The head of PADI is joining OceanShot’s co-founders for an underwater panel on positive ocean change at the Global Citizen Forum, which is taking place next month alongside COP28 in Ras Al Khaimah, UAE.
PADI CEO and President Drew Richardson will join marine scientist and climate risk expert Dr. Deborah Brosnan and and global philanthropist, environmentalist and entrepreneur John Paul DeJoria at the December 6-7 Global Citizen Forum’s first-ever underwater panel to purposefully descend beneath the surface 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 co-founded by Brosnan and DeJoria, launched in partnership with the government of Antigua and Barbuda. The initiative uses technology that mimics the design and shape of natural reefs to restore coral and invite back marine life, as well as protect nearby coastal communities from storm surge and sea level rise.
OceanShot’s first living-lab hub, designed to be a place where innovators can test their technologies aimed at environmental protection, was deployed in Antigua and Barbuda. In June 2021, the Global Citizen Forum adopted OceanShot as one of its supported flagship initiatives. This year, OceanShot’s co-founders invited PADI as a partner in its restoration model.
Richardson says:
“Coral reefs are among the most ecologically and economically valuable ecosystems that drive our blue economy. Scuba divers can not only explore beneath the surface and fuel ocean change as Torchbearers, taking part in a range of meaningful diver citizen-science actions driving real results. As global citizens, 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.”
While Brosnan adds:
“We’re doing this work because our oceans need us and we need them. 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 Richardson, Brosnan and DeJoria in preparation for the upcoming underwater panel in December where they will share their knowledge and passion for ocean conservation with the world.
For more info about the first underwater panel at the Global Citizen Forum, go to globalcitizenforum.org/ocean-shot/.
