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How much would it cost to buy the ocean? - Astrid J. Hsu

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Surveying his vast domain, Poseidon considers retirement. What if someone else donned the coral crown so he could spend his immortality harmonizing with whales and cozying up to hydrothermal vents? Poseidon decides he needs to prioritize himself for once. So, he summons his accountant and asks: how much could he sell the ocean for? Astrid J. Hsu conducts a financial analysis of our oceans’ worth.

Some of the ocean’s assets are hard to quantify— for example, the oxygen it provides. What are other “hard-to-quantify” assets that weren’t deeply discussed?

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