These are climate change and loss of biosphere integrity followed by land-system change and nitrogen and phosphorus biogeochemical cycles, though the public has not yet fully recognized it.
According to the report, four environmental boundaries related to human environmental load have already exceeded the limit of the sustainability of the planet. The Stockholm Resilience Centre in Sweden issued a report entitled Planetary Boundaries. The award recognized their focus on quantitative analysis for future solutions. Daily from Stanford University.Īlthough the areas in which these two laureates have made outstanding achievements are entirely different, climate change and biospheres, both are incredibly profound and significant for our survival and conservation of the global environment. Schellnhuber, Director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) and Professor Gretchen C. The Asahi Glass foundation awarded the 26th Blue Planet Prize (2017) to Professor Hans J. “The Blue Planet Fund will support many developing countries on the front line of climate change to reduce poverty and improve the health of their seas.Address from the Editor-in-Chief Significant Achievements of 2017 (26th) Blue Planet Prize laureates Our shared ocean is a vital resource and provides habitat to precious marine life, as well as supporting the livelihoods of one in every ten people worldwide.” The UK also has a new global ‘30b圓0’ target to protect 30% of land and 30% of the ocean by 2030, which will be supported by the Blue Planet Fund.Įnvironment Secretary, George Eustice, said: “The UK is a global leader in marine protection and will continue to advocate for ambitious climate and ocean action at COP26 this year. For example, GPAP has obtained Indonesia’s commitment to reduce 70% of the country’s mismanaged waste by 2025.
One new UK-led programme receiving funding, the Ocean Country Partnership Programme (OCPP), aims to help developing countries partner with leading UK scientists to enhance protection of marine areas and improve our understanding of the impacts of climate change on our ocean.Īdditionally, some of the funding will be focused on the expansion of the Global Plastic Action Partnership’s (GPAP) work in developing countries to reduce plastic waste. These programmes will increase marine protection, reduce plastic pollution, tackle the decline of coral reefs around the world, and use the UK’s expertise and knowledge to help respond to marine pollution disasters.Īs COP26 climate talks are impending, the government is focused on working with developing countries to take action to protect and restore our oceans. However, climate change and pollution have made coral reefs vulnerable. The ocean plays a vital role as a carbon sink by absorbing a third of global CO2 emissions every year.Ĭoral reefs are one of the most valuable ecosystems in the world by supporting 25% of marine life and providing benefits to thousands of species. This first amount of funding from the UK’s £500 million Blue Planet Fund will be used for five programmes aimed to tackle climate change, enable marine recovery, and reduce poverty in developing countries.