During his speech at the opening session of the SOS Ocean international conference in Paris, President of the European Council António Costa called for Europe to protect and promote the ocean as a global good and ratify the High Seas Treaty.
Speaking at the conference, sponsored by Fundação Oceano Azul, Costa said:
“Climate action must include ocean action, which is a priority for us. Others have chosen going to the moon or to Mars as a priority. Europe must see the ocean as a cause and a mission for 2050.”
So far, among EU nations, only Spain and France have ratified The High Seas Treaty which provides for the common governance of about half of the Earth’s surface and 95% of the ocean’s volume to:
- promote equity and fairness
- tackle environmental degradation
- fight climate change, and
- prevent biodiversity loss in the high seas
Europe, Costa noted, has the largest exclusive economic zone in the world, if you include overseas territories and the outermost regions, which are home to 80% of Europe’s marine biodiversity. “The EU’s economic, energy and food security all depend on the oceans. A total of 40% of Europeans live in coastal regions, which generate around 40% of the EU’s GDP.”
He noted that the blue economy employs 3.6 million people in the EU and that 75% of the bloc’s external trade and 40% of its internal trade is carried out by sea.
“Our internal market is the world’s second-largest market in fishery and aquaculture products in terms of trade and the third-largest in terms of consumption. Safe and secure oceans are vital for preserving our interests at sea, including freedom of navigation and the supply of essential materials. Protecting our economic activities, our citizens and our infrastructure must be an essential component of our strategic and holistic approach to oceans.”
“Oceans are, above all, a common good for humanity,” Costa said. “They capture 90% of the excess heat generated by human activities. They are home to 80% of global biodiversity. They produce 50% of the oxygen we breathe. They absorb 25% of our carbon dioxide emissions. In terms of trade and the economy, 90% of the world’s goods are transported by sea and 99% of our data transfers and communications flow through submarine cables. So we need to protect and promote oceans as a global good.”
He outlined three conclusions the 27 EU leaders and Secretary General of the United Nations, António Guterres, had reached on the ocean at a European Council meeting 10 days prior. One was to recognize the triple planetary crisis of climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss that has precipitated the decline in the oceans’ health.
Second, a healthy ocean is critical to a sustainable, secure and competitive future for the European Union. He welcomed the European Ocean Pact expected to be revealed next month to provide an integrated approach to the governance, protection and economic sustainability of the oceans.
Third, the European Union has been strongly committed to advancing ocean diplomacy, driven by a sense of urgency, a desire for consistency and a spirit of ambition. International cooperation was recently cited as a key for ocean protection by the OECD.
