“We have no idea what the ocean is.” So to make states and the general public aware of this fact declared by Françoise Gaill, emeritus director of research at the CNRS (National Center for Scientific Research), and when we meet at the world ocean summit (“One ocean summit” in English ) ? Taking place from February 9-11 in Brest, the event will bring together NGOs, scientists, politicians and entrepreneurs to discuss strong and essential issues in the era of climate change.
Although they occupy 70% of the Earth’s surface, the oceans remain largely neglected in climate-related discussions. To solve this size problem, From 9 to 11 February, a world summit over the ocean will take place in Brestcan we read on the site Sustainable information†
This international event, organized on the initiative of Emmanuel Macron, President of the French Republic, gives kicks off a series of other appointments our vast waters have in common. The following are also planned for the coming weeks and months:
- A UN meeting on the environment and the international agreement on plastics (which pollute our oceans), in late February.
- Negotiations at the UN for a treaty for the high seas, in the month of March.
- Biodiversity and Climate Police in June.
- A UN conference on the oceans, also in June.
What program can we expect for this first event?
According to information from theAFP, by workshops and forums (online and face-to-face) will be organized on Wednesday 9 and Thursday 10 February.
On Friday, February 11, about twenty heads of state or government, including the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, will meet Emmanuel Macron, as well as some specialist business leaders in container transport. Send.
What are the goals of the summit?
For the French state it is intended to: see more countries ratify the Cape Town agreementreports theAFP† The latter is intended for “increase the safety of fishing vessels to save lives”can be read on the website of the International Maritime Organization (IMO).
“Our goal is to reduce the number of registered victims in this profession, which is one of the most dangerous in the world, and toimprove safety on board ships fishing “, explains Sandra Allnutt, maritime technology manager at the Maritime Security Division of the IMO. Once the agreement is in effect, “to contribute to the fight against illegal fishingundeclared and unregulated”†
But France is not the only entity hoping for progress in concrete actions for fisheries and oceans. However, some NGOs regret it a lack of discussion about overfishingbut responsible for major environmental damage around the world.
As Jérôme Petit, from the NGO Pew, also points out: “France is not necessarily a model” in ocean protection. The NGO campaigns for extension of the French Southern and Antarctic National Nature Reserve (TAAF) more than one million km2, with a strong protection zone of 250,000 km2.
To reduce overfishing, Pew also hopes creating areas dedicated solely to artisanal fishing around the islands of French Polynesia.
A coalition of NGOs is also taking advantage of the event to ask for a better protection of the high seasthe deep water retention confronted with a France that in particular explores the seabed at a depth of more than 4,000 meters and that also French and European representatives petition against incidental captures of common dolphins† The latter was signed by nearly 500,000 people.