Who owns the high seas? In the spring of 2010, I was one of a few journalists invited to travel down to the coast of Ecuador to join an ocean-going TED conference. With me aboard a National Geographic science vessel were ocean and climate scientists, underwater photographers, marine activists, environmental group CEOs, a lot of green-minded rich people, and famous actors like Leonardo DiCaprio and Edward Norton. I promise that what follows is not just a chance to tell one of the few close brushes with celebrity in my journalistic career. For several days, we toured the pristine Galap...

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