Great news from the UN Ocean Conference in Lisbon: a group of philanthropic organizations are committing $1 billion to help protect 30% of the ocean by 2030. The Protecting Our Planet Challenge will invest this money to support the creation, expansion, and management of marine protected areas and Indigenous and locally governed marine and coastal areas by 2030. Marine protected areas are one of the most effective tools to protect our oceans. Currently, only 7.93% of the global ocean is zoned as marine protected areas, with 2.4% of the ocean considered fully or highly protected. Coral reef ecosystems around the globe also face an uncertain future, threatening over a quarter of all ocean life and the source of food, livelihoods, and cultural heritage for over 500 million people. Even with drastic emission reductions to meet Paris Agreement targets, 70-90% of today’s corals are anticipated to vanish by mid-century. That’s why this commitment is so important. Thank you to all Protecting ...