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By Leah Kinthaert
Paul Holthus, Founding President and CEO, World Ocean Council @OceanCouncil
“A diverse and growing mix of industries use the ocean and its resources (shipping, fishing, aquaculture, offshore oil and gas, renewable energy, cruise tourism, mining, etc.) as well as a wide range of supporting industries, such as shipbuilding, marine technology, and the supporting ‘infrastructure’ of finance, insurance and legal. All of these economic activities take place a single, shared, dynamic, three-dimensional global ecosystem – the ocean.”
“Ocean health is degrading as it absorbs the impacts of more and more use, as well as inputs from land-based sources of pollution and the effects of climate change. A growing number of companies in the global ocean business community are working to ensure that they are part of the solution these challenges. But the interconnected nature of the ocean means that no one company – or even one entire sector – can solve global ocean challenges. Ensuring ocean health and productivity requires ocean business leadership, collaboration, and action – across the sectors, around the world and over the long term.”
“The World Ocean Council was created in 2009 to provide the multi-sectoral, global, ongoing platform for bringing together the international ocean business community to work on shared challenges and opportunities of the Sustainable Blue Economy. Through the WOC, the diverse ocean business and investment community are able to tackle ocean governance, pollution, biodiversity impacts, science needs, climate change issues, and other needs for ensuring both a healthy ocean and a healthy ocean economy.”