Healthy oceans are vital for a healthy climate and governments need to do more to protect them, Karmenu Vella, EU Commissioner for Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, told the Oceans Day conference in Paris.
Oceans Day took place on 4 December as part of the COP21 international climate negotiations, running from 30 November to 11 December. The event aimed to advance the oceans and climate change agenda at COP21 and beyond. It builds on previous Oceans Day events, most recently the World Ocean Day in June.
"We want to further strengthen dialogue and cooperation with all international partners on all aspects of ocean governance. Let us all work to ensure that healthy oceans and their productive ecosystems help keep this blue planet green," said Vella.
While oceans are climate regulators – absorbing 30 percent of the world's CO2 and producing half of the oxygen we breathe – it is widely accepted that climate change is putting oceans and those that depend on them under severe pressure.
“These threats – sea-level rise, acidification, marine pollution, illegal and overfishing, pressure on marine ecosystems, just to name a few – not only limit the oceans' ability to manage climate change. They also erode the growth base of a sustainable blue economy,” said Vella.
According to the commissioner, a better international ocean governance framework can help reverse these trends and ensure that the world's oceans continue to deliver their vital functions. This means protecting the oceans' life-sustaining ecosystems and resources, and ensuring that economic activities develop in a sustainable way.
“In the EU, we have put in place robust legislation to protect the marine environment and to ensure the sustainable use of marine resources.
“Across Europe, countries are now obliged to plan the use of maritime space, so they can manage the impact of maritime activities on the marine environment,” he said.
In addition, the European Commission last week proposed a new policy package on the circular economy, aimed at helping with decarbonization and will also include measures to reduce marine litter.
