The “2022 United Nations Conference to Support the Implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 14: Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development” (2022 UN Ocean Conference) will be held from 27 June – 1st July 2022 in Lisbon, Portugal. The theme is “Scaling up ocean action based on science and innovation for the implementation of Goal 14: stocktaking, partnerships and solutions”.

On June 27th，the delegation of China Biodiversity Conservation and Green Development Foundation (CBCGDF) attended the opening ceremony of plenary meeting in Lisbon, Portugal.

Mr. António Guterres, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, delivered a speech.

He said: "We live on a blue planet, and the ocean connects us all. It's a pity that we sometimes take the ocean for granted." Today, the ocean is facing an emergency, and we must turn it around and slow global warming. Many major coastal cities and island nations are at risk of flooding because of rising sea levels. Global warming and ocean acidification are disrupting the ocean's food chain. More and more coral reefs are bleaching or dying, and coastal ecosystems such as seagrass and wetlands are degrading. Nearly 80% of wastewater is discharged into the sea untreated, and about 8 million tons of plastic waste is thrown into the ocean every year, which could outweigh the fish in the ocean by 2050 if no drastic action is taken.

He mentioned that more progress had been made in negotiating a legally agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction, and a new treaty was being negotiated to address the global plastic crisis in the oceans.

He recommends that all stakeholders be able to invest in a sustainable marine economy to enable access to renewable energy, which requires new long-term goals.

First, sustainable ocean management can help the oceans produce up to six times as much food and 40 times as much renewable energy, and a sustainable ocean economy business model is needed to impact the marine environment and related industries.

Second, to prevent and reduce all kinds of marine pollution, both from land and sea, means expanding effective trans-regional protection measures and integrated coastal management.

Third, we must protect the oceans, and the people who depend on them need to be protected from the effects of climate change. We should do more to restore and protect coastal ecosystems like mangroves, wetlands and coral reefs.

Fourth, we need more science and innovation to drive us to a new chapter in global ocean administration.

Original Chinese Article: https://m.weibo.cn/status/4785047267967264?wm=3333_2001&from=10C6193010&sourcetype=weixin

Translator: Sara

Editor: Lucy     

Contact: v10@cbcgdf.org; +8617319454776

Contribution

Do you know? CBCGDF is a non-profit organization. We rely on crowd-funding and donations. You have the opportunity to help us to advance biodiversity conservation. Donate TODAY to power up the movement to make it a better world for all life.

https://www.paypal.me/CBCGDFChina 

http://www.cbcgdf.org/English/ConfirmDonaTion/0.html