December 14, 2009, at the European Environment Agency

The Global Forum on Oceans, Coasts, and Islands, the Government of Indonesia, and the European Environment Agency are organizing Oceans Day, to be held during UNFCCC COP-15 on December 14, 2009 at the European Environment Agency in Copenhagen, Denmark. Oceans Day provides an opportunity for Parties and Observer States, intergovernmental organizations, non-government organizations, and members of civil society to address the implications of the COP-15 outcomes for oceans, coasts, and coastal communities around the globe. Oceans Day will highlight the direct link between climate change, the health of the oceans, and human well-being, as well as the need for sufficient funding to support mitigation and adaptation measures that will minimize climate change impacts on coastal communities and ocean resources.

Following the 29 September 2009 tsunami that caused severe damage and loss of lives in Samoa, Tonga, and American Samoa, a post-tsunami field survey to assess the extent, effect, and damages in Samoa was conducted by the UNESCO-IOC International Tsunami Survey Team Samoa (ITST Samoa) from 14–21 October 2009. 

Healthy Oceans New Key to Combating Climate Change

Seagrasses to Salt Marshes Among Most Cost Effective Carbon Capture and Storage Systems on Planet.

But Urgent Action Needed to Maintain and Restore ‘Blue Carbon’ Reservoirs Warns Three UN Agencies

Cape Town, Nairobi, Rome, Paris, 14 October 2009—A ‘Blue Carbon’ fund able to invest in the maintenance and rehabilitation of key marine ecosystems should be considered by governments keen to combat climate change.