Launching Two More Ocean XPRIZE Competitions for Incentivizing Innovations that Make our Ocean Healthy, Valued, and Understood
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Non-governmental organization (NGO)
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#OceanAction40714
Description
XPRIZE is committed to helping achieve the goals of the United Nations SDG 14 through launching at least two more ocean XPRIZEs. There are certain grand challenges facing humanity where progress and innovation toward a solution is stalled. An XPRIZE is a highly leveraged, incentivized prize competition that incorporates exponential technologies to push the limits of what is possible and change the world for the better. Using technology as a lever, the XPRIZE Ocean Initiative is committed to helping achieve the goals of the United Nations SDG 14 through applying our winning ocean technologies from previous ocean XPRIZE competitions and designing and launching at least two more ocean XPRIZE competitions that will further the targets to conserve and sustainably use the oceans.
Previous Prizes and Future Technologies
In October 2011, XPRIZE awarded $1.4 Wendy Schmidt Oil Spill Cleanup XCHALLENGE for improving oil spill cleanup technologies. In the wake of the Deepwater Horizon crisis, the Wendy Schmidt Oil Cleanup XCHALLENGE was designed to inspire innovative solutions to speed the pace of seawater surface oil recovery resulting from platform, tanker, and other industry spillage. Less than 2 years after the largest oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, the winning team demonstrated that their technology could quadruple the rate of surface oil recovery over existing industry standards.
In July 2015, XPRIZEawarded the$2 million Wendy Schmidt Ocean Health XPRIZE, a prize competition for developing breakthrough ocean pH sensors to improve understanding of ocean acidification. Prizes were awarded for accurate, affordable, and robust sensors. These sensors are allowing scientist to make laboratory quality in situ deep-sea measurements of ocean acidification. This XPRIZE also resulted in affordable and accurate sensors for environmental management.
In December 2015, XPRIZE launched the $7 million Shell Ocean Discovery XPRIZE, a three-year competition challenging teams to advance breakthrough deep-sea technologies to rapidly map the sea floor at very high resolution and produce high-definition images. Embedded in this is the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administrations (NOAA) $1 Million bonus prize to incentivize pioneering underwater technologies to detect a biological or chemical signal and autonomously trace it to its source. This will allow us to respond rapidly to emergencies and discover and monitor new marine life and underwater communities in an unprecedented manner.
Possible Areas for New Partnerships
We are seeking collaboration for sponsorship of new prizes, deploying and advancing the winning technologies, and growing the impact of our prizes. A broader success state would be to launch at least two more ocean XPRIZEs that fit the goals of the UN SDG 14 and create innovations that make our ocean healthy, valued and understood. Future ocean XPRIZE that match with the goals of SDG 14 include but are not limited to: addressing marine pollution, protecting marine ecosystems, making fisheries sustainable, and increasing scientific knowledge, and developing research capacity and transfer of marine technology.
SDGS & Targets
Goal 14
Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development
14.1
By 2025, prevent and significantly reduce marine pollution of all kinds, in particular from land-based activities, including marine debris and nutrient pollution
14.1.1
(a) Index of coastal eutrophication; and (b) plastic debris density
14.2
By 2020, sustainably manage and protect marine and coastal ecosystems to avoid significant adverse impacts, including by strengthening their resilience, and take action for their restoration in order to achieve healthy and productive oceans
14.2.1
Number of countries using ecosystem-based approaches to managing marine areas
14.3
Minimize and address the impacts of ocean acidification, including through enhanced scientific cooperation at all levels
14.3.1
14.4
By 2020, effectively regulate harvesting and end overfishing, illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing and destructive fishing practices and implement science-based management plans, in order to restore fish stocks in the shortest time feasible, at least to levels that can produce maximum sustainable yield as determined by their biological characteristics
14.4.1
14.5
By 2020, conserve at least 10 per cent of coastal and marine areas, consistent with national and international law and based on the best available scientific information
14.5.1
14.6
By 2020, prohibit certain forms of fisheries subsidies which contribute to overcapacity and overfishing, eliminate subsidies that contribute to illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing and refrain from introducing new such subsidies, recognizing that appropriate and effective special and differential treatment for developing and least developed countries should be an integral part of the World Trade Organization fisheries subsidies negotiation
14.6.1
Degree of implementation of international instruments aiming to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing
14.7
By 2030, increase the economic benefits to Small Island developing States and least developed countries from the sustainable use of marine resources, including through sustainable management of fisheries, aquaculture and tourism
14.7.1
Sustainable fisheries as a proportion of GDP in small island developing States, least developed countries and all countries
14.a
Increase scientific knowledge, develop research capacity and transfer marine technology, taking into account the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission Criteria and Guidelines on the Transfer of Marine Technology, in order to improve ocean health and to enhance the contribution of marine biodiversity to the development of developing countries, in particular small island developing States and least developed countries
14.a.1
14.b
Provide access for small-scale artisanal fishers to marine resources and markets
14.b.1
Degree of application of a legal/regulatory/policy/institutional framework which recognizes and protects access rights for small‐scale fisheries
14.c
Enhance the conservation and sustainable use of oceans and their resources by implementing international law as reflected in United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which provides the legal framework for the conservation and sustainable use of oceans and their resources, as recalled in paragraph 158 of "The future we want"
14.c.1
Number of countries making progress in ratifying, accepting and implementing through legal, policy and institutional frameworks, ocean-related instruments that implement international law, as reflected in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, for the conservation and sustainable use of the oceans and their resources
SDG 14 targets covered
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| 14.1 | By 2025, prevent and significantly reduce marine pollution of all kinds, in particular from land-based activities, including marine debris and nutrient pollution |
| 14.2 | By 2020, sustainably manage and protect marine and coastal ecosystems to avoid significant adverse impacts, including by strengthening their resilience, and take action for their restoration in order to achieve healthy and productive oceans |
| 14.3 | Minimize and address the impacts of ocean acidification, including through enhanced scientific cooperation at all levels |
| 14.4 | By 2020, effectively regulate harvesting and end overfishing, illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing and destructive fishing practices and implement science-based management plans, in order to restore fish stocks in the shortest time feasible, at least to levels that can produce maximum sustainable yield as determined by their biological characteristics |
| 14.7 | By 2030, increase the economic benefits to Small Island developing States and least developed countries from the sustainable use of marine resources, including through sustainable management of fisheries, aquaculture and tourism |
| 14.a | Increase scientific knowledge, develop research capacity and transfer marine technology, taking into account the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission Criteria and Guidelines on the Transfer of Marine Technology, in order to improve ocean health and to enhance the contribution of marine biodiversity to the development of developing countries, in particular small island developing States and least developed countries |
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Ocean Basins
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Contact Information
Matthew Mulrennan, Director
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