Climate Restoration Ambassador to the Cruise Industry
Valparaíso, Chile. Florida, USA and the Ocean with Positive Polar
Hugo is one of the visionary founders of Positive Polar, the first science expedition cruise company dedicated to funding groundbreaking research and solutions to heal our environment. Their mission is a beacon of hope: to restore ocean wildlife and ecosystems by harnessing nature’s own genius, like the “whale pump,” while igniting a global wave of ambassadorship for environmental restoration.
For Captain Hugo, this mission is profoundly personal. Descended from Danish whalers, he carries a legacy he’s determined to redeem by championing whale restoration. Having lived in Patagonia, he’s witnessed the heartbreaking impacts of environmental change—lagoons that no longer freeze, snow replaced by relentless rain, robbing his children of the carefree winters he once knew.
A Reserve Frigate Captain, staff officer, navigation officer, naval engineer, and polar helicopter pilot, Hugo brings a wealth of expertise from commanding naval and air-naval operations and leading rescue missions. He has supported scientists in extreme environments and worked as a commercial helicopter pilot for expedition cruise companies in polar environments. With a Master’s in Strategic Development and Business Administration, he’s not just a leader but an entrepreneur building a legacy of restoration.
Hugo currently splits his time between the lovely beach-city of Concón in central Chile, where grows proudly his five children and USA where he’s building the business.
As CEO of Positive Polar once it starts sailing he will spend most of his time onboard directing, cruising through and between the poles helping with the operations and building advocacy around whales, oceans and environmental restoration.
A Call to Transform Cruising:
Restore Our Oceans, Inspire the World
Dear Explorers,
The cruising industry has been labeled as polluting and uninspired, but we have the power to rewrite its story! Imagine a world where cruises become beacons of hope—vessels of ocean restoration that heal our planet.
At Positive Polar, we’re turning this vision into reality. Our ships will not only eliminate pollution but actively regenerate ocean wildlife and sink carbon, offering a bold, credible solution to the environmental crisis. By mimicking nature’s brilliance, like the vital role whales once played before their near-extinction, we can restore our environment to its pre-industrial glory.
Seafarers and passengers are no longer just travelers—they are stewards of change, transforming waste into life-giving resources for our oceans. We stand at a critical moment, with tipping points looming. But by harnessing the cruising and merchant fleet industry as a force for good, we can reverse the tide.
Join us on this exhilarating journey of hope, where every voyage restores ocean ecosystems, uplifts the planet, and fills your heart with pride. Together, let’s sail toward a thriving, vibrant Earth!
“It’s about how many people support the Earth… There’s room for all of us!”
Why CRA is Expanding Beyond Ocean Iron Fertilization—
And Why Bamboo Might Be the Key to Scaling Climate Restoration
When we founded the Climate Restoration Alliance, we focused on one urgent mission: Restore a safe climate for future generations.
Among the many strategies we explored, one stood out: Ocean Iron Fertilization (OIF) — a natural, ocean-based process with the potential to remove gigatons of CO₂ quickly and affordably. The science is promising. The urgency is undeniable. And the opportunity is closing fast.
OIF is what we call the “Iron Bullet” — elegant, powerful, and, if done responsibly, capable of scaling to the levels needed to restore the climate at a fraction of the cost of other CDR methods.
So why expand beyond it?
Because restoring the climate isn’t about putting all our hopes into one solution. It’s about building a diverse arsenal of restoration tools — ones that can reinforce each other, serve different regions and communities, and be deployed at different speeds and scales.
We don’t yet know how quickly OIF can be deployed at scale — or how regulatory and political hurdles may evolve. And with every passing year, the stakes grow higher. Every fraction of a degree of warming puts millions more people at risk.
That’s why we’re also investing in Plan B — or rather, Plan Bamboo.
Why Bamboo?
Bamboo might not seem like a climate restoration breakthrough — until you take a closer look:
It’s the fastest-growing plant on Earth, with some species growing up to a meter a day.
It can sequester up to 50 tons of CO₂ per hectare annually.
It grows well on degraded land, restoring soils and ecosystems.
It produces valuable biomass that can be turned into timber, furniture, textiles, biochar, and even renewable energy.
In other words, bamboo is not just a plant — it’s a regenerative industry waiting to scale.
According to Project Drawdown, scaling bamboo globally could avoid and sequester over 1 gigaton of CO₂ per year, while creating widespread rural livelihoods.
Why CRA Is Stepping Up
Let’s be clear: CRA remains fully committed to OIF.
It’s one of the few methods with true climate-scale potential.
But OIF can’t stand alone. It needs infrastructure. Legitimacy. Policy support. And time.
That’s where bamboo comes in.
Bamboo is already happening. It’s tangible. It’s shovel-ready.
Governments, funders, and communities are more eager to support visible, actionable projects — and bamboo opens doors that OIF simply can’t yet.
We’re using bamboo to:
Build credibility and trust with local stakeholders
Grow institutional capacity across continents
Create on-the-ground success that inspires broader participation
Train and activate communities, so more people can directly engage in climate restoration
And yes — it’s profitable, replicable, and regenerative. Our project in Togo is designed to generate revenue while sharing wealth with local farmers, restoring degraded land, and delivering verified carbon removal and avoided emissions.
Building the Climate Restoration Movement
This isn’t just about plants or plankton. It’s about people.
We’re branding bamboo as a Climate Restoration solution — one that anyone can be part of.
By combining bold ventures like OIF with grounded, accessible solutions like bamboo, we’re creating a new path forward — one where we restore the planet together and empower the people who live on it.
Bamboo is how CRA builds momentum — and prepares the foundation for ever more ambitious projects.
So, Do We Need a Plan B?
Absolutely.
Because if we’re serious about winning this fight, we need more than a silver bullet.
We need a movement.
Ocean Iron Fertilization may be our Iron Bullet. But Bamboo is how we build the future we want for our children.
It’s Time to Make Climate Restoration an Idea Whose Time Has Come.
What does that mean, exactly?
“An idea’s time comes when the state of its existence is transformed from content into context.”
— Werner Erhard, The Hunger Project Source Document*
Before you became a parent, parenthood was something you thought about.
You read the books. You had opinions. You made plans.
That was parenthood as content—something you could agree with, disagree with, prepare for.
But the moment your child arrived, everything shifted.
Parenthood became the context of your life.
It wasn’t just something you did—it became the space from which you lived.
Every choice, every moment, every plan now existed inside this new reality: you are a parent.
This is the transformation we now need—for our generation to step into the role of parents to future generations.
Not metaphorically, but existentially.
To make every choice from that context:
What kind of world are we giving to our children’s children?
As content, it’s a position—one of many climate solutions. It competes, it explains, it defends itself.
But as context, Climate Restoration becomes the foundation from which all meaningful climate action emerges.
It is not in agreement to or in opposition to Net Zero, Ocean Iron Fertilization, Plastic Cleanup, Carbon Credits, the Bamboo Industry, or Sustainable Waste Management.
It is the space in which all of these happen.
Climate Restoration is the commitment to give Earth’s children a livable planet.
A world they can thrive in, and one we can be proud to pass on.
When Climate Restoration becomes context, we stop asking “Should we?” or “Is it possible?”
And start asking “How fast can we?”
Then invite others.
Because a context isn’t declared by one voice—it’s created by many.
It is time to make Climate Restoration an idea whose time has come.
Let’s do it, together.
With hope,
On behalf of Future Generations
* From The Hunger Project Source Document, by Werner Erhard
What causes an idea’s time to come? An idea’s time comes when the state of its existence is transformed from content into context.
As a content, an idea expresses itself as, or takes the form of, a position. A position is dependent for its very existence on other positions; positions exist only in relation to other positions. The relationship is one of agreement or disagreement with other positions.
Context is not dependent on something outside itself for existence; it is whole and complete in itself and, as a function of being whole, it allows for, it generates parts-that is to say, it generates content. Content is a piece, a part of the whole; its very nature is partial. Context is the whole; its nature is complete.
When an idea exists as a position (when it is a content) then it is an idea whose time has not come. When an idea’s time has not come, whatever you do to materialize or realize that idea does not work. When an idea’s time has not come, you have a condition of unworkability in which what you do doesn’t work, and you don’t do what works.
When an idea is transformed from content to context, then it is an idea whose time has come.
When an idea is transformed from existence as a position to existence as a space, then it is an idea whose time has come.
Beyond Silent Spring: Moving Forward with Eyes Open
In 1962, Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring exposed the devastating ecological consequences of DDT, a chemical once considered a miracle solution. Her work not only revealed the dangers of a single toxin but also highlighted the broader risks of unchecked technological advancement.
The truth is, at the time, we barely considered the consequences at all. Post-war optimism and blind faith in science created a cultural environment where new technologies were rapidly embraced with little thought to their long-term impacts. Ecology was not yet a mainstream science, and the complex relationships within ecosystems—the risks of disrupting food chains, bioaccumulation, and slow, systemic harm—were poorly understood. The dominant mindset wasn’t “we know the risks but accept them,” but rather, “what could possibly go wrong?”
That mindset cost us dearly. But it also taught us an enduring lesson: don’t alter ecosystems blindly.
Now, as we face a planetary climate crisis, that lesson remains urgent. But it’s often misunderstood.
Some critics of climate restoration techniques like Ocean Iron Fertilization (OIF) invoke Silent Spring as a warning. They ask: “Are we repeating the same mistake? Are we intervening in the natural world before fully understanding the risks?”
But here’s the crucial difference:
Back then, we didn’t know there was a risk—now, after unintentionally geoengineering the climate for centuries, we do.
We are not blind. We are not unaware. The risks of OIF—ecological shifts, nutrient imbalances, unintended side effects—have been studied for decades. We don’t have all the answers, but we are asking the right questions. And that changes everything.
This is not about avoiding all risk. It’s about acknowledging risk, planning for it, and measuring what matters.
In science, we never fully understand anything—especially not complex systems like the ocean or the climate. But that can’t be an excuse for paralysis. Inaction is not neutral; it carries its own catastrophic risks. The collapse of ocean ecosystems, runaway warming, and acidification are not theoretical—they’re happening now.
So here’s the shift in mindset we need:
From “Don’t act until you fully understand”
to “Act with humility, transparency, and a commitment to learn.”
From “Let’s not take the risk”
to “Let’s take informed, measured steps to avoid far greater risks.”
At the Climate Restoration Alliance, we’re advancing OIF projects with that philosophy. We monitor, we measure, we model. We secure permits. We consult communities and ecologists. We operate with openness and a bias for learning. Because we know: this isn’t Silent Spring. This is a moment of conscious responsibility.
We’re not flying blind—we’re navigating through crisis with our eyes open.
[image: The clearly visible green phytoplankton bloom during the 2018 Kilauea eruption, published on Gizmodo.com – Image: (USGS Coastguard)]
In 2018, something extraordinary happened off the coast of Hawaii.
As the Kīlauea volcano erupted, lava flowed into the Pacific Ocean—dramatically altering the surrounding environment. But what caught scientists by surprise wasn’t just the geological spectacle. It was a massive bloom of phytoplankton—microscopic marine plants—that suddenly exploded into view, so vast it was visible from space.
A natural experiment had just unfolded before our eyes.
How Lava Sparked a Bloom
When Kīlauea’s lava hit the ocean, it superheated the water and triggered deep ocean upwelling. This brought nitrate-rich water from the depths to the sunlit surface. Just like that, nutrients were made available in a part of the ocean where productivity is usually low.
Within days, satellite imagery showed a giant green plume of life—phytoplankton feeding on the nutrients, growing rapidly, and forming the base of the marine food web.
“This bloom is a powerful example of how ocean ecosystems respond to nutrient inputs,” said researchers from the University of Hawaii. “The event helped us understand how quickly phytoplankton can take advantage of favorable conditions.”
This Is Exactly What Ocean Iron Fertilization Aims to Do
Ocean Iron Fertilization (OIF) is a climate restoration technique that works similarly—by adding iron, a vital micronutrient, to parts of the ocean where it’s lacking. Like nitrate, iron is a limiting nutrient in many regions of the ocean.
The Kīlauea eruption shows what’s possible when nutrients suddenly become available:
Rapid carbon capture via photosynthesis
Explosive growth of ocean biomass
No harmful side effects observed
While the volcano added nitrates, OIF uses iron to stimulate blooms in High Nutrient, Low Chlorophyll (HNLC) zones—parts of the ocean rich in nitrogen and phosphorus, but poor in iron.
Nature’s Proof of Concept for Climate Restoration
The Kīlauea-induced bloom is more than an anomaly—it’s a natural demonstration of the power of ocean fertilization. And it reinforces key messages behind CRA’s work:
The ocean responds quickly to nutrient availability
Biological carbon removal can occur on massive scales
Restoring marine productivity can enhance life, not disrupt it
Strategic, science-based intervention is feasible and effective
Call to Action: Help Us Restore the Ocean—Responsibly
The Southern California MRV Project is CRA’s flagship initiative to develop the science, monitoring, and safeguards needed for responsible Ocean Iron Fertilization.
We’re learning from nature—and scaling its lessons with care.
👉 Support the project and help us accelerate a proven path to climate restoration.
Let’s restore our planet by working with nature—not against it.
Taking place at the EarthX 2025 Congress of Conferences, this summit signifies a historic moment in time – the moment we started building the Climate Restoration Industry.
An industry is a group of businesses and organizations that produce, provide, or support a particular set of related goods, services, or technologies, typically serving a common market or purpose.
The Climate Restoration Industry is a group of businesses and organizations dedicated to developing, scaling, and deploying solutions that restore atmospheric CO₂ levels and other climate indicators to safe, pre-industrial levels.
Here is a message from Ilan Mandel, CEO of the Climate Restoration Alliance – recorded for the Summit:
Hi, I’m Ilan Mandel. I currently serve as Chairman and CEO of the Climate Restoration Alliance and the Grandparents Fund for Climate Restoration, working out of Israel.
In 2017, I met Peter Fiekowsky — and that meeting changed the course of my life. Peter had a bold vision: not just to slow global warming, but to restore a safe and healthy climate — like the one we inherited and the one future generations deserve. I partnered with Peter, we co-founded the Foundation for Climate Restoration, and since then, I’ve been working on the architecture — the system — that could actually make this vision a reality.
While most of the climate conversations focus on possible solutions, nearly all of them — except Ocean Iron Fertilization (OIF) — are thousands of times too expensive to scale. That’s why we’re focusing on building the infrastructure required for any real solution to scale and operate successfully.
Today, we heard from the ExOIS group, where scientists are exploring OIF solutions capable of removing CO₂ rapidly — at a cost that stakeholders like you and I can afford.
As those solutions evolve, the Climate Restoration Alliance and the Grandparents Fund are building the infrastructure needed to ensure their safe and rapid scale-up. This includes developing the atmospheric CO₂ measurement systems, funding pipelines, marketing strategies, and governance models.
Restoring the climate isn’t a single project. It’s a massive, global endeavor. And unfortunately, no government or international body has taken responsibility for it. Until that happens, we are working with funders to build what’s needed.
It takes: Science, Engineering, Governance, Funding, and of course, projects on the ground.
And it all needs to happen fast — in a coordinated, responsible way, worldwide, across regions and regulatory systems.
The good news is: people are already working on each of these components.
What’s missing is a shared structure — an architecture that connects it all. A roadmap that clearly informs every stakeholder about what’s happening, what’s needed, and what success looks like.
That’s what we’re building now: a Climate Restoration Industry, with clear pathways for collaboration, investment, and impact.
Not just another climate initiative — but a blueprint for working together. A blueprint for a bridge that can take us safely to the other side of this crisis.
We also need social license — broad public understanding, trust, and support for climate restoration solutions. That’s why last year, we launched the Climate Restoration Ambassador Program. Our Ambassadors include faith leaders, indigenous leaders, industry leaders, and Ambassadors to service organizations like Rotary.
This Climate Restoration Summit is a game-changing moment — a powerful demonstration of what’s possible when we all come together with a shared purpose.
Thank you for being here and for stepping into this historic opportunity.
We’ve been given a narrow window. But we know what to do. Nature has done it before — and we can do it too, if we commit to it. If we align our efforts — If we fund and build the architecture — We can create a future where the climate is once again safe, stable, and life-giving.
If you’re a donor or investor who wants to help build the system that will restore the climate, I invite you to connect with me. Together, we can accelerate the path forward.
Before I say goodbye, here is a short message from Future Generations:
We are the Future Generations.
We do not vote, so governments don’t prioritize us.
We do not pay taxes, so we are not in the budget.
We do not buy products, so corporations ignore us.
But you — our parents, our grandparents, our aunts and uncles — you have the power now.
You are writing the story we will be born into.
Will it be a world of chaos and collapse? Or one of restoration, beauty, and life?
We ask you to be bold. To stand up for us when no one else will. To make the choices today that will give us a tomorrow.
Join the Climate Restoration Alliance. Sign the Climate Restoration Resolution.
Speak for us. Until we can speak for ourselves.
Thank you for being part of this movement.
Let’s restore the climate, ensure a livable planet for our children, and usher in a new era where humanity can flourish for millennia to come.
Introduction: The Question of Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs)
As Ocean Iron Fertilization (OIF) gains attention as a climate restoration strategy, one common concern is whether stimulating phytoplankton growth could unintentionally trigger harmful algal blooms (HABs)—toxic or oxygen-depleting overgrowths that can devastate marine ecosystems and coastal communities.
But the relationship between OIF and HABs is complex—and increasingly hopeful. Not only does research suggest that OIF is unlikely to cause HABs, it may actually help suppress them in certain environments.
1. What Are Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs)?
HABs occur when certain algae—like dinoflagellates, cyanobacteria, or haptophytes—grow excessively, often releasing toxins or depleting oxygen when they die off. They can:
Kill fish and marine mammals
Contaminate seafood with dangerous toxins
Disrupt tourism, aquaculture, and coastal economies
Threaten human health via airborne or waterborne exposure
HABs are typically driven by excess nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus), warmer waters, and stagnant ocean conditions, often in coastal zones impacted by agriculture or sewage runoff.
2. How OIF Works Differently
Ocean Iron Fertilization adds small amounts of iron to nutrient-rich but iron-poor areas of the open ocean—known as High Nutrient, Low Chlorophyll (HNLC) regions. This stimulates the growth of phytoplankton, which remove CO₂ through photosynthesis and sink to the deep ocean.
Importantly:
OIF is conducted far offshore, not near coastal HAB hotspots
It uses iron, not nitrogen or phosphorus (the primary drivers of HABs)
It tends to favor the growth of diatoms, which are not typically harmful⁴
3. Scientific Evidence: Has OIF Caused HABs?
Across more than a dozen controlled OIF experiments globally, there has been no documented increase in HABs as a result of iron addition. Research has shown:
Short-lived, diverse blooms dominated by non-toxic phytoplankton
Rapid sinking of organic material, reducing the chance of persistent surface blooms⁵
No significant increase in low-oxygen zones or marine toxins following trials⁶
4. Could OIF Actually Prevent HABs?
Yes—under certain conditions, OIF may help reduce the occurrence or severity of harmful algal blooms. Here’s how:
Outcompeting HAB-forming species: OIF stimulates diatoms, which can consume available nutrients and occupy space before harmful species take hold.
Altering nutrient ratios: Adding iron without nitrogen or phosphorus can shift nutrient balances in ways that disadvantage toxin-producing algae.
Accelerating bloom turnover: Fast-sinking diatom blooms reduce water column residence time, limiting conditions that favor HABs.
Increasing biodiversity: More varied phytoplankton communities may reduce the dominance of any single harmful species.
Enhancing food web stability: Boosting zooplankton and small fish may increase grazing pressure on phytoplankton, helping control bloom size.
5. Risk Management and Monitoring
While current evidence shows low risk, responsible deployment still requires:
Site-specific modeling and ecological assessment
Use of MRV (Measurement, Reporting, and Verification) systems to monitor impacts
Adaptive management to respond to changes in plankton community structure
The idea that OIF could trigger harmful algal blooms is a reasonable concern—but it isn’t supported by evidence from past experiments. In fact, OIF may help rebalance marine ecosystems, support biodiversity, and even reduce the risk of harmful blooms in some ocean regions.
Like all powerful tools, OIF must be used responsibly. But with proper science and oversight, it can become part of a climate restoration strategy that helps heal—not harm—our oceans.
Call to Action: Support Smart, Safe OIF
The Southern California MRV Project is pioneering the science and monitoring systems that make climate-safe OIF possible. Help ensure future deployments protect ecosystems and support marine resilience.
Everyone wants to restore a safe climate — one that humans have actually survived long-term. In this “pre-industrial” climate, which allowed us to develop agriculture and thriving civilizations, atmospheric CO2 never rose above 300 parts per million (ppm). Today, CO2 levels are 420 ppm. Yet now we know how to bring CO2 back down to pre-industrial levels—and could do so by 2050.
Ocean iron fertilization (OIF) appears to be the fastest, safest and most effective climate restoration solution although it was controversial for a time. OIF restores fisheries and other marine life while also reducing CO2 levels at the scale needed to restore the climate. It requires little or no public funding: instead, the process produces revenue … Read More "Captain Hugo Hinrichsen"
Restoring the climate requires removing and storing a trillion tons of legacy CO2 by 2050. Nature has stored 99 percent of all the CO2 on earth in the form of limestone, made of calcium and CO2 by shellfish and other marine organisms.1 Nearly half carbon dioxide by weight, limestone is an ideal, permanent storage system for this greenhouse gas.
Restoring our climate will require pulling a trillion tons of legacy carbon dioxide from the atmosphere by 2050. Farming seaweed, mainly fast-growing kelp and sargassum, can help achieve climate restoration. Click to download the PDF.
Methane is a potent greenhouse gas that causes about 1/3 of today’s global warming. Using Enhanced Atmospheric Methane Oxidation (EAMO), we can accelerate these processes and reduce atmospheric methane to pre-industrial levels. This could rewind warming back to 2002 levels by 2050 and protect humanity from catastrophic levels of melting permafrost. Click here to download … Read More "Captain Hugo Hinrichsen"
More and more people are realizing: Even if we reach net zero by 2050, or stay “well under” 2°C of warming, our survival will still be in serious doubt. That’s because there are already a trillion tons of CO2 in the atmosphere. This “legacy” CO2, emitted over the last 200 years, will continue to wreak havoc in our world—whether or not we decrease future emissions to near-zero.
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An industry is a group of businesses and organizations that produce, provide, or support a particular set of related goods, services, or technologies, typically serving a common market or purpose.
