On the eve of the COP26 summit, marine charity Whale and Dolphin Conservation is encouraging businesses who want to take effective environmental action to join a new Climate Giant Project and help unlock the potential of the world’s largest nature-based solution to the climate crisis - the ocean.
Image Credit: Whale and Dolphin Conservation
The battle against climate change can feel hopeless sometimes with many companies left wondering how they can help. Planting trees can only go so far, while the world’s greatest carbon sink, the ocean, is largely overlooked and under-supported. The Climate Giant Project aims to change this, by creating a model where businesses can make a positive and impactful contribution to combatting the crisis we all face. We cannot fight climate breakdown without protecting the ocean and we cannot protect the ocean without saving whales.
Whale and Dolphin Conservation is leading a global alliance of scientists and organisations aiming to protect whales as part of a nature-based solution to the climate crisis. Whales are fighting climate change in a big way. By the way they live, die and poo, they help the ocean remove as much carbon from the atmosphere as all the rainforests on land. It has been estimated one whale has the capacity to absorb as much carbon as 30,000 trees. Their nutrient rich poo also supports the marine ecosystem, helping the ocean to generate every other breath we take. A healthy planet needs a healthy ocean and a healthy ocean needs more whales.
The ocean covers 70% of the world’s surface. Its vital ecosystems support our economies and societies worldwide and their collapse would bring untold chaos. Yet the ocean receives little by way of climate finance. According to the UBS report ‘Sea Beyond the Blue’, ocean conservation has received less than 1% of philanthropic funding since 2009 and remains the least funded of the SDG’s. WDC’s Climate Giant Project aims to change this. It is the ocean’s alternative to planting trees.
There is an opportunity for businesses to step up to the plate, as one of the least-represented sectors in this agenda, but with the greatest capacity to provide financing, especially after the Covid pandemic when government debt around the world is higher.
By joining the Climate Giant Project businesses will help to revolutionise ocean research and protection and be part of something incredibly exciting and innovative. Animal Friends Pet Insurance, global water filter brand, BRITA and service design company, LiveWwork have already done so and now directly support research and conservation projects that help to protect and save more whales.
The Climate Giant Project allows organisations to meet their CSR, ESG and UN Sustainable Development Goals, while giving them a whale-sized story to take to their stakeholders, staff, shareholders and customers and a chance to become part of something huge.
“We need to protect and restore the ocean as if our lives depend on it, because they do’, says Chris Butler-Stroud, Whale and Dolphin Conservation’s chief executive. "With the support of corporate partners through the Climate Giant Project we can scale up climate finance to support ocean-based solutions to the climate crisis and in doing so, protect every whale for their sake and ours. We urgently need forward-thinking businesses to join us and help make a real difference".
Westley Pearson, CEO, Animal Friends Insurance says: "After learning that a single whale captures the equivalent of 30,000 trees in terms of carbon, when WDC approached us about their Climate Giant Project we had to be involved. There is so much we still need to understand about the vital role wildlife and their eco-systems play in preserving our fragile climate but with the support and insights of organisations like WDC - and if we all take the time to listen - there is still hope that we can change before it's too late. The potential of this project is powerful. Simply by saving our whales we can better protect everyone's future. This is not only the right thing to do, it is the intelligent thing to do and we are proud to be part of this new and monumental step in safeguarding our world."
Rebecca Widdowson, marketing director of BRITA UK, said: “BRITA UK is proud to be working with our long-time partner WDC on this important campaign, which makes clear the responsibility we all have to ensure the ocean can continue to fulfil its vital role in the fight against climate change. BRITA has long believed that everyone has the power and responsibility to manage our environmental impact. That’s why, as a business, we’ve been committed not just to reducing single-use plastic pollution but to broadening our efforts to champion sustainability and respond to the climate crisis. We hope other businesses will join the campaign to protect the ocean for the long-term sustainability of our planet.”
Erik Roscam Abbing, director of innovation for Livework adds: “Livework has a strong ambition to engage people with solutions for the climate crisis. We do that through the design of sustainable services and experiences. It was a few years ago when we discovered the amazing role of whales in keeping our planet healthy. We foresaw a service that enables people to become a part of this amazing natural phenomenon by helping WDC support these magnificent creatures. We decided to invest in helping WDC develop this service, reach broader audiences and tap into the desire of businesses around the world to make a positive change. Working with WDC and the Climate Giant consortium is a true joy and an amazing learning experience. We’re very proud that our collaborative effort is bearing fruit today, and that we’re a founding partner of the Climate Giant Project.”