Ocean
Co-Labs
The Ocean Co-Lab is a $50m collaborative philanthropy fund supporting 20 ocean-based projects that are addressing the root causes of climate change, helping protect coastal ecosystems, and empowering local communities to protect their ancestral coasts.
Harnessing the power of our ocean is one the greatest opportunities we have to combat climate change and preserve and protect life on Earth. As the world’s largest carbon sink, the ocean has the ability to deliver up to 35% of the emission reductions scientists agree we need to keep the planet below 1.5 degrees warming. And yet, this incredible resource is threatened by the very problem it could help solve.
Climate change poses a profound risk to marine life and ecosystems, such as coral reefs, mangroves, salt marshes, and estuaries, as well as the billions of people who depend on the ocean for income, food, and protection.
Ocean-based solutions—such as replacing fossil fuels with offshore wind energy, protecting mangroves and other ecosystems that absorb carbon, or helping coastal communities better adapt to a warming planet—are critically important in the fight against climate change.
The Ocean Co-Lab supports 20 ocean-based projects that are addressing the root causes of climate change, helping protect coastal ecosystems, and empowering local communities to protect their ancestral coasts.
25%
The ocean is responsible for absorbing 25% of atmospheric CO2 and 93% of heat caused by human activity.
608M
More than 608 million people live in vulnerable coastal communities reliant on the ocean and its resources.
7%
Funding for the ocean comprises just 7% of climate giving, and less than 1% of this is currently directed toward solutions that help combat climate change.
Climate Change Mitigation
These grantees are scaling offshore wind power, decarbonizing shipping, and fighting offshore oil and gas production–activities that can help greatly reduce climate change.
Carbon Sequestration
These grantees are funding research into promising carbon sequestration solutions, such as increasing the ocean’s capacity to store carbon through ocean alkalinity enhancement. This research is helping accelerate how much carbon the ocean can safely absorb from the atmosphere.
Blue Carbon
These grantees are conserving “blue carbon” ecosystems–such as mangroves, seagrasses, and salt marshes–which provide habitats for marine life, carbon storage through sequestration, and tropical storm protection for coastal communities.
Adaptation & Resilience
These grantees are helping local communities access the tools, resources, and agency they need to better manage their natural resources in the face of climate change. Example strategies include supporting small-scale fisheries and restoring coral reefs.
