S7 Part VI: From Ridge to Reef

The Catch hosted a live podcast taping on blue finance at Aspen Ideas: Climate. Host Ruxandra Guidi was joined by panelists Liz Henderson, the global head of climate risk advisory at Aon; Joan Larrea, the CEO of Convergence, a global network for blended finance; and Steve Kessel, the director of marine research at Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

To close out Season 7 of The Catch, host Ruxandra Guidi and her reporting team examine what’s to come as Jamaica works to rebuild after Hurricane Melissa devastated the coastline in 2025. But the answer to build a more resilient island will require thinking and acting holistically. They speak with private-sector representatives, environmentalists, and local fishermen alike to see how working together can help safeguard the island they all call home. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

One key way to build resilience in the face of climate change is through nature-based solutions. In the case of Jamaica, this typically means protecting mangroves, restoring wetlands, and planting native trees. The Catch team learns from Theresa Rodriguez-Moodie, the head of the Jamaica Environment Trust, and Camilo Trench, a marine biologist and ecologist at the University of the West Indies, about how these techniques can support and preserve existing but often degraded natural ecosystems so that they can be better equipped to face future threats. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hurricanes have become a part of life in Jamaica—with disastrous consequences. In response, the country’s government has made a vow to improve the country’s resilience and spread consciousness about climate change, but what does that look like? To find out, The Catch’s reporting team speaks with Matthew Samuda, the Jamaican cabinet minister leading climate, environment, and sustainable development policy. Then, they learn how mangrove forests might be a key buffer to protect the coastlines. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The coastline is never too far in Jamaica, no matter where you are. But there is a fierce battle playing out over access to the island nation’s beaches, pitting new developers against local fisherpeople who rely on the ocean for their livelihood. And all of this is made worse by natural disasters and other effects of climate change that are rapidly reshaping the landscape itself. The reporting team meets with two local activists who are trying to hold onto the beach before it’s gone. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jamaica has become a major vacation destination, selling an image of pristine waters and untouched beaches. But the demands of tourism often go against the needs of the local ecosystem. To better understand how natural and human factors are impacting Jamaica’s reefs, host Ruxandra Guidi talks with Chauntelle Parkins, the chief scientist at the Port Royal Marine Laboratory. Then, a hotel worker-turned-activist shares his experience fighting for a better future. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Season 7 of The Catch, host Rux Guidi and her reporting team head to Jamaica to see firsthand how the country is rebuilding from Hurricane Melissa with natural tools that promote coastal resilience. First, the team talks to artisanal fisher Michael Henry in Port Royal about the changes he’s seeing in the harbor. Then museum director Jonathan Greenland shares more about Port Royal and Jamaica's seafaring history. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Season 7 of The Catch, host Rux Guidi and her reporting team head to Jamaica to see firsthand how the country is rebuilding from Hurricane Melissa with natural tools that promote coastal resilience. These nature-based solutions, such as seagrass and mangroves, routinely support better outcomes after severe storms, particularly as Jamaica, and other coastal communities around the world, face increasingly volatile hurricane seasons. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On our final episode of this season of The Catch, host Ruxandra Guidi and the reporting team head once again to the local fish market to hear directly from sellers on the challenges they face. Rux then sits down with regional expert and former U.S. official Kathryn Paik, now at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, to hear about Chinese investment in the region that’s driving development in the Solomon Islands. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode of The Catch, Rux and the reporting team head to the island of Tetepare, in the western Solomons, to speak to park rangers tasked with protecting local marine life. Much of their work on the island is focused on combating poachers, with insufficient support from the government. Despite these challenges, as one ranger put it, “we still continue to survive.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices