U.S. State Department on Friday announced $6 billion in funding commitments for ocean protection and climate change fighting. U.S. climate envoy John Kerry announced the amount at an oceans conference in Panama on Thursday and it encompasses 77 commitments, the Department of State said.
State Department data shows that some $3 billion was committed to climate resilience and climate research as part of the Inflation Reduction Act last year. A total of $665 million will be spent on sustainable fisheries, while $200 million will be dedicated to marine pollution, Reuters reported. Thirty of the 77 commitments concern climate change, amounting to about $5 billion.
“The climate crisis and the ocean crisis are inextricably linked. We cannot fully address one without the other,” Kerry said Thursday at the “Our Ocean 2023” conference. Washington announced Thursday that it would commit 816.5 million euros ($867.45 million).