Voices for a Healthy Ocean

Voices for a Healthy Ocean

Over 130 Sportspeople and Ocean Communities Have Committed To Using Their Platform For A Healthy Ocean. 

Our founders Peter Burling and Blair Tuke presented the ‘Voices for a Healthy Ocean’ declaration to Peter Thomson, the UN Special Envoy for the Ocean, at the United Nations Ocean Conference in Lisbon in 2022. 

The ocean nurtures unimaginable biodiversity and produces food, jobs, mineral and energy resources needed for life on our planet to survive and thrive. It is also our greatest ally in the fight against climate change.

As sportspeople and ocean communities we are stepping up to use our platforms for good – championing action for the ocean and sharing knowledge with our communities on the role that a healthy ocean plays in our future. Our future has never been more uncertain, and our voices have never been more needed.

90% of the extra heat we have produced has been absorbed by the ocean. It’s a gigantic carbon sink. But it’s heating up, becoming more acidic and is at a tipping point. The connection between the ocean and climate is clear. To have a healthy planet, we must have a healthy ocean.

From source to sea, all water – rivers, lakes, ocean, and coastal seas plays a key role in combatting the impact of climate change while nurturing countless species and habitats. They are all connected, and their continued health and resilience are interlinked.

Acting at scale, we can secure a healthy and productive ocean that contributes to a resilient, nature-positive future. Utilising the power of our voice, individually and collectively, we commit to start conversations, raise awareness, and share stories to:

  • Recognise the key role that science and the ocean-based solutions it informs, play in addressing climate change.
  • Share an integrated vision for all water – from source to sea, all water, rivers, lakes, coastal seas, and the ocean are connected, and climate solutions interlinked. We support healthy and productive water that sustains life both above and below the surface.
  • Recognise the importance of knowledge held by indigenous peoples and coastal communities to ensure our shared needs and interests are addressed for the potential and survival of the ocean.
  • Raise awareness on the need for greater ecosystems protection and importance of ecosystems restoration.
  • Support and share knowledge and solutions that work to meet targets set out within SDG14 – life below water and SDG6 – clean water and sanitation by 2030.
 

Signed:

Alexandra Rickham – Sailor  | Ana Ivanovic – Tennis Player  |  Andrew Campbell – Sailor  |  Andy Maloney – Sailor  |  Anna Tuke –  NZ SailGP Team Operations  |  Anne Van Der Wereld – NZ SailGP Team Operations  |  Annika Andresen – Scuba Diver  |  Anthony Mosse – Swimmer  |  Australian SailGP Team  |  Ayden Menzies – Australian SailGP Team Ops  |  Barbara Kendall – Windsurfer & VP International Surfing Association  |  Bianca Cook – Sailor  |  Blair Tuke – Sailor & Live Ocean Founder  |  Brianna Orams – Stand Up Paddle Boarder  |  Bronwen Golder – Ocean Advocate  |  Bruce Pilbrow – Spirit Of Adventure Trust  |  Cameron Rowlands  |  Canada SailGP Team  |  Caroline Meyer – Rower  |  Chris Collins – RNZYS Historian  |  Chris Hill – Switzerland SailGP Team Ops  |  CJ Perez – Sailor  |  Cooper Dressler – Sailor  |  Cyrill Gutsch – Parley For The Oceans  |  Dean Stanley –  Te Whare Mātauranga O Waka Tuaone – Yachting New Zealand |  Dee Caffari – Sailor  |  Derek Neilsen – Photographer  |  Ed Crook – Russell McVeagh  |  Edward Powys – Sailor  |  Ella Yelich – Musician  |  Eliot Merceron – Sailor  |  Elizabeth Beisel – Swimmer  |  Erica Dawson – Sailor  |  Finnian Henry – NZ SailGP Team Operations  |  Floris Van Hees – Sailors For Sustainability  |  Genevieve Macky – Rower  |  Gustav Legnavsky – Freeskier |  Hannah Mills – Sailor  |  Hannah Prior – Ocean Advocate  |  Hans Henken – Sailor  |  Harry Burkhardt – Ngati Kuri  |  Heather Burling  |  Helen Clark – Former Prime Minister Of New Zealand & Former UNDP Administrator  |  Holger Lehning – Switzerland SailGP Team Ops  |  Hoturoa Barclay-Kerr – Te Toki Voyaging Trust  |  Hugo Tagholm – Surfers Against Sewage  |  Ivar Smits – Sailors For Sustainability  |  Jacopo Plazzi – Coach Switzerland SailGP Team  |  James Blake – Cinematographer  |  James Gibson – BLAKE  |  Jason Saunders – Sailor  | Jason Waterhouse – Sailor  |  Jennifer Hall – Canada SailGP Team Operations  |  Jérémy Bachelin – Sailor  |  Jimmy Spithill – Sailor  |  Jo Aleh – Sailor  |  John Aitchison – Otter Films Ltd  |  John John Florence – Surfer  |  Josh Junior –  Sailor  |  Julien Rolaz – Sailor  |  Juliette Drysdale – Rower  |  Justin Kolbeck – Wildtype  |  Kane Williamson – Cricketer  |  Karl Budge – NZ SailGP Team Operations  |  Karl Urban – Actor  |  Kathleen Swalling – Ocean Lawyer  |  Kevin Shoebridge – Emirates Team New Zealand  |  Kinley Fowler – Sailor  |  Kyle Langford – Sailor  |  Lara Dallman-Weiss – Sailor  |  Laurane Mettraux – Switzerland SailGP Team Ops  |  Live Ocean Racing Team  |  Liv Mackay – Sailor  |  Lucy Copeland – Sailor  |  Luke Muller – Sailor  |  Mahe Drysdale – Rower  |  Marcus Daniell – Tennis Player  |  Marcus Hansen – Sailor  |  Mark Orams – Auckland University Of Technology Professor  |  Martine Grael – Sailor  |  Melissa Wilson – Athletes Of The World  |  Michael Venus – Tennis Player  |  Mitchell Lowe – Twitch Streamer  |   Molly Meech – Sailor  |  Natalie Fortier – NZ SailGP Team Operations  |  Natasha Bryant – Sailor  |  New Zealand Geographic  |  New Zealand Sailgp Team  |  Nic Cavanagh – Snow Sports New Zealand  |  Nic Schulz – Ocean Wise  |  Nina Curtis – Sailor  |  Lady Pippa Blake – BLAKE & Visual Artist  |  Peter Burling – Sailor & Live Ocean Founder  |  Rebecca Scown – Rower  |  Ricardo Christie – Surfer  |  Richard Cleave – Coppercoat Pacific Limited  |  Richard Brisius – The Ocean Race  |  Richard Mason – Sailor  |  Romain Troublé – Tara Ocean Foundation  |  SailGP League  |  Sally Paterson – Live Ocean Foundation  |  Sam Bullock – Predictwind  |  Sam Cane – Rugby Player  |  Samuel Newton – Sailor  |  Sarah Alexander – Switzerland SailGP Team Ops  |  Sarah Beable – Medical Professional  |  Sarah-Jane Blake – Artist  |  Scott Randell NZ SailGP Team Operations  |  Sébastien Schneiter – Sailor  |  Shaun Kirkham – Rower  | Spain SailGP Team  |  Stuart Bithell – Sailor Switzerland SailGP Team  |  Tanguy Cariou – CEO Switzerland SailGP Team  |  Tiana Epati – Barrister  |  Terry Hutchinson – Sailor  |  Theresa Zabell – Ecomar Foundation  |  Tom Ashley – Canoe Racing New Zealand  |  Tom Mackintosh – Rower  |  Tomas Moya – Photographer Switzerland Sailgp Team  |  Tom Slingsby – Sailor  |  Tyler Bjorn – Sailor  | USA SailGP Team  |  Wes Sechrest – Re:Wild  |  William Trubridge – Freediver  |  World Sailing  |  Yachting New Zealand  |  Yago Lange – Sailor  |  Zeki Ayan – OMEGA

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