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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
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Policy & Finance
Southeast Asia’s blue economy programmes unaffected by reported UK climate aid cuts, say project leads
The United Kingdom’s flagship £500 million Blue Planet Fund, which supports marine environment programmes in developing countries like the Philippines, Indonesia and Vietnam, is in question, following news of a planned budget cut.
A new study finds Australia spends far more on subsidies that harm biodiversity than on conservation, underscoring the need to reform fiscal policy to meet its 2030 global nature targets.
The devolved government in West Sumatra province, which is home to 5.8 million people on Indonesia’s Sumatra Island, intends to present new zoning plans to the central government that could regulate currently illegal mines operated by small groups of people.
Policy & Finance
Singapore may slow carbon tax price increases if global climate action stalls further, warns PM
In his budget address, Singapore's prime minister Lawrence Wong said that global climate action had slowed, and noted that the country's emissions reduction efforts would not compromise its economic competitiveness. He also announced a new target to ramp up renewables deployment.
Policy & Finance
Indigenous rights should be at the heart of climate commitments
Opinion
Corporate Responsibility
Singapore’s response to AI risks will fail unless businesses and investors follow
AI promises productivity gains, but without corporate and investor commitment, Singapore risks deeper inequality, higher emissions, and growing social strain as jobs are lost.
Policy & Finance
Philanthropy must dive deeper to save the ocean
Philanthropy's impact depends less on the amounts raised and more on how effectively it connects people and organisations working to build a sustainable blue economy.
Policy & Finance
Global power struggles over the ocean’s finite resources
As climate change and great-power rivalry intensify, oceans are emerging as a geopolitical frontier – testing whether diplomacy can manage rising tensions over shipping routes, seabed minerals and fishing grounds.
Policy & Finance
The ocean has finally entered the global climate debate
The world has started to recognise that the climate’s fate depends on what happens to the ocean. At COP30, ocean-based solutions attracted significant attention and investment, but much more must be done to establish the governance structures required for safeguarding this critical planetary system.
Carbon & Climate
‘They invite us to speak, but not to decide’
Videos
The vessel will scour Southeast Asia’s marine environment to gather data and support local conservationists.
Exclusive
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
Corporate Responsibility
Refill fountains may not be effective at reducing waste: L’Occitane Asia sustainability chief Venisa Chu
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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