Since the days of Prince Albert I, who was one of the founders of modern oceanography and built Monaco’s Oceanographic Museum, the Principality has stood alongside all those seeking to better understand and to protect the oceans.
Today, this commitment is led by Prince Albert II, who since his youth – and particularly since the beginning of his reign – has made protecting the environment, especially the marine environment, a priority.
It was at his initiative that his Foundation and Government lobbied the IPCC at its 41st session in February 2015 to produce a Special Report on the Ocean.
This followed several initiatives in which the Prince Albert II Foundation and the Prince’s Government were involved, including the Ocean and Climate Platform.
Bringing together nearly 70 international stakeholders from the scientific world, civil society and the economy, this platform launched the “Ocean’s Call for Climate”, asking countries to put the ocean at the heart of their efforts on climate.
During COP 21, held in Paris in 2015, Monaco and Chile also established “Because the Ocean”, an initiative calling particularly on the IPCC to produce a Special Report on the Ocean, covering how it is impacted by climate change and how it can contribute to mitigation efforts.
Integrating this project with issues relating to the melting cryosphere – the world’s icy and polar regions – made it possible to shine a light on the issues raised by rising sea levels.
In April 2016, the IPCC agreed to produce this Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere as part of its Sixth Assessment Cycle. Launched in Monaco in 2016, this work was released to the public in the Principality on 25 September 2019.
