Some 30 heads of state from around the globe participated in the One Ocean summit in Brest, France on Friday, committing to do more to protect the world’s oceans from harm. Hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron, ideas were presented for an international treaty to combat plastic pollution, protect the French Antarctic, and develop marine protected places on the high seas outside of any one country’s jurisdiction, among others.
“2022 will be a decisive year, we should take here, in Brest, clear and firm commitments (…) Europe has a key role to play," said Macron, who created the event to coordinate with other conferences throughout the year on the sea.
Among those present at the one-day summit were European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, US climate envoy John Kerry, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, whose country will host COP27 on climate in November, and Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo of Sousa, who is hosting a UN oceans summit in Lisbon in June.
A number of other heads of state, including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, joined via videoconference or provided a video message during the event.
The Macron presidency announced after the summit that the 27-member European Union and 16 other countries had formed a coalition to formulate a high seas protection agreement this year.
In a joint statement, France and the US said they would support launching negotiations at the upcoming UN Environment Assembly on a global agreement to address the full lifecycle of plastics and promote a circular economy.
“Our mission to protect the ocean needs to be as big as our shared responsibility. That is why we have come to Brest today to join forces and turn the tide. Europe can make a huge contribution, as a maritime power,” von der Leyen said.
The ocean is vital for our food & nutrition security, our economy, our planetary equilibrium & our cultural heritage. We must support the sustainable development of a sector that has great potential for growth. #OneOceanSummit #SDG14 pic.twitter.com/lwsfpP9D9j
— FAO Director-General QU Dongyu (@FAODG) February 11, 2022
Macron also introduced a joint plan with the US to expand and protect the French Antarctic territories.
“It is the ocean that makes life on Earth possible, produces more than half of the oxygen that we breathe and even that is at risk (…) the ocean and climate are inextricably linked, they’re one and the same," Kerry said.
Macron also called for an end to government subsidies that are contributing to overfishing, a major theme already on the agenda at the World Trade Organization.
Where are the fishermen?
Some 150 demonstrators outside the One Ocean summit in the French port town of Brest spoke about “blue washing” the issues about oceans, and expressed their dismay at the lack of other actors who are integral to the oceans.
"No fisherman is invited when scientists tell us that the biggest impact on biodiversity is overfishing," says Thibault Josse of the Pleine Mer association, a group that includes regular people and artisanal fishermen.
Those outside the centre held up signs that read, "No to the looting of the seabed", and "Protection of the oceans at the height of Macron’s hypocrisy".
Groups that advocate for the protection of oceans are concerned that France is looking into exploring the mineral-rich seabed, which could have a negative impact on the underwater ecosystem.
“The exploration of the mineral resources of the ocean (…) must not disturb biodiversity," said French oceanographer Paul Tréguer.
