A performance at the OOC. The OOC events are hosted by a different government each year and are characterized by delegates from states, organizations and philanthropic funds making considerable commitments for ocean conservation and pledging large amounts of money to carry out these actions. Image Credit: Courtesy of Our Ocean Conference
Environment GreecePledging Billions, All to Protect Our Oceans
At the 9th Our Ocean Conference (OOC) in Athens, Greece, delegates from states, organizations, and philanthropic funds pledged $11.3 billion to protect oceans through commitments such as establishing marine protected areas (MPAs), combating illegal fishing, protecting marine biodiversity, and fighting climate change.
“I would like to finish by reminding us that the future does not belong to us,” says Theodoros Skylakakis, Greece’s minister of environment and energy. “It belongs to our children and grandchildren in the generations to come. And for them, we have to succeed.”
By the end of the conference, 469 new commitments were made, including one major from Greece, the host country, to establish two new MPAs in the Aegean and Ionian seas, ban trawling in its MPAs by 2026, and enforce the ban through monitoring and surveillance. The European Union made 40 commitments, including supporting sustainable fisheries, MPAs, and ocean and climate research. The United States pledged $103 million to establish new programs and stimulate existing ones to strengthen marine preservation, build resilient blue economies, and address the impacts of the climate crisis. With only 7.9% of the global ocean currently protected and 4.2% fully or highly protected, much more work must be done to preserve 30% of land and sea by 2030. Pressure has been placed on countries that signed the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction treaty – also known as the High Seas Treaty – to ratify it so that it can take effect. The 10th Our Ocean Conference is set to take place in Busan, South Korea.
