Recently the "Ocean & Climate Village" world tour was successfully held in the "Yun Shang Hai Tian" in Qingdao, China. The event was co-organized by the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO （IOC/UNESCO） and the PRADA Group. It was jointly hosted by the First Institute of Oceanography （FIO） of the Ministry of Natural Resources of China （MNR）， Decade Collaborative Center on Ocean-Climate Nexus and Coordination Amongst Decade Implementing Partners in P.R. China （DCC-OCC）， and the Ullens Center for Contemporary Art （UCCA）。 The number of visitors to the exhibition exceeded 5,000.
Group photo of the forum guests
The "Ocean & Climate Village" world tour is an activity under the framework of the UN Ocean Decade and the Prada Group's Sea Beyond project. It aims to achieve the seventh expected outcome of the Ocean Decade, which is "An Inspiring and Engaging Ocean". The objective of the exhibition in Qingdao is to present an interactive educational exhibition focused on the relationship between ocean and climate. Through collaborative creation, joint efforts, and knowledge sharing, it seeks to reestablish the close bond between humans and the ocean, advance the sustainable development of the ocean, and contribute to the protection and preservation of the marine ecological environment.
Deputy Director-General Qiao Fangli and the UNESCO representative visit the exhibition
Opening Forum
Dr. Qiao Fangli, the Director of the DCC-OCC, Deputy Director-General of the FIO, and Fellow of the Member of Academia Europaea, attended the opening forum and delivered a speech. He shared his experience of being invited by IOC/UNESCO to participate in planning this event, popularized the role of the ocean in addressing climate change, and introduced the significant contributions made by Chinese marine researchers in promoting the implementation of the United Nations Ocean Decade: For instance, the FIO took the lead in hosting the DCC-OCC. The Bv theory, jointly released by the IOC and the DCC-OCC, will significantly enhance the global capability for ocean and climate forecasting. To address the longstanding problem with expensive ocean and climate observations, Chinese researchers developed a new type of drifting buoy based on the BeiDou satellites, drastically reducing the cost of ocean observations. It greatly enhances humanity's observational capabilities for the ocean and climate. Lastly, Dr. Qiao pointed out that while people benefit from the ocean, they must also face numerous challenges. He called on everyone to actively participate in actions to protect the ocean and address climate change.
Thematic Forum
Dr. Yang Guangbing, Associate Researcher at the FIO, participated in the forum themed "Blue Voice: Protect the Ocean in the Spirit of Science and Exploration." During his speech, he shared the experiences and feelings about researching marine mammals through acoustic methods and actively responded to questions from the audience.
Group photo of Volunteers
In addition, more than 20 graduate students from FIO took on the role of guiding the exhibition. These volunteer students actively engaged with visiting guests and the general public and providing indispensable support for the smooth running of the event.
In the future, DCC-OCC will continue to strengthen the connection and collaboration between the scientific community and cultural communication sectors, and actively promote various forms of science education activities, raise public ocean literacy and promote science education.
