Humanity is facing the defining crisis of our time, a climate emergency of our own making. Each year, billions of tons of CO2 are released into the atmosphere from human activity, producing greenhouse gas emissions at a record high. Rising temperatures are already causing unprecedented natural disasters, extreme weather events, food and water insecurity, and escalating environmental degradation. No place on earth is safe from the devastating effects of the climate crisis, including the world’s oceans, which play a fundamental role in absorbing and redistributing heat and carbon dioxide. Consequently, the polar ice caps are melting, rainforests are burning, coral reefs are dying, and the oceans are acidifying. Projections show a huge decline in zooplankton biomass in tropical waters, which would spell disaster for manta and devil ray populations. If we do not ACT NOW, the impact on humans and all life on earth will be catastrophic.
As a team, the Manta Trust have reviewed our aims and operations, and are committed to:
1. Taking meaningful steps to reduce our core team’s carbon footprint (Section 1).
2. Offsetting the emissions that we cannot avoid (Section 2).
3. Adding our voice and support to climate campaigns and policy actions (Section 3).
4. Sharing best practice and learnings with the Maldives Manta Conservation Programme, our global network of Affiliate Projects, sponsors, corporate partners, personnel, and followers (Section 3).
5. Using our online platforms and public events to talk regularly about the climate crisis and its impact on the oceans and marine species, encouraging urgent action and debate whenever possible (Section 3).
6. Expanding our educational outreach to engage a greater number and diversity of people globally with climate issues and their impact on the marine environment, empowering them to act for the oceans (Section 3).
7. Reviewing this mandate and our commitments annually; adding new planned actions whenever possible.
Section 1: Reducing our core team’s carbon footprint
Flights and Travel
What we are already doing: Our core team all work from home, so produce no carbon emissions through commuting.
Our pledges made on World Manta Day 2021: (1) Before booking any flights for personnel we will first consider: a) The necessity of a journey to our core operations and charity strategy. b) Whether there are reasonable alternative transportation methods with lower carbon emissions. c) Which member of personnel is best placed to attend based on their role, skill set, availability, and proximity. (2) If it is ascertained that air travel is necessary, we will book economy class only. For long haul flights, carbon emissions per passenger per kilometre travelled are about three times higher for business class and four times higher for first class, according to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS). (3) We will offset carbon emissions from all core-team and Trustee flights as outlined in Section 2. (4) Book eco-conscious accommodation where possible.
Merchandise and Printing
What we are already doing: (1) We avoid printing whenever possible. Our Ocean Education Booklets are printed locally on recycled paper. (2) Our Manta Adoption Packs are digital. (3) Our clothing merchandise is made and shipped by TeeMill who are committed to using organic cotton and recycled fabric, have a renewable energy powered factory, print to order to avoid waste and use no plastic packaging. (4) When promoting our merchandise, we encourage our supporters to buy only what they need. (5) We require all businesses enquiring about our Commercial Supporter initiative to complete a Self-Assessment form, which includes outlining the approaches to environmental or social sustainability they prioritise in manufacturing, or in their supply chains. We only take on new Commercial Supporters who evidence that they are taking a diligent approach to protecting the natural environment, minimising, and continuing to reduce any impact on it.
Our pledge made on World Manta Day 2021: We will use eco-delivery options where available.
Banking
What we are already doing: We have transferred some of the MT’s reserve funds into an Ethical COIF Savings Fund.
Our pledge made on World Manta Day 2021: We are investigating alternative ethical banking options for the future.
Field Activities
What we are already doing: (1) We use second-hand equipment for research where possible to avoid buying new. (2) We recycle all broken / out of date equipment properly. (3) Our personnel take an active part in conservation activities and lead by example.
Our pledges made on World Manta Day 2021: (1) We will only fund the purchase of vegetarian / vegan / responsibly sourced meal options for personnel during work excursions in the UK. If overseas we require personnel to choose the most sustainable meal options with low carbon, responsibly sourced, and meat / seafood free where possible when expensing to the Manta Trust. (2) We will only fund the purchase of bottled water for personnel in locations where it is unsafe to drink tap water. All personnel will be equipped with reusable water bottles.
Section 2: Offsetting our core team’s carbon footprint:
Reducing carbon emissions will always be our priority. However, for us to carry out our global research and conservation work, there will continue to be some unavoidable travel and activities which add to our carbon footprint. We are therefore committed to offsetting these unavoidable emissions through the Gold Standard carbon offsetting programme. The Gold Standard ensures that key environmental criteria have been met by offset projects that carry its label. Only offsets from energy-efficiency and renewable-energy projects qualify for the Gold Standard. These projects encourage a shift away from fossil fuel use and carry inherently low environmental risks.
Section 3: Planned actions to support our climate pledges made on World Manta Day 2021
Adding our voice and support to climate campaigns and policy actions.
· Using World Manta Day 2021 to highlight the impact of the climate crisis on manta and devil rays.
Sharing best practices and learnings with the Maldives Manta Conservation Programme, our global network of Affiliate Projects, sponsors, corporate partners, and personnel.
· Assisting the Maldives Manta Conservation Programme in creating their own Climate Mandate.
· Creating a good practice guide that we will make available to our personnel, affiliate projects, partners, and followers.
Using our online platforms and public events to talk regularly about the climate crisis and its impact on the oceans and marine species, encouraging urgent action and debate whenever possible.
· Promoting UN Climate Change Conference UK 2021 (COP26).
· Hosting an interactive stall at COP26 which will use art and film to engage visitors with people’s personal stories about how the climate crisis is affecting them, especially focusing on people in the Pacific Island's and other Small Island Developing States.
Expanding our educational outreach to engage a greater number and diversity of people globally with climate issues and their impact on the marine environment, empowering them to act for the oceans.
· Launching a new Education Portal with free, multi-language, educational resources, to aid teachers in delivering lessons to make their students more ocean and climate literate.
· Creating a new position in the core team (Media & Communications Assistant) that will be responsible for expanding our climate crisis focused communications and initiatives.
· Launching a global ocean connection project to empower indigenous women and girls to connect to their marine environment through swimming and snorkelling, therefore instilling passion about ocean conservation and local climate change mitigation.