I moderated a World Ocean Initiative Insight Hour on “Enhancing stewardship for the safe, sustainable use of the ocean”, sponsored by the Lloyd’s Register Foundation.
The panel consisted of four excellent speakers:Â
• Ruth Boumphrey, director of research and strategic projects, at the Lloyd’s Register Foundation;
• Donnette Streete, director, frontiers department, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Guyana;
• Michael Bruno, provost at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, and author of The Urban Ocean; and last but not least
• Ruben Eiras, secretary-general at Fórum Oceano – Associação da Economia do Mar
The ocean has produced US$2.5trn annually in goods and services in recent years, and its asset value is estimated at US$24trn. It is also the world’s largest carbon sink and plays a vital role in limiting global warming. But the ocean’s vast resources remain dangerously exploited and poorly understood. Ocean health continues to deteriorate as a result of climate change, pollution and poor resource management. The cost of climate impacts on the ocean could exceed US$300bn a year by 2050 as a result of sea-level rise, storms, and losses in fisheries, tourism, and ocean carbon absorption.
Therefore, careful stewardship is needed to manage ocean resources safely and sustainably. This webinar will explore the importance of effective ocean engineering for the safe and sustainable use of marine resources, and will help us to highlight some of the challenges, risks and opportunities as ocean-based industries continue to expand.
Key talking points:
• What are the trends and predictions for ocean-based activities and the evolving social views of the state of the ocean?
• How can ocean engineering and future ocean structures play a part in the safe, sustainable use of the ocean?
• How can “ocean citizens” raise public awareness and engagement in restoring ocean health?