Events - John Virdin
All times U.S. ET unless noted.
The UN Convention on the Law of the Sea at 40: Successes, Challenges, and the Role of the U.S. in Implementation 
Register to attend this webinar hosted by the Ocean Diplomacy Working Group and the Rethinking Diplomacy Program featuring David Balton (Executive Director of the U.S. Arctic Executive Steering Committee) and David Freestone (Executive Secretary of the Sargasso Sea Commission) on the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). Nicholas Institute expert John Virdin will be moderating.
Launch of the 2023 OECD U.S. Environmental Performance Review (EPR)
In the first U.S. Environmental Performance Review (EPR) since 2005, the launch of the 2023 OECD U.S. EPR will look at recent environmental trends in the U.S., with a specific focus on marine litter. Join the OECD Washington Center, OECD Environment, and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on June 22 (9:30-10:30 a.m.) and attend this launch in person or virtually. John Virdin (Nicholas Institute) will be among the experts speaking at the launch.
Report Launch – Illuminating Hidden Harvests: The Contributions of Small-Scale Fisheries to Sustainable Development (Session 2)
In this hybrid event, FAO, Duke University, and WorldFish will launch the Illuminating Hidden Harvests: The contributions of small-scale fisheries to sustainable development report, which assesses the current environmental, economic, gender, food security and nutrition, and governance dimensions of small-scale fisheries globally.
Report Launch – Illuminating Hidden Harvests: The Contributions of Small-Scale Fisheries to Sustainable Development (Session 1)
In this hybrid event, FAO, Duke University, and WorldFish will launch the Illuminating Hidden Harvests: The contributions of small-scale fisheries to sustainable development report, which assesses the current environmental, economic, gender, food security and nutrition, and governance dimensions of small-scale fisheries globally.
Blue Economy Summit 2023
The idea of the “blue economy” is compelling—and contested. On one hand, there is growing enthusiasm for using the oceans’ resources to grow economies and improve livelihoods while maintaining healthy marine ecosystems. On the other hand, the acceleration of ocean-based economic activity threatens to overwhelm increasingly vulnerable environments and communities. This is particularly important for small-scale fishing communities, which is likely the oceans’ largest source of livelihoods.
Plastics and Marine Pollution: Innovations for SDG 14.1
John Virdin, Director of the Ocean and Coastal Policy Program, will speak about the Plastics Policy Inventory as part of the "UNDP Ocean Innovation Challenge – Applied Solutions" panel during Plastics and Marine Pollution: Innovations for SDG 14.1, a UN Ocean Conference side event.
2022 Cornell Business Impact Symposium
The global economy relies heavily on healthy coastal and ocean resources for diverse industries such as fishing, tourism and recreation, minerals, and transportation. Nearly one out of every six jobs in the U.S. depends on the blue economy, while fish protein is an essential part of diets in coastal communities around the world. Moreover, the ocean plays a central role in regulating the Earth's climate but is often overlooked in conversations about climate change.
Policy Perspectives: Small-Scale Fisheries in the Anthropocene Ocean
Duke students, join John Virdin, on the often-hidden role that small-scale fisheries play in societies worldwide and the threats they face in an increasingly crowded ocean.
Launch of the Annual State of Plastics Policy Report
Are current global policies enough to rid the world of its plastic crisis? How far are our governments from implementing immediate and long-term solutions to sustainably managing plastic waste?
Learn about the updated global landscape of plastics policy on the subnational, national, and international levels as UNDP ocean innovator Duke University, Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions launches the inaugural State of Plastics Policy Report.
Illuminating Hidden Harvests: Small-scale Fisheries and their Governance
Small-scale fisheries are one of the oldest and still most prevalent ocean uses and food production systems. However, their contributions to society have been difficult to measure and often underappreciated by decision-makers. Here we share some of the preliminary findings of the Illuminating Hidden Harvests assessment of the contributions of small-scale fisheries to sustainable development, led by FAO, WorldFish and Duke University.
Illuminating Hidden Harvests (IHH): A snapshot of key findings
A “first-look” at some key findings from the upcoming Illuminating Hidden Harvest (IHH) report.
RI Canada 2021 Deep Dive – SDG Investing for a Sustainable Blue Economy: from Antigua to the Arctic
This deep dive session at the RI Canada 2021 conference will explore how Canada’s oceans expertise can support global sustainable investing in fisheries, aquaculture, tourism, and new technology areas. John Virdin, director of the Nicholas Institute's Ocean and Coastal Policy Program, will be among the speakers.
Virtual Policy Boot Camp: International Institutions
In this session, John Virdin, director of the Nicholas Institute's Ocean and Coastal Policy Program, will introduce participants to international institutions and discuss what they do and how they differ from each other. Institutions covered will include the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
The Anthropocene Ocean
John Virdin, Director of the Ocean and Coastal Policy Program, is among the panelists for "The Anthropocene Ocean" on January 27.
Breaking the Plastic Wave Across the Commonwealth
Hosted by the UK Government and Common Seas, this event will explore findings of two seminal publications on solutions to the plastics pollution crisis and discuss the relevance of these to the Commonwealth Clean Ocean Alliance and our collective efforts to tackle marine plastics.
Breaking the Plastic Wave Across the Commonwealth
Hosted by the UK Government and Common Seas, this event will explore findings of two seminal publications on solutions to the plastics pollution crisis and discuss the relevance of these to the Commonwealth Clean Ocean Alliance and our collective efforts to tackle marine plastics.
Oceans and Climate Conference
This entirely student-led conference aims to bring together students, practitioners, and faculty to collectively explore the links, trade-offs, and tensions at the nexus of climate change, oceans, and coastal ecosystems.
Single Use Plastic Products and Learnings from LCA - Webinar Series A - Part 1
The United Nations Environmental Programme life cycle team is currently progressing single-use plastic products work (UNEA4/Res 9) leading up to UNEA5. As part of this activity, UNEP is launching a webinar series running every Tuesday this October.
20 Years of Government Responses to the Global Plastic Pollution Problem
The Nicholas Institute is hosting a pair of webinars to discuss the state of government policy responses to plastic pollution and a recent Duke University analysis of those responses.
Virtual Ocean Dialogues
John Virdin, director of the Nicholas Institute's Ocean and Coastal Policy Program, will be among the panelists in a session hosted by WWF International called "Pollution Parallels: When Does Global Governance Work?". Virdin will discuss the findings of the Nicholas Institute's new report, 20 Years of Government Responses to the Global Plastic Pollution Problem.