Ecologist and activist Arianna Liconti takes us on a journey between science communication and storytelling, uncovering the 71% of our planet, in the new podcast produced by LifeGate and the Water Defenders Alliance.

Seen from space, ours is a blue planet, whose surface is 71 per cent water. And yet we keep calling it "Earth": a habit that leads us to forget just how much oceans, seas and freshwater bodies do for us — silently and freely — every single day. To remind us of this, 71% – Stories from the water planet was born: the new LifeGate podcast, created in collaboration with the Water Defenders Alliance, the alliance in defence of our waters.

The aim of this new production is to tell and celebrate the other face of the world we live in — the submerged one, often overlooked, yet fundamental to our present and our future. The planet's waters produce roughly half the oxygen we breathe and absorb a third of CO₂, playing a decisive role in mitigating climate change. If we want any chance of meeting emissions reduction targets, we must protect them.

The podcast is hosted by marine ecologist and activist Arianna Liconti, who has lived aboard a sailing boat for years and works as a "story mediator" between those who experience the sea every day and the scientists dedicated to protecting it. In 71%, her task is to guide listeners on a journey through scientific communication and narrative, showing how closely the health of aquatic ecosystems is intertwined with our own. From 14 January, every two weeks, Liconti will share stories of life, projects, initiatives and curiosities to help us understand what happens when water is defended, studied and respected.

71% – Stories from the water planet is available from 14 January on all major streaming platforms. Listen to it here.

The first episode of 71% is dedicated to the story of the podcast's host, Arianna Liconti, a marine ecologist who has spent years living on a sailing boat, working to bring together people who love and live by the sea with the scientists committed to defending this ecosystem. From Scilla, to Wales, to crossing the ocean and arriving at a small island in Sardinia, she has become a mediator of data and voices. In this episode she takes us into her choices, explains what citizen science is, and shows how the life of seas and oceans is deeply intertwined with our own.

The first five episodes of the podcast 71% are made possible thanks to the support of Unipol, ambassador of the Water Defenders Alliance.