Asia Pacific‘s leading platform for sustainable development
14. Life below water
The world’s oceans – their temperature, chemistry, currents and life – drive global systems that make the Earth habitable for humankind. Our rainwater, drinking water, weather, climate, coastlines, much of our food, and even the oxygen in the air we breathe, are all ultimately provided and regulated by the sea. Throughout history, oceans and seas have been vital conduits for trade and transportation. Careful management of this essential global resource is a key feature of a sustainable future.
Read our stories to learn more about SDG Goal 14: Life below water
To adopt SDG 14 Life below water, in support of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, please contact us at partners@eco-business.com
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Four globe-spanning snapshots of communities built on increasingly fragile ocean foundations, from Asia to Africa and the Americas.
Kebijakan & Keuangan
Philippines eyes blended finance to bridge estimated US$1 billion nature funding gap after COP17
The Southeast Asian nation secured up to US$200,000 in technical support to strengthen biodiversity financing at the summit, according to environment officials, while COP17’s invitation for new donors raised concerns over wealthy nations’ accountability.
Kebijakan & Keuangan
The Tropical Forest Forever Facility turns one, and is billions short
Meant to pay countries for keeping forests standing, the fund has an interim charter, a board, a World Bank home… and insufficient funds.
Karbon & Iklim
Pacific ‘Pre-COP’ draws attention to islands’ plight
Harder test is for small island nations to bring about commitments to real ocean action at full climate conference in Turkïye.
Kebijakan & Keuangan
COP17: Yerevan pathway for nature leaves out the money and the detail
Opini
Kebijakan & Keuangan
Rethinking sustainable livelihoods from the ground up
In regions where economic activity has long revolved around fossil-fuel extraction, ensuring a just transition requires developing alternative livelihoods that account for each community’s specific needs. Regional endowment funds could be a useful vehicle for funding these local initiatives.
Karbon & Iklim
Nature can’t wait
Although the wars in the Middle East and Ukraine are spurring governments to increase spending on defence and focus more on economic growth, it would be a mistake to postpone investments designed to protect nature. In fact, meeting internationally agreed targets could add up to US$450 billion to annual global GDP by 2050.
For Seychelles and other countries across the Western Indian Ocean region, marine conservation is a fundamental component of national development. But the ocean observes no national borders, which makes international cooperation and common financing instruments essential.
Karbon & Iklim
Who will pay to preserve tropical forests?
For decades, the international community has acknowledged the extraordinary value of tropical forests while failing to invest adequately in their conservation. The Tropical Forest Forever Facility, launched at last year’s United Nations Climate Change Conference, could help close this financing gap.
Kebijakan & Keuangan
Funding for wildlife is using the wrong metric, and the species will pay the price
Karbon & Iklim
Marine protection must serve China’s communities too
Video
Kebijakan & Keuangan
Once oil seeker, now deep-sea researcher: Mapping the unknown with OceanXplorer
The vessel will scour Southeast Asia’s marine environment to gather data and support local conservationists.
Lingkungan
Can the music industry ever reach net zero?
Eksklusif
Jack Johnson says yes, but it is a long road ahead. In this exclusive interview, we ask the American singer-songwriter and UNEP Goodwill Ambassador about his hopes for the state of the world and how music plays a role in providing a dose of optimism in dark times.
Launched as policymakers lock horns with petrochemicals lobbyists over a treaty to end plastic pollution, the documentary produced by Eco-Business asks why opportunities to solve humanity's waste crisis are being wasted. It will premiere in Singapore and screen on the sidelines of the upcoming COP28 climate summit.
Do children ask the toughest questions? This World Oceans Day, we get renowned oceanographer Dr Sylvia Earle, founder of Mission Blue, to field questions from curious kids on the mysteries of the deep.
Podcasts
The Asia Pacific ESG head of the B Corp-certified cosmetics firm says refill stations have been disappointing and getting suppliers on board with decarbonisation is difficult, but her team has not been affected by the ESG backlash.
In the first of a podcast series featuring Southeast Asia's clean energy entrepreneurs, the CEO of Gurin Energy says that Asean countries will be left behind in artificial intelligence and robotics if the region does not connect its grid and deploy renewables at speed and scale.
The head of waste management non-profit Ocean Recovery Alliance tells the EB Podcast that recycled content mandates will drive the circular economy better than caps on virgin plastic production. Brands should be pressured more than petrochemical producers to phase out unnecessary plastics, he says.
Speaking from the INC-5.2 talks in Geneva, the Singapore Youth for Climate Action president argues that having no treaty is better than a watered-down pact with no limits on plastic production. But there is no explicit Asean-wide support for such caps now, she observes.
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