Source: Seas At Risk
Original Date Posted: 5/18/2020
As the Covid-19 pandemic continues, governments around the globe are preparing significant financial stimulus packages and bailouts. These funds will provide immediate relief to stave off the collapse of some badly hit businesses and industries and protect the incomes of workers at risk of lay-off or unemployment. However, in returning to the normal functioning of our societies and rebuilding our economies, we need to ensure that they are not only more resilient to future pandemics but also to the threat of climate change. The ocean has a key role in fighting climate change. Seas and oceans absorb 90% of the heat trapped by greenhouse gas emissions. Mangroves, plankton, seagrass and marine mammals are very effective in sequestering CO2. We know that more biodiverse oceans are more resilient to climate change, but the ocean is in poor condition and cannot fully play its climate action role. The Blue Manifesto identifies key actions to build ocean resilience and ensure that it remains an ally in mitigating the effects of global warming, such as fully or highly protecting at least 30% of the ocean, shifting to low-impact fishing, securing a pollution-free ocean, and planning human activities so as to support the restoration of thriving marine ecosystems.
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