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The Pacific Ocean is larger than the entire land mass of the Earth combined. Today, it is increasingly becoming a strategic arena for the world’s major powers - each seeking to safeguard its own economic and political interests. Lucie Knor, a German doctoral student, is researching how an increased uptake of greenhouse gases is affecting living conditions in the ocean around Hawaii . On the Cook Islands, the team finds out how climate change impacts the lives of whales. Whale researcher Nan Hauser and her team hope that their work will shed new light on the migration of whales - to protect them. Many islands are facing an uncertain future . But on the Cook Islands, people are hoping for a new gold rush, thanks to the presence of minerals in the seabed that could become increasingly valuable as demand for renewable energies grows. Mark Brown, head of the Cook Islands government, says deep-sea mining has the potential to make his island nation more economically independent.