Sustainable Development Goals for the Oceans
The role of the marine industry in supporting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals was addressed at the 2016 World Ocean Council Sustainable Ocean Summit in Rotterdam, Netherlands (30 November-2 December).
International Maritime Organization (IMO)'s Theofanis Karayannis gave an insight into how the Organization supports ocean sustainability, including work to mitigate climate change through the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions form ships and IMO’s work to address biofouling and the transport of potentially invasive aquatic species.
In line with the Summit’s theme “Ocean 2030: Sustainable Development Goals and the Ocean Business Community”, Karayannis highlighted major IMO projects that feature strong cooperation and partnership with industry and promote sustainable development.
These include the GloMEEP project – a GEF-UNDP-IMO initiative that supports the uptake and implementation of energy efficiency measures for shipping, thereby reducing greenhouse gas emissions.