UK joins EU ocean monitoring programme as extreme weather risks grow

The UK will join a major EU-led ocean monitoring programme designed to improve forecasts of extreme weather and climate events, the government is set to announce.

Environment Secretary Angela Eagle will confirm Britain’s participation in OceanEye at a UN event in New York on Wednesday, the Guardian reported.

The €92 million initiative aims to improve global ocean observations and create a digital “real time” model of the world’s oceans by 2030 using satellites, sensors and other data.

Britain will share more information from the Met Office and other agencies with the EU and Canada under the programme.

“As an island nation and a global leader in climate science, we know that data from ocean monitoring is essential to our ability to protect and restore our oceans, and anticipate and respond to the huge threats they face, because we cannot save our oceans if we do not understand them,” Eagle is expected to say.

The announcement comes amid efforts by the UK government to strengthen relations with the EU.

Ocean monitoring helps scientists forecast floods, droughts, storms and extreme heat, while also supporting global trade, national security and marine protection.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney are expected to attend the New York event.