BRUSSELS (AP) — With underwater drones and ocean-focused satellites, the EU is expanding its monitoring network of Earth’s seas as climate change fuels heat waves and stronger storms and the Trump administration plans severe cuts to a similar system in the United States.With an investment package of 92 million euros ($107 million) called OceanEye announced on Wednesday, the EU will be able to take the helm of global efforts to explore the depths of the planet’s vast oceans, said Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission. Oceans are vital ecosystems covering about 70% of planet Earth, hosting complex webs of life that generate oxygen and absorb greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide. Temperatures have risen in oceans faster due to climate change, super-charging storms and drought, ravaging coral reefs across the world, and endangering species in tandem with overfishing and industrial pollution.
Scientists estimate climate change will increase the strength of heat waves and severe storms across Europe.Monitoring the ocean can help protect it by showing damage and threats to ecosystems that help inform regulations aimed at preventing species loss.“This is about using science and good governance to understand our ocean and secure our future,” von der Leyen said.
