The climate crisis has led to growing concern about the effects of a warmer and more acidic ocean on marine life and the people who depend on it. A new project launched on the margins of COP28 by the IAEA and the Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR) aims to contribute to ocean health by helping to fill the gaps in our knowledge of marine ecosystems.
“Without reliable data, we would not be able to understand marine environments,” said IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi at the COP28 side event. “The IAEA is putting all its scientific apparatus to use for the protection of our planet. I welcome that and I am so pleased to work with KISR.”
The project will make use of KISR’s new state-of-the-art research vessel, ‘AlMostakshif' (‘The Explorer’). The ship is aptly named, as it will venture out onto the high seas to conduct new research on ocean acidification and marine pollution. KISR is already a longstanding partner of the IAEA and acts as a hub in the region for marine environment studies, providing its unique expertise in areas related to water, sediment and ocean organisms.