Mark Begich actually said...

Can you imagine if we were to spend half as much as we spend on exploring space, if we spent on oceans, where we would be today?

It is not because they were looking it for it. It is because we are talking about it.

But when you look at the data points of where we are internationally when it comes to STEM education--science, technology, engineering, and ...

The ocean is Earth's most fundamental and life-sustaining feature.