If you’ve spent any time in the corporate or NGO world, you know the “incremental” trap. We celebrate 2% gains while the system we’re trying to save is heading South at 100mph.
My guest Clare Brook reached that breaking point in 2014. After 24 years in sustainable finance-pioneering ESG before it was a buzzword - she realized that moving the dial “gradually” through investor engagement wasn’t just slow; it was running out of time. She didn’t just want to nudge the needle; she wanted to change the instrument.
Today, as CEO of Blue Marine Foundation, she leads one of Europe’s most ambitious marine conservation groups. In the latest episode of the Ocean Collaborations podcast, Clare breaks down what it actually looks like to lead transformational - not just incremental- change in our waters.
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We often talk about the goal: 30% of the ocean protected by 2030 (the “30x30”). But Clare focuses on the how. At Blue Marine, they use what she calls the “Octopus” model. It’s a structure where the body drives projects across 30 countries, while eight distinct “tentacles” - from investigations and legal action to economics and media -work simultaneously to unlock systemic change.
One of the fascinating parts of our conversation was the “Regeneration Generation” initiative in the Caribbean. We often see conservation as a cost, but Clare is reframing Marine-Protected Areas (MPAs) as a virtuous cycle. It’s about solving “brain drain” by creating high-tech, purpose-driven livelihoods for the next generation - drone operators, data scientists, and educators - built on the foundation of a healthy reef. The job topic in MPA’s reminded me of the episode #33 I had around social entrepeneurship with Wietse Van Der Werf from Sea Ranger Service (listen here).
If you’re frustrated by political apathy or the David vs. Goliath reality of standing up to industrial overfishing, this episode is the shot of courage you need.
Clare discusses the short-termism of political cycles and why we need a “social contract with nature” that outlasts the next election.
Curious about how to build a change coalition that actually moves the needle?
Listen to the full episode on Substack (Spotify, or Apple Podcasts).
Here’s the link to the mentioned youtube video:“The Bottom Line with Stephen Fry and Theo James”
Jan met Clare Brook in Nice 2025 during the 3rd United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3)
Add-on about the social contract with nature :
We talked how we can get back in touch with nature and ways how to interact with animals. As mentioned from Jan here are two links to recent solutions that decode animal voices:
Project CETI: https://listen.projectceti.org/
Earth Species Project: https://earthspecies.org/
Clare Brook on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/clarebluemarine/
Blue Marine Foundation Webpage: https://www.bluemarinefoundation.com/
On Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/bluemarinefoundation
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit janmaisenbacher.substack.com
