By the time a large whale dies, it has removed 33 tons of carbon from the atmosphere and will store it at the bottom of the ocean for centuries. Each whale has been calculated to be worth $2 million to the world economy this way.
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But not the ones killed by Japan, Iceland and Norway, nor the dolphins, porpoises and smaller whales killed by other various nations throughout the world.
All of the plankton do about one billion times that amount each year, and they're even more vulnerable to human activity. Makes me sad that such important creatures are being neglected and harmed simply because humans are lazy.
Crucially, before any billionaires start seeing dollar signs: this only works if said whale is allowed to mature and die naturally. Don't kill the goose for its golden eggs
Most carbon in the atmosphere is absorbed by ocean life. Also I think it's weird to quantify the value of a living whale in dollars, but whatever gets the message across.
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Every whale that's killed is 33 tonnes of carbon sequestered to the seabed.