For 2021 we are adding a new positive impact campaign to our list of environmental efforts: 30×30.
We will be working with water sports heavyweights and ocean lovers worldwide to protect 30 percent of our shared oceans by 2030.
What Is 30×30?
30×30 is the international target of fully protecting at least 30 percent of the global ocean by 2030, and strengthening conservation of the remaining 70 percent.
As a member of the We Are One Ocean coalition we are working alongside the likes of the World Surf League, PADI, International Kitesurfing Organisation and many others to get this target adopted at the 2021 United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity.
Why Is 30×30 So Important?
The ocean has absorbed over 90% of the excess heat and one-quarter of the CO2 humans have generated. It is helping to shield the planet from the worst of climate change. But this comes at a cost we are only beginning to understand.
The ocean is now warmer than at any time since measurements began. It is more acidic than at any time in the last 14 million years. It is also providing us with less of the vital oxygen we need to survive. These changes are already affecting life in the ocean, from the tiniest plankton to important fisheries, to the largest whales.
The most important thing we can do for the ocean, besides cutting CO2 emissions, is to significantly reduce other major stressors. This includes overfishing, offshore oil development, seabed mining and habitat destruction. Creating Marine Protected areas across our global, shared ocean is the key to reducing these stresses.
Just as a healthy person is better able to withstand injury than a sick one, a healthy, resilient ocean will be better able to cope with climate-related changes than one facing a slew of other pressures from human industrial activity.
Making 30×30 Happen
There are two core paths that we can all follow to help get 30×30 adopted at the 2021 CBD.
1. Collecting Petition Signatures
We Are One Ocean have set up this petition urging governments to advocate for 30×30. So lets get signing and sharing!
By signing the petition you are adding your name to the following letter alongside millions of other ocean advocates across the world.
To: National Governments worldwide
From: [Your Name]
As surfers, swimmers, sailors, divers, and ocean lovers, the sea is more than just our favorite place to play. The ocean is our office, our playground, and our place of worship. The ocean, its waves and beaches, its reefs and wrecks, puts smiles on our faces and meals on our tables. It provides jobs, controls our climate, and produces the oxygen in every other breath we take.
Truly, our greatest resource and connector is our one shared ocean. We urge you to do everything in your power to secure adoption of an international target that fully protects at least 30 percent of the global ocean by 2030, and strengthens conservation of the remaining 70 percent.
This protection is imperative in the face of threats from all around the globe, and it is an incredible opportunity to boost and support the very solutions we need for a healthier ocean and planet, for us and future generations.
Please support the adoption of the target to fully and highly protect 30 percent of our shared, global ocean by 2030.
Thank you, for protecting the big blue beating heart of our planet by supporting 30×30.
2. Contacting Influential Individuals
Having signed the petition you can go one step further by contacting your UN ambassador or (if you’re a US Citizen) your governor.
For more information on whether your country’s government are fighting for 30×30 or trying to block it, email lizzy@star-board.com.
Our Plan
At Starboard we have a 3 part plan for making 30×30 happen. We want to share it with you so that you can use it, copy it and adapt it to suit yourself or your organisation.
Activate Our Network
We want to educate everyone we work with about 30×30. Ocean Ambassadors, partners for the ocean, suppliers, distributors, team riders and of course our entire community of paddle boarders, windsurfers and Tiki fans.
Spread The Word
We will try to reach people who are outside our direct network by promoting 30×30 online and at the SUP and Windsurf events we support.
Influence Change Makers
Finally, we are striving to directly contact change-makers in many of the countries we distribute our equipment to, to show them the importance of the 30×30 target. Drop us an email if you would like more information on exactly who we are contacting – lizzy@star-board.com
