14.4.2023
EN
Official Journal of the European Union
C 132/109 Thursday 6 October 2022
I. whereas according to the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, marine biodiversity is seriously endangered; whereas the European Environment Agency has issued warnings about the current state of degradation of the European marine environment and the need to rapidly restore our marine ecosystems by addressing the impact of human activities on the marine environment; whereas marine hotspots such as coral reefs, mangroves and seagrass beds are severely degraded and threatened by climate change and pollution;
J. whereas failing to achieve the objectives of the Paris Agreement would have enormous environmental impacts and economic costs, including increasing the likelihood of reaching the tipping points at which temperature levels would begin to limit nature’s ability to absorb carbon in the ocean;
K. whereas whales enhance the productivity of ecosystems and play a significant role in capturing carbon from the atmosphere; whereas each great whale sequesters an average of 33 tonnes of CO2 during its lifetime; whereas according to calculations by the International Monetary Fund, if whales were allowed to return to their pre-whaling numbers, a significant increase in climate-positive phytoplankton would be generated, resulting in the additional capture of hundreds of millions of tonnes of CO2 per year equivalent to the sudden appearance of 2 billion trees (15); whereas the protection of whales should be a priority of international ocean governance;
L. whereas the ocean should be recognised at an international level as a global common and should be protected in the light of its uniqueness and interconnectedness and the essential ecosystem services that it provides, on which current and future generations depend for their survival and well-being;
M. whereas thanks to their geographical characteristics and specificities, the EU’s outermost regions and islands help the EU to benefit from the geostrategic, ecological, economic and cultural dimension of the ocean and give it responsibilities; whereas the outermost regions and islands are among the most affected by climate change in particular and in terms of sustainable development, in comparison to the rest of the EU and the rest of the developed world;
N. whereas the European Environment Agency has defined ocean governance as ‘managing and using the world’s oceans and their resources in ways that keep them healthy, productive, safe, secure and resilient’ (16);
O. whereas the EU’s blue economy provides 4,5 million direct jobs and encompasses all industries and sectors related to the ocean, seas and coasts, such as shipping, seagoing passenger transport, fisheries and energy generation, as well as ports, shipyards, coastal tourism and land-based aquaculture; whereas ocean-related economic issues are an important element of the European Green Deal package and recovery plan, and whereas the development of a sustainable blue economy, in respect of marine ecosystems, could greatly boost economic development as well as job creation, especially in coastal and island countries and regions and in the outermost regions (17);
P. whereas at the One Ocean Summit held in Brest in February 2022, a global coalition for blue carbon was launched by France and Colombia and the high ambition coalition on BBNJ was also launched;
1.
Calls for the EU to stand as a leader in protecting the ocean, restoring marine ecosystems, and raising awareness about the essential role that the ocean plays in maintaining a liveable planet for humans and animals and the numerous benefits it brings to our societies; considers it important, in this context, to improve our relationship with the ocean; encourages the Commission to promote better integration of ocean conservation issues in other policy areas, including at upcoming climate and biodiversity conferences, notably COP15 and COP27;
(15) (16) (17)
International Monetary Fund, ‘A strategy to protect whales can limit greenhouse gases and global warming’, December 2019.
European Environment Agency, ‘Ocean governance’, 5 May 2022.
As affirmed in Parliament’s resolution of 3 May 2022 entitled ‘Toward a sustainable blue economy in the EU: the role of the fisheries and aquaculture sectors’.