Greenpeace Urges Protection Of Sargasso Sea
“The UK and the UK Overseas Territory of Bermuda are active members of the Sargasso Sea Commission and well positioned to jointly spearhead a global sanctuary proposal in the Sargasso Sea,” Greenpeace said in their submission submitted to the British Parliament House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee.
In their submission to the Governing the Marine Environment inquiry, the environmental advocacy group said, “The health of the world’s ocean is at breaking point. The ocean regulates our climate, provides food and livelihoods to billions of people and is home to most of our planet’s biodiversity.
“But the ocean is under threat like never before. Industrial fishing, oil and gas extraction, plastic pollution, and the human-caused climate emergency have pushed the world’s ocean into crisis. And new threats, such as the nascent deep sea mining industry, threaten to destabilise the ocean further.”
The organization added, “On the world stage, the government must:
- “Push for the rapid implementation of the Global Ocean Treaty. This means passing the primary legislation required to ratify the Treaty into UK law, and encouraging other states to ratify the Treaty ahead of the UN Ocean Conference in June. The UK played an important role in brokering the Treaty and has a historically strong record on international ocean leadership. The UK government can therefore play a globally significant role in building trust in the Treaty process and in using its diplomatic network to support other states to ratify the Treaty swiftly too.
- “Begin developing proposals for high seas sanctuaries, starting with the Sargasso Sea. To meet the global goal of protecting at least 30% of the world’s ocean by 2030, governments must begin developing global ocean sanctuary proposals ready to present at the Treaty’s first Conference of the Parties. The UK and the UK Overseas Territory of Bermuda are active members of the Sargasso Sea Commission and well positioned to jointly spearhead a global sanctuary proposal in the Sargasso Sea.
- “Use the UK’s diplomatic network to push for a global moratorium on deep sea mining. The UK should be taking a proactive position at the International Seabed Authority to encourage more states to support a moratorium and prevent this dangerous industry from ever starting. The government must also distance itself from the previous government’s position to push for the agreement of a Mining Code, as this is not compatible with support for a moratorium. Additionally, the UK must revoke the two contracts for deep sea mining exploration that it has inherited from the previous government. These contracts not only undermine the government’s strong position on a global moratorium but are also potentially unlawful.
- “Allocate global ocean protection to a Minister in the Foreign Office. Global ocean protection has so far not been allocated to a particular Foreign Office Minister and critical steps on international marine protection – like ratification of the Global Ocean Treaty – have not been prioritised. This minister should have responsibility for global ocean protection and for ensuring that the UK is on course to meet our international obligations, most importantly the 30×30 goal.”
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