In the World Oceans Day 2024, the NGO Oceana urges all candidates running for membership of the European Parliament to make a serious commitment to returning the health of the sea. Because it is an essential source of food and employment. And an essential element of resilience in the face of the climate crisis
In the World Oceans Day 2024, which coincides with this year’s European elections, Oceana is urging new EU leaders to return abundant biodiversity to the sea. A healthy ocean is essential to address many of Europe’s current challenges in employment, food supply, security and resilience to the climate crisis.
“It is naive to believe that we could face a planetary crisis if we weaken the largest ecosystem on Earth: the ocean. We cannot afford to degrade habitats that should support high biodiversity and are crucial for resilience to climate damage. Protecting and restoring the ocean is a necessity, not a luxury,” said Pascale Moehrle, vice president of Oceana in Europe.
The biodiversity The marine environment plays an essential role in the planetary carbon cycle. The ocean covers more than two-thirds of the planet and has already absorbed more than 90% of the excess heat caused by anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. The combined pressures of rising sea temperatures, overfishing, habitat destruction and pollution threaten the ocean’s ability to perform this buffering function.
Meanwhile, rising sea levels and increasingly extreme weather conditions are making people, businesses and infrastructure increasingly vulnerable to health, supply chain and security issues.
“Without the ocean, we simply wouldn’t have a habitable planet. It is very right that the World Oceans Day 2024 coincides this year with the European Parliament elections. In a world hit by geopolitical instability, economic volatility and extreme weather events, the new EU leaders must ensure that the ocean can remain a source of sustainable food, jobs and energy. It is time to prioritize policies that benefit nature and people, and not just commercial interests,” said Vera Coelho, vice president of Oceana in Europe.
World Oceans Day 2024 and EU policies
The political debates in the run-up to the European elections focused mainly on the cost of living, economic inequality, geopolitical instability and energy security. However, the increasing frequency and severity of weather-related damage underlines the need to accelerate action on climate and nature. The EU has jurisdiction over the largest marine area in the world and must therefore excel in ensuring the sustainability of marine activities. These in turn can be crucial for tackling societal challenges.
By rebuilding fish stocks through science-based fisheries management and habitat protection, the EU can guarantee long-term fish supplies. It can also improve global sustainability by limiting access to the community market – one of the largest in the world – for legal, sustainable and fully traceable fish.
The recovery of fish stocks must go hand in hand with guaranteeing employment in coastal cities and allocating higher quotas to low-impact artisanal fleets. These create more jobs and have a smaller footprint on seabed habitats and vulnerable species.
Effectively protected and restored marine habitats support balanced and abundant marine life that spreads to adjacent areas and increases the ocean’s overall resilience to the climate crisis. Coastal and marine habitats are also important carbon sinks and can act as barriers against climate-related impacts such as storms.
These measures, together with investments in marine renewable energy, are ocean-based solutions to address various societal challenges, from job creation to climate resilience. It is time for EU leaders to seize these opportunities and provide real solutions to the immense challenges facing Europe and our blue planet.