World faces ‘ocean emergency’, UN warns, as activists urge action
27 Jun 2022, Al Jazeera

The world is facing an “ocean emergency”, United Nations chief Antonio Guterres has warned, as thousands of activists, scientists and leaders gathered at the UN Ocean Conference in Portugal’s capital to call for strengthening sea-protection
measures.

“We have taken the ocean for granted,” Guterres told policymakers, experts and advocates at Monday’s opening plenary in Lisbon, describing how seas have been hammered by climate change and pollution.

“I am urging all participants at the UN Ocean Conference to right these wrongs and do our part for the ocean. We must take action and turn the tide,” he said.

Drawing people from more than 120 countries, the five-day Ocean Conference is focused on restoring the health of the oceans, which cover 70 percent of the Earth’s surface and provide food and livelihoods for billions of people.

Oceans are home to an estimated 700,000 to one million species and produce more than half of the world’s oxygen. However, they have been facing the impact of climate change, including global warming, pollution, and acidification.

On a beach in Lisbon on Monday, activists with the Ocean Rebellion group held a demonstration carrying placards that read, “As the sea dies, we die”.

“The world’s largest ecosystem … is still unprotected and is dying as we watch,” the activist group said.

The conference, which is jointly hosted by Portugal and Kenya, is set to adopt a declaration that, though not binding on its signatories, could help implement and facilitate the protection and conservation of oceans and their resources, according to the
UN. The declaration is due to be endorsed on Friday.

At the event, Guterres appealed to governments and companies to commit more funds to help create a sustainable economic model for managing the oceans.

Scientists warn that a drastic reduction in greenhouse gases is needed to restore ocean health.

Activists also say that climate change is pushing ocean temperatures to record levels and making them more acidic. Absorbing about a quarter of CO2 pollution – even as emissions have soared over the last 60 years – has turned seawater acidic,
threatening aquatic food chains and the ocean’s capacity to absorb carbon.

“We have only begun to understand the extent to which climate change is going to wreak havoc on ocean health,” said Charlotte de Fontaubert, the World Bank’s global lead for the blue economy.

Making things worse is an unending torrent of pollution, including a garbage truck’s worth of plastic every minute, according to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

Global fisheries will also be in the spotlight during the five-day event.

“At least 1/3 of wild fish stocks are overfished and less than 10% of the ocean is protected,” Kathryn Matthews, chief scientist for the United States-based non-profit Oceana, told AFP news agency.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/6/27/world-faces-ocean-emergency-un-warns-as-activists-urge-action

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

On Tuesday, June 28, 2022 at 3:01:08 PM UTC+8, David P. wrote:

World faces ‘ocean emergency’, UN warns, as activists urge action
27 Jun 2022, Al Jazeera

The world is facing an “ocean emergency”, United Nations chief Antonio Guterres has warned, as thousands of activists, scientists and leaders gathered at the UN Ocean Conference in Portugal’s capital to call for strengthening sea-protection

measures.

“We have taken the ocean for granted,” Guterres told policymakers, experts and advocates at Monday’s opening plenary in Lisbon, describing how seas have been hammered by climate change and pollution.

“I am urging all participants at the UN Ocean Conference to right these wrongs and do our part for the ocean. We must take action and turn the tide,” he said.

Drawing people from more than 120 countries, the five-day Ocean Conference is focused on restoring the health of the oceans, which cover 70 percent of the Earth’s surface and provide food and livelihoods for billions of people.

Oceans are home to an estimated 700,000 to one million species and produce more than half of the world’s oxygen. However, they have been facing the impact of climate change, including global warming, pollution, and acidification.

On a beach in Lisbon on Monday, activists with the Ocean Rebellion group held a demonstration carrying placards that read, “As the sea dies, we die”.

“The world’s largest ecosystem … is still unprotected and is dying as we watch,” the activist group said.

The conference, which is jointly hosted by Portugal and Kenya, is set to adopt a declaration that, though not binding on its signatories, could help implement and facilitate the protection and conservation of oceans and their resources, according to

the UN. The declaration is due to be endorsed on Friday.

At the event, Guterres appealed to governments and companies to commit more funds to help create a sustainable economic model for managing the oceans.

Scientists warn that a drastic reduction in greenhouse gases is needed to restore ocean health.

Activists also say that climate change is pushing ocean temperatures to record levels and making them more acidic. Absorbing about a quarter of CO2 pollution – even as emissions have soared over the last 60 years – has turned seawater acidic,

threatening aquatic food chains and the ocean’s capacity to absorb carbon.

“We have only begun to understand the extent to which climate change is going to wreak havoc on ocean health,” said Charlotte de Fontaubert, the World Bank’s global lead for the blue economy.

Making things worse is an unending torrent of pollution, including a garbage truck’s worth of plastic every minute, according to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

Global fisheries will also be in the spotlight during the five-day event.

“At least 1/3 of wild fish stocks are overfished and less than 10% of the ocean is protected,” Kathryn Matthews, chief scientist for the United States-based non-profit Oceana, told AFP news agency.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/6/27/world-faces-ocean-emergency-un-warns-as-activists-urge-action

Every time they come up again on this subject, one can smell there is an agenda for them to gather as many countries to cast all their blames on China for their over fishing of fish stock in the oceans.

One can see they never blame Japan for harpooning huge whales under the pretext of science investigation. Not a surprise, the ocean fishery activists are holding their meeting with the blessing and hosting by the UN secretary general.

We can be sure again that it will no e surprise to expect the US president will be issuing an executive order to set up a committee by their white men countries such as AUKUS to come up a plan in 60 days to play ball or stop or criticize China for their
fishing at sea.

This is another NATO-nized policy of the US in seeking out members through their permanent friends in AUKUS to attack another countries for affecting them.

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)