The high seas encompass two-thirds of the world’s oceans, but only 1% currently has protected status. More than seventy countries and the European Union have now signed the high seas treaty, signalling interest in ratifying the agreement designed to protect marine biodiversity in international waters. The treaty, officially known as the treaty on “Biodiversity Beyond […]
Ocean-based action can play a critical role in helping the world to avoid the worst impacts of climate change, closing the emissions gap by as much as 35%, based on solutions that are ready to implement. Emission reductions of this magnitude are equivalent to four times the annual emissions of European Union countries. A new […]
The INSITE Programme is an innovative European-wide research programme that has so far delivered 18 projects with 17 research institutes from the UK, Netherlands, Germany, Belgium and Norway. Launched in 2014, as the first joint industry partnership between academia and oil and gas operators in the North Sea, INSITE is delivering focused research to provide the […]
Defra boost for ocean acidification research: PML funded to become Secretariat for the UN-endorsed ‘OARS’ programme. The ‘Ocean Acidification Research for Sustainability’ (OARS) programme is designed to support the development of ocean acidification science. As part of the High Level Event for Nature and People that is taking place at the UN General Assembly […]
A major new analysis of the threats facing the oceans has been released in a Greenpeace report: 30×30: From Global Ocean Treaty to Protection at Sea. The report also sets out a political roadmap to protect 30% of the world’s oceans by 2030 – the United Nations’ 30×30 target – using the new Ocean Treaty. © […]
A new report describes the progress of the 47 projects, from April 2018 to March 2022, supported by Round 5 of the Coastal Communities Fund in England, which began in 2018 with projects delivering up to 2022 and beyond. The Coastal Communities Fund (CCF) aims to support the economic development of coastal communities across the […]
From a press release from the UK Ministry of Justice: Plastic and litter will be removed by offenders wearing high-visibility jackets emblazoned with “Community Payback” on beaches up-and-down the country, as part of the Marine Conservation Society’s annual Great British Beach Clean. The Probation Service has partnered with several major organisations with a focus on […]
Coastal waters and estuaries have been included in the government’s plan to tackle sewage pollution, in a win for campaigners who threatened legal action, ENDSreport has said. The UK Government issued a press release that stated: Government expands plan to tackle storm overflows, including all coastal and estuary sites Marine protected areas and shellfish water […]