Our Ocean: Our Future
Ensuring a sustainable future for our ocean is one of the great missions of the next decade. Put simply, without a healthy ocean we will not have a healthy future. Our Ocean: Our Future looks at the importance of research, innovation and collaboration to sustainably manage our ocean for future generations.
Ireland's Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney, reminds us of the richness of our marine resources and the fundamental role oceans play in sustaining life on our planet.
In the final episode of the Oceans of Learning podcast series, presenter Finn van der Aar finds out how the next generation can seek to influence and engage with politicians and government and why research and innovation is so important for the marine environment.
Simon Coveney, Minister for Foreign Affairs, speaks with Finn about his summer days beside the sea in Cork and why his passion for the ocean has helped inform his political decision-making throughout his career. John Bell, Director Healthy Planet, DG Research & Innovation at European Commission explains in more detail about Europe’s Green Deal, how it relates to the oceans and how Ireland can and should be an ocean superpower.
Aodhán Fitzgerald, Research Vessel Manager with the Marine Institute tells Finn about next year’s exciting launch of the new marine research vessel, the RV Tom Crean. Finn also speaks to Eimear Manning from ECO-UNESCO, and Gary Kett, a marine scientist, who are both also involved with the All-Atlantic Ocean Youth Ambassador Programme.
The Marine Institute’s Voyages series includes short vignettes profiling the people whose work is intertwined with our national research vessels the RV Celtic Explorer and RV Celtic Voyager. Ireland’s two research vessels are among the most intensively used research vessels in the world. They are a key research infrastructure offering vital access to our seas to undertake fisheries and oceanographic research, seabed mapping, climate and ecosystem studies. Voyages shares insights into the people behind the science of our seas - Aodhán Fitzgerald, Research Vessel Operations Manager, Fisheries Scientist Ciaran O’Donnell and Ocean Climate Scientist Dr Caroline Cusack, of the Marine Institute – all modern explorers on a voyage of discovery to safeguard the ocean and our future.
The Marine Institute also presents the spectacular short film Dive Deep with the ROV Holland 1. The Marine Institute’s Remotely Operated Vehicle the ROV Holland 1, has enabled scientists to make many exciting discoveries in our ocean. Take a dive and explore our deep sea like a marine scientist and discover cold-water corals, shipwrecks and a rare shark nursery in Irish waters.
The Commissioners of Irish Lights also offers the Lighthouse Storybook. From the distant past to the present day, lighthouses play a vital role in ensuring safety at sea and have always captured the imagination. The Lighthouse Storybook is a collection of creative stories from children across Ireland.
To find out more, dive deep into our Oceans of Learning resources below:
