Aquinaut Fabian Costto urges urgent ocean action at United Nations Ocean Conference
April 18, 2026 | United Nations, International
This article was created by AI summarizing key points discussed. AI makes mistakes, so for full details and context, please refer to the video of the full meeting. Please report any errors so we can fix them. Report an error »
Fabian Costto Aquinaut, introduced at a livestreamed SG media zone session during the United Nations Ocean Conference in Nice, urged faster, larger and more deliberative investment in ocean protection and described the unique scientific value of living and working from undersea saturation habitats.
"An aquinaut by definition is someone who trains to live and work underwater based out of an undersea marine laboratory in saturation," Fabian said, explaining that saturation missions allow scientists to trade surface access for extended, hands-on time at depth. He said he led the longest mission at the Aquarius undersea laboratory — "31 days in saturation" — and that the time aboard produced "over 3 years worth of scientific research" because of the ability to work continuously at depth.
Fabian framed the ocean as Earth’s life-support system and warned of observable declines in marine ecosystems. "There are many places in the ocean world where I can't bring my own daughter to go diving because they don't exist anymore," he said, using his multi-generation experience — "I'm a third generation ocean explorer" and "I've been scuba diving since my fourth birthday" — to illustrate shifting baselines that change perceptions of what a healthy ocean looks like.
He told the audience SDG 14 (life below water) receives comparatively little funding among the Sustainable Development Goals and argued that placing ocean action higher on the global funding agenda is necessary because progress on other goals depends on ocean health. "Without ocean none of the others can be addressed," he said, urging the conference and investors to treat ocean protection as an investment rather than a cost.
Asked about technological fixes such as accelerated coral farming, Fabian welcomed innovation but emphasized limits. "We're not addressing the root cause," he said of coral-regrowth efforts, noting that pollution and climate change must be addressed for restoration to endure. He described cleanups as important educational tools but "not a fix" to source pollution.
On practical work, Fabian described two initiatives he leads: the Ocean Learning Center, a nonprofit aimed at experiential, community-focused ocean education, and a social enterprise he characterized as an "international space station of the ocean" — a proposed research platform intended to expand sustained ocean exploration, share data and accelerate solutions.
The session closed with thanks from Mr. Omar of ITV News and applause. The transcript does not specify the conference date beyond its reference to the United Nations Ocean Conference in Nice.
"An aquinaut by definition is someone who trains to live and work underwater based out of an undersea marine laboratory in saturation," Fabian said, explaining that saturation missions allow scientists to trade surface access for extended, hands-on time at depth. He said he led the longest mission at the Aquarius undersea laboratory — "31 days in saturation" — and that the time aboard produced "over 3 years worth of scientific research" because of the ability to work continuously at depth.
Fabian framed the ocean as Earth’s life-support system and warned of observable declines in marine ecosystems. "There are many places in the ocean world where I can't bring my own daughter to go diving because they don't exist anymore," he said, using his multi-generation experience — "I'm a third generation ocean explorer" and "I've been scuba diving since my fourth birthday" — to illustrate shifting baselines that change perceptions of what a healthy ocean looks like.
He told the audience SDG 14 (life below water) receives comparatively little funding among the Sustainable Development Goals and argued that placing ocean action higher on the global funding agenda is necessary because progress on other goals depends on ocean health. "Without ocean none of the others can be addressed," he said, urging the conference and investors to treat ocean protection as an investment rather than a cost.
Asked about technological fixes such as accelerated coral farming, Fabian welcomed innovation but emphasized limits. "We're not addressing the root cause," he said of coral-regrowth efforts, noting that pollution and climate change must be addressed for restoration to endure. He described cleanups as important educational tools but "not a fix" to source pollution.
On practical work, Fabian described two initiatives he leads: the Ocean Learning Center, a nonprofit aimed at experiential, community-focused ocean education, and a social enterprise he characterized as an "international space station of the ocean" — a proposed research platform intended to expand sustained ocean exploration, share data and accelerate solutions.
The session closed with thanks from Mr. Omar of ITV News and applause. The transcript does not specify the conference date beyond its reference to the United Nations Ocean Conference in Nice.
View the Full Meeting & All Its Details
This article offers just a summary. Unlock complete video, transcripts, and insights as a Founder Member.
✓
Watch full, unedited meeting videos
✓
Search every word spoken in unlimited transcripts
✓
AI summaries & real-time alerts (all government levels)
✓
Permanent access to expanding government content
30-day money-back guarantee
