The UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres today appealed to governments and companies to join the fight for rescuing the dying oceansby committing more funds to help create a sustainable financial model for their management.
About 7,000 people They are expected to attend the UN Conference on the Oceans in Lisbon, including heads of state, scientists and non-governmental organizations, who will assess progress in implementing a guideline for the protection of marine life.
“Unfortunately we took the oceans for granted and today we are facing what I would call an ‘ocean emergency,'” Guterres said. “We have to reverse this trend.”
Guterres said they needed symbiotic business models that could help the oceans produce more food and more renewable energy.
“This means new levels of long-term funding,” he said.
The oceans cover about 70% of the planet’s surface, produce 50% of oxygen and absorb 25% of total carbon dioxide emissions.
However, climate change is pushing ocean temperatures to record levels and making them more acidic, Guterres said, adding that about eight million tonnes of plastic waste enter the oceans each year.
“Without decisive action, by 2050 the weight of plastics in the oceans may be greater than that of all the fish that live in them”said the UN Secretary General.
In March, UN member states failed to agree on a treaty to protect the high seas from exploitation.
Peter Thompson, the UN Special Envoy for the Oceans, told Reuters he was convinced there would be a consensus this year.
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