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The whale-watchers have been waiting for hours. Suddenly, a giant rises from beneath the waves. It leaps into the air and crashes back down again. Then it is gone.

Whales are famous for their huge size. Now, we are learning about all the things they do for the environmentThe natural world. too.

"Whale poo is like environmental gold dust," says one journalist. It includes lots of important things, such as iron, which help phytoplankton grow. Phytoplankton are a type of algaeA simple plant that grows in or on water. eaten by lots of sea creatures.

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Phytoplankton also make half the world's oxygen, and it absorbsTakes in or soaks up. lots of CO2Carbon dioxide.. This stops the CO2, which is a greenhouse gasGases in the Earth's atmosphere that trap heat, contributing to global warming. Carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and water vapour are all greenhouse gases., from causing global warmingThe Earth is getting hotter due to climate change..

Now, two economists have tried to work out how much a whale is worth. To do this, they needed to work out how much CO2 is absorbed by phytoplankton and the whale itself.

The economists have worked out that if a whale lives for sixty years, it is worth up to £2.4m. They want people to investPut money into. in whales, so the money can be used to help whales survive and in turn, help the planet.

Yes! We do not often think about whale poo, but it plays a huge role in the life of the ocean. It helps to stop climate change.

No! Nobody wants to put their money in whales. There is a clear answer to climate change: stop burning fossil fuelsFuels made from decomposing plants and animals, including coal, natural gas and oil. These fuels release carbon dioxide, causing global warming..