$10 billion pledged to protecting global marine environment
Date: 14-Jan-19
Author: Liam Taylor
Our oceans face numerous threats in the face of climate change and irresponsible fishing. Image: Peter Feghali/Unsplash
Late last year representatives of government, the private sector and civil society pledged billions of dollars to protect vast swaths of the world’s oceans at the fifth Our Oceans Conference.
The event, which took place on the Indonesian island of Bali, hosted participants from around the globe who generated almost 300 bilateral and multilateral agreements aimed at protecting the world’s ocean from climate change. Together, these pledges were valued at over US$10 billion and cover approximately 14 million square kilometres of ocean .
“These numbers are beyond our expectations,” Luhut Pandjaitan, Indonesia’s coordinating minister for maritime affairs, told participants in his closing address.
“We are thankful for your collective contributions and making our ocean healthier and more sustainable.”
The Our Oceans Conference was launched in 2014 with the central objective of increasing and enhancing collaboration and partnership between various ocean stakeholders in order to develop concrete and actionable commitments. To date, the conference has achieved commitments totalling in excess of US$28 billion that cover 26.4 million square kilometres of ocean.
Key themes of the two-day conference were the impacts of climate change as well as illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, which had a value of about $23 billion in 2016. Other topics covered included maritime piracy, human trafficking, drug smuggling and slavery.
Over a billion people worldwide depend on the ocean to supply their primary source of protein, with Earth’s maritime resources valued at about US$24 trillion. More than 90% of world trade by volume and 40% by value is distributed via the ocean.
Positive Action
- Marine plastic pollution is a huge issue for many marine and coastal mammals such as turtles, tortoises, dolphins and whales. Avoid single-use plastics where possible and find out how to recycle the unavoidable stuff at RecyclingNearYou.
- For those that want to help clean up, Clean Up Australia, Take 3 for the Sea and Seaside Scavenge are three incredible organisations working to reduce global plastic pollution through education and participation.
Subscribe to Positive Environment News
Positive Environment News has been compiled using publicly available information. Planet Ark does not take responsibility for the accuracy of the original information and encourages readers to check the references before using this information for their own purposes.

Liam is Planet Ark's Communications Coordinator. Prior to joining Planet Ark Liam spent his time studying global environmental issues, travelling Southeast Asia on the cheap and working for a sustainable property management company in Bali, Indonesia.
Related News:
- Everyday Enviro with Elise - 20 actions for an eco-friendly summer »
- Iconic bird of prey returns to Britain »
- The potato museum that could help us fight hunger in a changing climate »
- Bringing together traditional owners’ knowledge and modern tech »
- The outdoor clothing company making new clothes from old »
- South Korea’s capital leading the way on solar »
- The award-winning alternative to single-use plastic films »
- Trees can save costs and lives in record summer heat »
- Protecting and connecting: What can we learn from the indigenous worldview? »
- Everyday Enviro with Elise - Making meat-free must-have at Bodhi »
- Australian university saving big with innovative renewable energy project »
- Brisbane’s flourishing urban farms providing food for thought »
- Everyday Enviro with Elise - Sunscreen and the environment »
- The UK to end fracking for good following new study »
- The underwater heroes helping scientists understand sea snakes »
- Armidale residents taking wellbeing of local trees into their own hands »
- New York Harbor using one billion oysters to help fight climate change »
- A simple local solution for straws »
- The reusable Aussie tub that’s winning award after award »
- After over a century as Australia’s coal capital, Newcastle is going renewable »
- One man’s recipe to fight climate change: dung beetles and climate change »
- A safe haven for mammal on the brink »
- Everyday Enviro with Elise - In defence of social media »
- Dutch and Australian foundations join forces for a circular economy »
- Everyday Enviro with Elise - Coffee complacency »
- NSW launches new innovation network for circular economy »
- Scottish council harnessing energy from wastewater for heating »
- How about some takeaway without the throwaway? »
- English couple creates a recycling centre in their own driveway »
- In-flight meal trays designed to reduce airline waste »
- The little coffee cup scheme going from strength to strength »
- The little coffee cup scheme going from strength to strength »
- The Sudbury story: From black to green »
- West Australians fighting fatal flowers »
- Everyday Enviro with Elise - Home grown »
- Dutch city to create thousands of jobs through circular economy initiatives »
- Young and old, to the streets, across the globe »
- Barcelona ‘superblocks’ going car free to cut air pollution »
- Irish teenager awarded for protecting oceans from microplastics »
- Coastal beavers are helping bring back salmon populations »
- Everyday Enviro with Elise - Getting vocal about staying local »
- You create the trash, you take it away »
- Australian technology to help create world’s first plastic neutral nation »
- Federal funding for a greener recycling industry »
- Everyday Enviro with Elise - The overview effect »
- Hawaiian seamount showing signs of recovery following government intervention »
- Paris rooftop to host world’s largest urban farm »
- Making wood for good in the aftermath of Cyclone Debbie »
- Major hotel group taking aim at plastic waste as industry takes responsibility »
- South Australian volunteers make tracks with outback recycling »
- Australia on track for an electric revolution on the road »
- Everyday Enviro with Elise - Testing the bamboo bandwagon »
- Native mammal populations are bouncing back in Australia’s Red Centre »
- The island of the gods tackles plastic pollution »
- Canada expands its biggest private land conservation project »
- Dispatch from Tree Day - Friends of Lake Claremont »
- Everyday Enviro with Elise - Putting the microscope on plant milks »
- The UK is getting its first climate change teachers »
- The tyre recycling plant putting Warren on the map »
- The café bringing bartering back to reduce food waste »
- Everyday Enviro with Elise - Planting trees for National Tree Day and beyond »
- Pink Floyd guitarist's big donation to help fight climate change »
- Ecosystem restoration led by a paper company is improving Sumatra’s biodiversity »
- Looking for ways to fight climate change? Plant trees »
- The Indian engineer reviving lakes in the state of Uttar Pradesh »
- A new world record for largest underwater cleanup »
- The family turning bottle caps into prosthetic limbs for children in need »
- Cereal company expands its beer brewing initiative to help fight food waste »
- Everyday Enviro with Elise - Low-waste travel and avoiding hotel consumables »
- How one couple created a rainforest sanctuary from desolation »
- UK leading the developed world in emissions legislation »
- International environmental agency committed to conservation in Australia »
- Public transport that provides more than one public good »
- Everyday Enviro with Elise - Single use is still an issue »
- Mr Titmarsh and the Magna Carta mangrove »
- A 'dose' of nature to cure your ailments »
- Some wart ointment with your plastic bag? »
- The disaster zone turned wildlife haven »
- "Blue belt" expansion establishes UK as global leader in marine conservation »
- Philippine students graduating with a green thumb »
- The volunteers working to protect a very iconic Australian animal »
- Queensland's container deposit scheme exceeding expectations »
- New campaign to green the globe with millions of trees »
- The European capital undertaking a rapid waste transformation »
- Everyday Enviro with Elise - Bursting the bubble on balloons »
- Global coffee giant introduces pens made from recycled coffee capsules »
- Canberra to become first Australian jurisdiction powered by 100% renewable energy »
- The Bilby returns to NSW National Parks »
- Global plastic waste pact garners international support »
- Britain's coal-free week the first since 1882 »
- Australian volunteers enlisted for war on microplastic pollution »
- The revegetation plan to bring back the glossy black cockatoo »
- The world's highest emu bob clean-up »
- Extinction Rebellion protests lead to big win in climate fight »
- The recycling workshop up-skilling new workers »
- Workers at tech giant demand climate action »
- The revival pack for tired bees »
- Everyday Enviro with Elise - Underarm adventures »
- Transparent wood, an eco-friendly alternative to glass? »
- Everyday Enviro with Elise - A daily eco-nudge with Today We Will »
- San Francisco continues to challenge plastic pollution »
- West Papua becomes Indonesia's first conservation province »
- Carbon farming may hold key to bush regeneration »
- Students around the world hold first global School Strike 4 Climate »
- Technology leading the fight against invasive rubber vine »
- Western Australia commits to new waste strategy, better recycling targets »
- The trashy hashtag inspiring people to clean up »
- California reaches 2020 renewable energy goal ahead of schedule »
- The world is greener than it was 20 years ago »
- Australian councils investing in Seabins to clean our waters »
- Norway setting the standard for plastic bottle recycling »
- The four-legged friends finding leaks and saving water »
- British carnivore numbers on the rise after approaching extinction »
- Consumers choose Planet Ark as Australia's most ethical and sustainable organisation »
- Global energy giant to produce household battery systems in Australia »
- Mardi Gras to shine glitter free in 2019 »
- Hawaiian coral reefs showing positive signs following mass bleaching »
- Worried about our buzzing friends? Buy and urge organic »
- Landmark ruling holds promise for addressing climate change »
- Aussie posties to go green with electric trikes »
- Everyday Enviro with Elise - Plugged in with my favourite sustainability podcasts »
- First power to flow from world's biggest offshore wind farm »
- New Zealand supermarkets go nude and ditch plastic »
- Drinking your fill with the U.K. Refill campaign »
- Sydney wins bid to host global climate conference for women »
- Everyday Enviro with Elise - Back to school the right way »
- Positive steps in climate change action in 2018 »
- The new buzz around solar farms »
- New tree cover bringing back the rain in Cambodia »
- The tiny archipelago blazing a trail towards sustainability »
- Maasai Olympics provides alternative to lion hunting »
- Scientists crack the cane toad genome »
- Everyday Enviro with Elise - New Year's eco-resolutions »
- Deforestation in Indonesia on the decline »
- New renewable energy now as cheap as existing coal stations »
- World's largest shipping company commits to phasing out fossil fuels »
- The island of the gods takes action on plastic waste »
- Everyday Enviro with Elise - How to do disposables »
- Education, Indonesia-Australia relationship key to addressing NT plastic pollution »
- DNA of famous Galapagos tortoise could yield insights into ageing »
- Spain bids farewell to coal »
- Ikea bans single-use plastics from all stores and restaurants »
- Sharks returning to flourishing Maya Bay following tourist ban »
- The 'people's seat', headed by Attenborough, speaks up on climate change »
- Tiny bird's big breeding effort saves it from extinction in South Australia »
- Plastic waste for transport? »
- Australian students take to the streets in the name of their future »
- Everyday Enviro with Elise - Shifting to regifting »
- Bag ban yielding results within first three months »
- Pakistan hits billion trees goal ahead of schedule »
- From predators to protectors - the Indian village that turned to conservation »
- International community approaching nature refuge goals »
- The new zero-emissions fuel made from mankind's most common byproduct »
- 'Single-use' named 2018 word of the year »
- Everyday Enviro with Elise - the courage to act »
- Queenscliff's Lauren Esplin makes a point about disposable plastics »
- Chris Fong's tennis clocks »
- Ballarat's Food is Free Laneway »
- Burleigh Heads Boomerang Bags »
- Brisbane's recycled fashion shows »
- Everyday Enviro with Elise - The habit of walking »
- European parliament approves action on single-use plastics »
- Everyday Enviro with Elise - If in doubt, leave it out »
- Researchers encouraged by cleanliness of Ningaloo Reef »
- Naturale pledges to end recycling labelling confusion »
- Agreement reached to safeguard Arctic ecosystems »
- Serranía de Chiribiquete becomes the world's largest tropical rainforest national park »
- Recycle Street is easy street for City of Gold Coast recyclers »
- A world first interactive museum for sustainable fashion »
- 'Best before' labels reach their use by date »
- Everyday Enviro with Elise - a sticky environmental situation »
- New German trains to challenge diesel locomotives »
- The funniest wildlife photos of 2018 »
- Everyday Enviro with Elise - Preloved clothing as your first fashion option »
- California commits to 100% clean energy by 2045 »
- The teenager tackling water contamination in remote Western Australia »
- Mountain gorilla numbers on the rise in Virunga »
- Everyday Enviro with Elise - Bringing in the green »
- A new standard in sustainable event management »
- Ethiopian community showing potential of revegetation »
- The music group turning trash into art »
- Bin the (tea) bag »
- Ireland divests from fossil fuels in world first »
- NSW gets its own revolutionary road »
- Our Schools Tree Day and National Tree Day »
- Everyday Enviro with Elise - Ditching the glossy mags »
- Sydney breathing wall a world first »
- Paperbark review: a sleepy wombat and a powerful story »
- Everyday Enviro with Elise - New life for old things »
- Packaging industry moves towards better plastic recycling outcomes »
- Mexico City is turning its beltways into vertical gardens »
- A sustainable future for fashion »
- Trading trash for a hot cuppa »
- Everyday Enviro with Elise - Small changes with big impact »
- Secret Mozambique rainforest piques scientific interest »
- 'World's most polluted river' finally getting cleaned up »
- Disused and dirty swamp transformed into vibrant wetlands in the heart of suburbia »
- Threatened koalas receive NSW rescue package »
- Super coral to resist ocean warming »
- Beach cleanup leads to turtle comeback »
- True colours - how simple bin changes cut waste at ANZ Stadium »
- The bush stone-curlews are back in town »
- Dutch scientists developing smart app to measure water pollution »
- Victorian Government pitches in for councils facing recycling shutdowns »
- Italian sheepdogs become little penguin protectors »
- Paper or plastic? »
- Indigenous women helping to conserve glowing turtles »
- New South Wales Return and Earn Container Deposit Scheme hits 64 million returns »
- Vanuatu bans plastic bags and polystyrene containers »
- A year in review - Australian natives made some great comebacks in 2017 »
- A global commitment to clean oceans »
- Vast new ocean reserve created off coast of Mexico »
- Reconnaissance to protect the Great Barrier Reef »
- Koalas found in national park after decades of absence »
- Planet Ark announced as Donation Partner for NSW Container Deposit Scheme »
- Beyond plastic pollution: solutions for a small planet »
- The calming effect of contact with nature »
- Victoria announces plastic bag ban »
- World's largest trees given new hope for preservation »
- Southern states are bankrolling businesses in the War on Waste »
- Nearly 400 new species discovered in the Amazon »
- HIH GreenSmart Awards celebrate Australia's most sustainable homes »
- Brush-tailed phascogale makes a surprise appearance on revegetated islands »
- Decades of community action brings a disappearing frogmouth back from the brink »
- Hobart City Council going further to phase out plastic »
- India's renewable energy target to create 300,000 jobs »
- Back from the brink: recent 'baby boom' offers new hope for endangered southern right whale »
- Picky plants: Growing green in difficult environments »
- How indoor plants can give city-slickers a literal breath of fresh air »
- Island sanctuary brings hope to dwindling quokka population »
- Australia is one step closer to being plastic bag free »
- 1.5 million people, 12 hours, 66 million trees: India's commitment to The Paris Agreement »
- The little Brown Antechinus makes a comeback at Sydney's North Head »
- Wood's all good for Tassie after state government announces wood encouragement policy »
- How you can make the most of Planet Ark's new research into outdoor learning »
- Capturing Carbon to Tackle Climate Change »
- Futureproofing the Lockyer Valley with 20'000 trees »
- Dugong Numbers on the Rise Again in the Great Barrier Reef »
- Answering the Call to Connect With Nature »
- Planet Ark pays tribute to former Head of Campaigns, Brad Gray »
- Shell Recycling - Big Gains From Small Things »
- Scientist Discover Massive New Forests »
- Wriggly Solution To Plastic Pollution: The Caterpillar That Eats Plastic »
- 'Creature Compost' - Zoo Reduces Landfill and Generates Income »
- The Project's Bid to Ban the Bag »
- Travel Companies Put Kindness Before Profit in Animal Tourism »
- Thousands of Birds Descend Upon Inland Lakes »
- Trees Help Beat Urban Heat »
- Chile's National Parks Expand by 10 Million Acres »
- Indigenous Communities Embrace Renewable Energy »
- Old Televisions Converted to Bee Hotels »
- What if Rivers Could Sue? »
- Access to Nature Should be a Human Right - Report »
- Rock-Wallabies Fighting Back »
- Scientists Use Tasmanian Devil's Immune System to Beat Cancer »
- New Coral Reef Rewrites Textbooks »
- Disposing of Disposable Plastic in Delhi »
- Approval to Shred Massive Tyre Stockpile in Tasmania »
- Manchester's Tree Change: From an Industrial to a Green Revolution »
- Queensland Councils Join the Wood Encouragement Movement »
- Sticky Fruit Labels Get The Laser Treatment »
- Canada Announces First National Carbon Price »
- Australian Solar Technology Used to Help China Reach Clean Energy Target »
- Launch of Positive Environment News »