UN chief: Change of track needed in protecting ocean

UNITED NATIONS • UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday called on the international community to "change track" in protecting the ocean from the climate crisis.

Global warming, biodiversity loss and pollution are a triple crisis facing the planet, he said at the One Ocean Summit, warning that the ocean "shoulders a great deal of the burden".

As the ocean serves as a giant carbon and heat sink, it is becoming warmer and more acidic, affecting its ecosystems.

"Polar ice is melting and global weather patterns are changing," Mr Guterres said in his video message to the conference in the northern French coastal city of Brest.

The communities that rely on the ocean are hurting, he added. "More than three billion people depend on marine and coastal biodiversity for their livelihoods."

He painted a grim picture of dwindling marine species, bleached coral reefs, coastal ecosystems that are dumping grounds for sewage as well as nutrient-poor seas choked by debris.

Additionally, fish stocks are under threat from overfishing and destructive fishing practices as well as illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.

"We must change track," underscored Mr Guterres.

It has been 40 years since the signing of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. "The importance of legal certainty in the ocean is paramount," Mr Guterres said.

He added that the second UN Ocean Conference, to be held in Lisbon from June 27 to July 1, will be "an opportunity to cement the role of the ocean" in global efforts towards sustainable development goals and to implement the Paris Agreement on climate change.

The UN chief emphasised the need to intensify efforts to protect the ocean, saying a "sustainable blue economy can drive economic progress and job creation" while protecting the climate.

"We need... more effective partnerships to address land-based sources of marine pollution... urgency in the deployment of offshore renewable energy which can provide clean power and employment, and... (less) fossil fuels in the ocean economy," he said.

In his remarks, Mr Guterres also praised the "encouraging steps" taken by some countries, including France, to end single-use plastics and urged others to follow suit.

About 90 per cent of world trade is transported by sea, he said, which contributes to nearly 3 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions. "The shipping sector needs to contribute to the necessary 45 per cent cut in emissions needed by 2030, and zero emissions by 2050, in the effort to keep alive our hopes of limiting global temperature rise to 1.5 deg C," he said.

A breakthrough on adaptation and resilience for coastal communities whose lives, homes and livelihoods are at risk is also imperative. "We must capitalise on the opportunities that nature-based solutions, such as mangroves and seagrasses, provide," he added.

He stressed the need for global partnerships and investment in order to promote a sustainable ocean economy, along with increased support for ocean science "so that our actions are informed by the knowledge and understanding of the ocean".

"Too much remains unmapped, unobserved and unexplored," he said.

XINHUA