On September 23, Scientific and Research Institute of Maritime Spatial Planning Ermak Northwest jointly with MIREA – Russian Technological University held the information seminar “Maritime Spatial Planning in the Russian Federation. Why It's Necessary for Russia” for federal and regional authorities. The seminar was held in a mixed mode, combining in-person and online participants. Venue — RTU MIREA Campus, Moscow.
The seminar participants discussed the prospects for promoting Maritime Spatial Planning in Russia, national circumstances of water area management system, and the coastal component in the regional socio-economic development strategies. Welcome addresses were given by: Stanislav Kuj, Rector of RTU MIREA; Nuretdin Inamov, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment of the Russian Federation; Igor Kapyrin, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation.
The discussion on promoting Maritime Spatial Planning in Russia will be continued at the round tables “Russia’s Strategic Planning System for the Development of Maritime Activities, and the Maritime Spatial Planning” and “Multilateral Regional Cooperation in the Black Sea Based on the Maritime Economy: Opportunities and Prospects” to be held as part of the Strategic Planning Leaders Forum 2020, October 27.
Website : https://forumstrategov.ru/eng/news156.html
Swiss investment bank Credit Suisse has partnered with Rockefeller Asset Management to launch an impact fund that will finance projects improving ocean health, raising $212m pre-launch. The businesses claim that the ‘Ocean Engagement Fund’ is the first impact fund of its kind, in that it is solely dedicated to and fully aligned with Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 14: Life Below Water. The Goal includes targets to address issues such as overfishing, marine pollution and acidification, and to boost conservation and restoration. READ MORE
The EU4Ocean Platform connects diverse organisations, projects and people that contribute to ocean literacy and the sustainable management of the ocean and aims at uniting the voices of Europeans to make the ocean everyone’s concern. Explore the Map of the Month to discover who the > 100 members are, where they are located and what their field of work is.
Website : https://ec.europa.eu/maritimeaffairs/atlas/maritime_atlas/#lang=EN;p=w;bkgd=1;theme=354:0.8;c=3171518.3832054734,8063071.86330463;z=5
On 30 September 2020, four transnational projects on climate-ocean interactions funded under the framework of JPI Climate & JPI Oceans held a successful joint kick-off webinar. Marking the occasion, a new booklet “Next Generation Climate Science for Oceans – Research projects 2020-2023” features the projects.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/344475629_Next_Generation_Climate_Science_for_Oceans_Research_projects_2020-2023?channel=doi&linkId=5f7b08fe458515b7cf67aae6&showFulltext=true
The EU's maritime transport industry strives to reduce its impact on the environment with innovative solutions like battery-operated vessels, wind-powered ships and carbon-neutral shipping. The industry sets new environmental goals — but can it deliver?
Website: https://ec.europa.eu/maritimeaffairs/press/euronews-ocean-season-2-episode-8-maritime-transport_en
Inspired by the shape of the starfish, the Mission has five overarching objectives for 2030: Filling the knowledge and emotional gap, regenerating marine and freshwater ecosystems, zero pollution, decarbonising our ocean, and waters revamping governance. These five objectives are mutually supportive and taken together, the Mission Starfish 2030 will enable the restoration of the water cycle as a whole.
: On 25 September 2020, the EU4Ocean thematic workshops on Climate and Ocean, Food from the Ocean or Healthy and Clean Ocean, discussed and gathered ideas for effective Ocean Literacy actions.
The EU4Ocean workshop “Designing Ocean Literacy action in Europe” built momentum for collective actions and knowledge sharing. At the three parallel thematic workshops, it was discussed and gathered ideas on how to help citizens in European landlocked or inland areas become Ocean Literate. The three themes of the parallel workshops were:
More info could be found here.
The maritime industry recognises there is a need for smarter collaboration to enhance operations, satisfy clients’ expectation of transparency and predictability and respond to societal concerns. Maritime Informatics, originally defined as “the application of information systems to increase the efficiency, safety, and ecological sustainability of the world’s shipping industry” was developed by data scientists to meet the needs of practice and to be applied cooperatively by practitioners and data scientists
Saturday 19/9 is World Cleanup Day. To raise awareness about the challenge of marine litter and encourage citizens worldwide to take action, the European Commission and the European External Action Service is organising the third edition of the #EUBeachCleanup campaign. In 2019, the campaign mobilised over 40,000 volunteers at events in nearly 80 countries.
Website: https://ec.europa.eu/maritimeaffairs/press/eubeachcleanup-ocean-starts-you_en
With the newest release of the European Atlas of the Seas today, citizens from all around Europe now have access to stunning marine maps and interactive oceanic information in their own language, making the atlas an even more accessible and useful educational tool.
Website : https://ec.europa.eu/maritimeaffairs/press/follow-lead-eu-commissioner-sinkevičius-and-exploreyourocean-24-languages_en
The new OECD publication brings together unique statistical sources to support developing countries in the implementation of a sustainable ocean economy.
Adopting more sustainable ways of managing the ocean is a global priority: protecting its health will bring benefits to all. Developing countries face specific challenges, as many depend heavily on ocean-based industries and are overly exposed to the consequences of ocean degradation. Enhancing their access to science, policy advice and financing would allow them to tap better into the opportunities of a more sustainable ocean economy, including more decent jobs, cleaner energy, improved food security and enhanced resilience, while contributing to the protection of the world’s ocean.
This report provides policymakers in developing countries, as well as their development co-operation partners with a wealth of fresh evidence on (i) the latest trends in selected ocean-based industries; (ii) policy instruments, including economic incentives, to promote ocean sustainability in various contexts; (iii) the first review of development finance and development co-operation practices in support of more sustainable ocean economies, including a discussion of how development co-operation can help re-orient private finance towards sustainability.
https://www.oecd.org/environment/sustainable-ocean-for-all-bede6513-en.htm
What will the sustainable ocean economy look like in 2030? What are the risks and opportunities facing companies and investors? Will the post-coronavirus recovery help or hinder the ocean’s potential to create economic growth and jobs?
In this report, the World Ocean Initiative assesses the challenges facing key sectors in the ocean economy including seafood, shipping, tourism and renewable energy. We look at the role of banks and investors in financing the transition towards clean, low-carbon technologies, as well as opportunities in data and analytics. Solutions to marine plastic pollution from source-to-sea are analysed, as is the ocean’s potential to remove carbon from the atmosphere and increase resilience to the impacts of climate change.
Drawing on the latest data and in-depth interviews with leading experts in government, business, finance and conservation, this report provides valuable insights for all stakeholders working to achieve a sustainable ocean economy.