The University of Portsmouth environment fund
Play a part in protecting the planet that sustains us
We all have a part to play in protecting the planet that sustains us and the myriad of life under threat because of us. We could just ignore the problem – or give up, say it’s too late, walk away from the sacrifices and hard choices that need to be made.
That’s the easy way. There’s another way. The one where we work together to break down environmental threats, tackle them and act to create positive change. The University of Portsmouth invites you to choose the other way, creating real-world solutions for a sustainable world.
Today's opportunity: GB Row Challenge – Race with Purpose
How you can help
The problem
Ocean pollution is one of the most devastating challenges of our time, with eight million tonnes of plastic reaching our oceans every year and no sign of it slowing down.
We know how damaging pollution, in all its many forms, is to marine wildlife and ocean ecosystems. Noise pollution, rising temperatures, acidity and contaminants, including microplastics, are having a catastrophic impact. Without drastic intervention, it’s only going to get worse.
Assessing pollution in the waters that surround Great Britain
Fully understanding the breadth and depth of the impact humans have on the health of our oceans is essential for positive change. This includes systematically measuring pollution levels and evolving eDNA in marine wildlife. Baseline measures and monitoring are sorely lacking and key to solving the problem.
Over each of the next four years, GB Row Challenge competitors will take samples across multiple locations from the waters surrounding Great Britain. These samples will be analysed by University of Portsmouth researchers for microplastics, acidity levels and temperature variation. Noise pollution will also be measured as will eDNA in the water samples to assess the health of fish and marine mammals.
Your support
Thanks to the generosity of an anonymous donor, £180,000 has already been raised to fund this landmark study, including for a three-year PhD scholarship to support much-needed new talent in the field of environmental research.
All that remains is £60,000. We can do that, can’t we? Will you choose another way?