To look at The sea and remember the urgency of protecting it, this June 8 was held on World Ocean Day. This year, the day gave the third United Nations Conference on Oceans (UNOC3)which began on the 9th in the city of Nice, to the south of France, and that will run until Friday, June 13.
Los Oceans are the main source of protein for more than 1000 million people worldwide And they are key to our economy, they are also responsible for maintaining climate balance and providing most of the oxygen.
However, despite all its benefits, The deterioration of the oceans has not stopped. Moreover, 2024 beat all world heat recordsboth on land and in the sea, which put even more of relief the vulnerability of marine ecosystems.
Therefore The president of Portugal has emphasized its importance and fundamentally that it is to protect the oceans and seas. He recalled that the sea is a “central” element of the history and geography of Portugal.
What is Portugal’s position regarding the oceans?
Portugal Prime Minister Luís Montenegro reiterated on Monday his country’s commitment to him ocean, Multilateralism and knowledge, in the face of future generations. «It’s time to turn science into action, cooperation in solutions and ambition in results, the ocean cannot wait, humanity cannot wait, it is time to act«, Said Montenegro, during his speech at the United Nations Conference on the Oceans (UNOC3), which takes place in Nice (France).
«With about 97 % of its territory constituted by the sea, It is with increasing responsibility that Portugal promotes a sustainable relationship with the ocean«, Said the head of the Portuguese government, who mentioned that in 2022 his country was coanfrerion, along with Kenya, of the second conference of this type.
He stressed that in the UNOC2 was impulsed to some international commitments, such as the agreement on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity beyond national jurisdictionsknown as BBNJ for its acronym in English, which established the goal of protecting 30 % of the planet by 2030.
«During these days we will have The opportunity to apply this impulse created in the UNOC2 in Lisbon, advancing on the 2030 agenda with tangible actions«, Montenegro remarked, who also mentioned the conclusion of an agreement against the pollution of plastics.
The Portuguese prime minister said that his country has sought to lead these matters with the example. In that sense, He assured that Portugal is committed to a “rapid” implementation of the BBNJ agreement . Within that objective, the Iberian country has created the largest network of maritime areas protected in the North Atlantic in the area of the Azores archipelago.
BBNJ agreement implementation commitment
Within the framework of those efforts, Montenegro added that they are developing in parallel Oceanographic campaigns to support the establishment of new conservation areas and financial compensation mechanisms for fishermen affected by the ban on protected sites.
Another of the measures taken by Portugal is a moratorium at the veto mining tax in deep water until 2050. Likewise, Montenegro He pointed out that his country recognizes the nexus between ocean, climate and biodiversity, and defends that it is reinforced under the framework of the UN Convention on Climate Change, inter alia.
«As David Attenborough reminds us with his experience of about a century, the most important site on Earth is not the earth, but the sea, we know of the key importance of the ocean in our shared future«, Said the political head, who stressed that Portugal is investing in science as the basis of making political decisions in this area. EFE / ECOticias.com