With more than 8000 participants, ministers, heads of states and the entire ocean community, the first United Nations Ocean conference successfully continues today on June 8, 2017 with the world ocean day. This demonstrates the ocean has become a major priority for the international community.
Pollution, acidification, deoxygenation, overfishing…These threats amongst many others to the ocean and its ecosystems’ health grow increasingly every year. While awareness has globally spread, it is now time to increase investments in science for better ocean knowledge and a speedy action to let the ocean continue its fundamental role in ensuring a healthy and productive planet in the future.
Over 1000 commitments have thus been announced by states and civil society to support the implementation of Agenda 2030 Ocean conservation Sustainable Development Goal 14 .
The Ocean and Climate Platform is an international coalition which unites 70 non-state organizations (research centers, NGOs and economic actors). During the conference It strongly mobilized and committed to raising awareness of the connection between ocean and climate with decision makers and the general public.
In order to accelerate action, within a new international Alliance of ocean and climate initiatives, it unites and promotes initiatives allowing the ocean and dependent populations to adapt or fight against climate change. Ocean health is a major condition to fight climate change.
The international community has fervently supported marine biologist, explorer, and Chair of World Oceans Day celebrations at the United Nations headquarters, Sylvia Earle by acknowledging that “No Ocean, no life. No blue, no green.” However this event takes place a week after the United States’ decision to withdraw from the Paris Agreement. The prompt and effective implementation of this international agreement signed by over 140 nations during COP21 is the only solution to maintaining the ocean safe and healthy.
In order to limit the impacts linked to the world Superpowers’ withdrawal, states, cities and civil society of the United States must unite along with the other 192 signatories states of the Paris agreement to pursue their commitment for ocean conservation. This will allow us to join the youth gathered at this moment at the UNESCO Paris headquarters hoping that “their children will remember them as the generation which avoided disaster”. The ocean and climate platform is determined to remain by their side, and also that of states in preparing for the upcoming international climate negotiations. We will be present at the COP23 in Bonn next November to support the belief that a healthy ocean is a protected climate.
Next Ocean and Climate Platform meeting for the ocean: the Our Ocean conference in October 2017 in Matla, Europe.
Press contact : Marc Domingos – web@ocean-climate.org – +33 (0)6 60 80 50 37