Have you heard about the United Nations' Decade of Ocean Science? In 2018, the United Nations' declared 2021-2030 the Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development. What does this long fancy title mean? It means the United Nations are concerned about how what we know (or what we don't know) is impacting if the world can achieve the global 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. That's still a fairly complicated way of saying "there's a lot we don't know about the oceans, and not knowing is going to make developing sustainably a challenge or potentially impossible."
So what does this Decade mean for those of us based far away from the United Nations, you ask? The Decade means the United Nations are helping facilitate connections about ocean science around the world. These networks will enable everyone to help share their knowledge about ocean science and sustainable development. Projects and events from around the world for the next 9 years can register with the United Nations to be featured so that more people can engage with them!
That still does not explain how Bill ended up in Parliament though!
As a member of the United Nations, Aotearoa New Zealand has a local branch of the Decade for Ocean Science that is administered by the New Zealand National Commission for the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO). As a research project focusing on tsunami resilience, we were invited to help kick off Aotearoa's Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development. The reception was held last night at Parliament, and Bill gave a speech explaining the science we are undertaking and how we are engaging with communities! Way to go, Bill!
Check out R-CET and other projects that are contributing to Aotearoa's Decade of Ocean Science here: https://tetiniatangaroa.org.nz/
We'd like to thank Dr Daniel Hikuroa, UNESCO-NZ's cultural commissioner, for capturing Bill in action.
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