Inaugurated by Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO, and Ségolène Royal, Minister of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy, this event aims to draw attention to the vital role of oceans, the main source of the planet's oxygen, in our daily lives. A second objective is to highlight the impact of human actions on the ocean with the hope of uniting the international community around a global project for sustainable management of oceans.
During this event, which will also be attended by Laurent Fabius, Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Development, Tara is launching an Oceans for the Climate Appeal, relying on the Oceans and Climate platform created last year to bring NGOs, institutions and scientists together around the issue. This alliance aims to push for better integration of oceans in the climate change negotiations, raise public awareness of their importance in the world climate "machine", develop scientific knowledge and educate policy-makers, both public and private, about the crucial links between oceans and the climate.
Drawing on this platform, the Oceans for the Climate Appeal will be the point of departure for a huge campaign to mobilize the general public and policy-makers around better integration of oceans in the climate change negotiations. The goal is to highlight their essential role in regulating our planet and the threat posed by climate change, ahead of the 2015 Conference of the Parties (COP21) climate negotiations in Paris.
·Find the program for World Oceans Day here.
The Foundation renews its support for Tara
Coral reefs harbor 30% of marine biodiversity. The Veolia Foundation, which has already contributed to two of the schooner's expeditions, is supporting the new "Tara-Corail" mission in the Coral Triangle (Indonesia, Malaysia, Taiwan, Philippines, Papua-New Guinea). Its goal is to achieve better understanding of the impact of population growth and climate change on the evolution of coral reefs. Although they cover only 0.1% of the total area of oceans, coral reefs harbor 30% of marine biodiversity. They provide food to sustain the lives of almost one billion people, primarily in this area that concentrates over 30% of the planet's coral reefs. Almost 80% of them are under threat of disappearance in the short term due to population growth, while rising temperatures and acidification of the oceans are also leading to the phenomenon of coral bleaching.
PROJECTS SUPPORTED
Environment and Biodiversity | France (Morbihan) | 2009/06/11
Tara Oceans
An unprecedented three-year scientific expedition on all the seas of the globe (understanding the spatial organisation of ecosystems and understanding their response to atmospheric viariations).
Environment and Biodiversity | France (Hérault)
Tara Expéditions
Scientific and awareness-raising mission on pollution by plastic and on the environmental challenges of the Mediterranean.