The Professional Association of Dive Instructors (PADI) has announced it has been invited to join the founders of coral reef restoration project OceanShot for a panel at the Global Citizen Forum, set to take place alongside COP28 in the United Arab Emirates this coming December.
PADI CEO and President, Drew Richardson, will join OceanShot co-founders, marine scientist Dr Deborah Brosnan and environmental entrepreneur John Paul DeJoria in the Global Citizen Forum’s first-ever underwater panel ‘in the hopes of calling people around the globe to positive ocean action and inspiring them to both explore and save the ocean.’
OceanShot is a coral reef ecosystem restoration project, founded in partnership with the Government of Antigua and Barbuda, which uses technology that mimics the shape of natural reefs to help restore coral and encourage the return of marine life, in turn protecting coastal communities from the impact of storms.
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OceanShot’s first ‘living-lab hub’, designed to be a place where innovators can test technologies aimed at environmental protection, was deployed in Antigua and Barbuda in 2021, leading the Global Citizen Forum to adopt OceanShot as one of its flagship initiatives. Now, in 2023, PADI has been invited to partner with the project.
‘Coral reefs are among the most ecologically and economically valuable ecosystems that drive our blue economy,’ said Dr Richardson. ‘Scuba divers can explore beneath the surface and fuel ocean change as Torchbearers, taking part in a range of meaningful diver citizen-science actions driving real results.
‘And as global citizens,’ he added,’ we have the opportunity to be changemakers that inspire more innovative and positive solutions for the health of coral reefs, the ocean and our shared blue planet.’
‘We’re doing this work because our oceans need us and we need them,’ said Dr Brosnan. ‘Humans have mapped the human genome, landed astronauts on the moon, and in less than twelve months developed a viable vaccine to combat a global pandemic.
‘It is time to focus the same attention on our oceans with bold, ambitious, and achievable initiatives.’
PADI recently conducted a special underwater training session with Dr Richardson, Dr Brosnan and Mr DeJoria in preparation for the upcoming underwater panel in December where they will share their knowledge and passion for ocean conservation with the world.
To learn more about the first underwater panel at the Global Citizen Forum, visit globalcitizenforum.org/ocean-shot/.
