Change, the UK National Oceanography Centre, and the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission. Francesca was born at 326 parts per million carbon dioxide in the Atmosphere.
Francesca Santoro is a leading expert in ocean governance, education, and science communication. She currently serves as the Senior Programme Officer for Ocean Literacy at the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO (UNESCO-IOC). Since joining UNESCO-IOC in 2011, she has played a pivotal role in promoting Ocean education for a sustainable blue economy. Francesca also coordinated the development of the tsunami warning system for the Mediterranean and North-East Atlantic regions. Prior to her work at UNESCO-IOC, she was a lecturer at Ca' Foscari University of Venice, contributing to the PhD program on climate change. Francesca has gained significant experience working at international research centers, including the Euro-Mediterranean Center for Climate Change, the UK National Oceanography Centre, and the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission. Francesca was born at 326 parts per million carbon dioxide in the Atmosphere.
