Why do we really need to save the oceans?
Audio 13:47
Emmanuel Macron gave the opening speech of the One Ocean Summit in Brest, February 11, 2022. © LUDOVIC MARIN / POOL / AFP
By: Alexandra Cagnard Follow
2 mins
2022 is an important year for our oceans.
Several summits and conferences will be dedicated to them in Kenya, Portugal and China.
A first meeting took place at the beginning of February in France in Brest, the “One Ocean Summit”.
What are the dangers lurking in our seas and how can safeguard solutions be quickly found?
In this podcast, we find Jeanne Richard who is a journalist in charge of the environment at RFI.
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Jeanne Richard was present in Brest for this first summit dedicated to saving the oceans.
In this episode of
Witnesses to the news
, she explains what this type of summit looks like: "
What's interesting is that it brings together eminent ocean researchers, diplomats, business leaders, economic actors, and NGOs who will be able to pool their knowledge
”.
Jeanne specifies that we only know 10% of the oceans: “
Today, it is as if we were setting foot in the Amazon forest for the first time
”.
The oceans are essential to the survival of the planet: “
They are the world's leading producers of oxygen.
We owe them one out of every two breaths
.”
Overfishing is the first danger that threatens.
There is, explains Jeanne, “
a difference of vision between the countries of the North and the countries of the South which have all the difficulties in the world to negotiate balanced fishing treaties with the great powers like the European Union and China
”.
This podcast also addresses the question of the high seas, that is to say all the space that is beyond 200 nautical miles from the coast and which represents 45% of the surface of the earth.
"
It's the Wild West,
" says Jeanne
.
There are no rules, the boats do more or less what they want.
The challenge will be in particular to reach an agreement concerning the redistribution of the wealth that can be found in this high sea
”.
As with the climate issue, there are two opposing ideas of economic development.
If promises of concrete actions are recorded, binding agreements have not yet emerged.
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Jane Richard