More than 100 nations pledge to take action to save the oceans
by Daria Blackwell 23 Feb 2022 00:39 AEDT
The sun setting over the Atlantic Ocean © Daria Blackwell
Global representatives committed to preserving the ocean from human harm, including adopting measures to stop illegal fishing, cutting plastic pollution and better guarding of international waters.
France took over the rotating presidency of the European Union on 1 January, affording President Emmanuel Macron the chance to act as the EU's de facto leader. As more than 70% of the planet's surface is ocean, and the EU often sidelines marine issues, the French President chose to focus attention on the oceans. The goal of the One Ocean Summit was to raise the collective level of ambition of the international community on marine issues and to translate our shared responsibility to the ocean into tangible commitments.
The One Ocean Summit was held in the context of the French Presidency of the Council of the European Union, with the support of the United Nations. Macron, who hosted the high-level session on 9-11 February in Britanny, a region with significant maritime ties, said 2022 was "a decisive year, and we should take here, in Brest clear and firm commitments."
These commitments were made in the lead up to the UN Ocean Conference, which is to be held in Lisbon from 27 June to July 1, 2022. The overarching theme of the Conference is "Scaling up ocean action based on science and innovation for the implementation of Goal 14: stocktaking, partnerships and solutions". It will continue the focus on the global commitments made at the Summit.
It seems everyone has suddenly woken up to the need to preserve and protect our oceans and their biodiversity. The Economists' 9th Annual Virtual World Ocean Summit takes place March 1-4, 2022 and takes people on a checkup of where we stand relative to UN global targets for 2030. More than 100 speakers will provide checks on how their industries are progressing towards those targets, and what needs to happen next.
The Ocean Cruising Club is committed to helping preserve and protect the oceans we sail. Our lives depend on maintaining the health of our oceans and sustaining the biodiversity within. Members of our environmental initiatives team will be taking part in some of these events.
Links:
This article has been provided by the courtesy of Ocean Cruising Club.