Mobilising a European Sea Change in teaching 12–19 year olds about the ocean
The Galway Statement on Atlantic Ocean Cooperation (2013) reinforces a need for Ocean Literacy across Europe, the United States, and Canada. In Galway in 2013, top marine scientists concluded that together we have the capacity to understand and predict major Atlantic and Arctic processes, as well as the changes and risks they carry in relation to human activities and climate change. One of the priority areas identified for policy dialogue was Ocean Literacy. Sea Change, a Horizon 2020 project, uses the concept of Ocean Literacy to empower European citizens to make informed and responsible decisions regarding the ocean and its resources; to take direct and sustainable action towards healthy seas and ocean, healthy communities and, ultimately, a healthy planet. In 2016, eight European countries (Belgium, Denmark, Greece, Ireland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, and the U.K.) held Ocean Literacy dialogue forums to discuss the barriers to teaching 12–19 year olds about the ocean.