Protect, study, mobilise

World Ocean Day 2021.
Photo © Plateforme Océan et Climat

With Tara and the Ocean and Climate platform, the Veolia Foundation has long been committed to preserving the oceans. The stakes are high: saving one of the lungs of our planet.

The oceans are both an essential resource for humans and a casualty of their lifestyle. They produce at least 50% of the planet's oxygen and are home to most of the Earth's biodiversity. But with 90% of large fish populations already depleted and 50% of coral reefs destroyed, we are taking more from the ocean than can be replenished.

Initiatives to mobilise public opinion and identify solutions exist, and the actors who embody them are well represented. Among them: the Tara Ocean Foundation and the Ocean and Climate platform.

Tara Ocean: studying the microbiome

More than a billion microorganisms live in each litre of sea water. This observation led the Tara Ocean Foundation team to want to know more. The Microbiomes Mission, which has been underway for six months and is supported by the Veolia Foundation, should enable a better understanding of the invisible people of the ocean. The aim is to approach the oceanic ecosystem as a whole and, to do so, to go back to the basics, to the first actor present in all the facets of this ecosystem, the microbiome. What is it about? Marine micro-organisms play an essential role in the ocean ecosystem. They are the first link in an immense food chain which, at the other end, feeds a large part of humanity. These microalgae and photosynthetic bacteria are true service providers, capturing atmospheric carbon dioxide and in return providing half of the oxygen we breathe every day.

A healthy ocean, a protected climate.
Ocean & Climate platform

 

The Ocean & Climate platform to improve the understanding of ocean-climate interaction

The Ocean and Climate Platform (OCP) was created by an alliance of non-governmental organisations and research institutes and brings together over 80 organisations. Its objective is to promote scientific expertise and to lobby political decision-makers and the general public on ocean-climate issues.

With its Sea'ties initiative, supported by the Veolia Foundation, the POC focuses on the consequences of sea level rise. It aims to facilitate the development of public policies and the implementation of adaptation solutions for coastal cities exposed to this phenomenon.