Yesterday, The Asian Development Bank (ADB) called for scaling up the finance flows and funding into ocean health improvement in Asia and the Pacific to combat the growing threats from unchecked pollution into rivers, lakes, and the sea.
The letter acknowledges the environmental and economic benefits of healthy oceans for the Southeast Asian economy in addition to sustainable livelihoods of the region’s large, and threatened coastal population.
ADB Vice-President for East Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Pacific, Ahmed M. Saeed, stated in the publication that “ocean health is important not just for direct economic growth for the many industries that utilize the region’s water bodies, but because our oceans absorb almost a third of global greenhouse gas emissions and are therefore critical in combating the planet’s climate change crisis.”