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France Hosts One Ocean Summit in Worldwide Search for Sustainable Solutions
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From 9 to 11 February, France is hosting the One Ocean Summit, where heads of state and government representatives from all over the world will descend on Brest, Brittany, in northwestern France to discuss the crises affecting our oceans. As global temperatures rise and ocean plastics multiply, delegates will try to come up with solutions, from anti-pollution measures to improved governance, in an effort to better protect our oceans and marine ecosystems.
Oceans cover close to three-quarters of our planet’s surface, and are essential to the survival of countless species – including our own. They absorb about 25% of the planet’s carbon dioxide, which buffers the impact of global warming. The oceans provide food, medicines, livelihoods, renewable energy and natural resources for people around the world.
The value of goods and services produced by marine and coastal resources is estimated at €2.5 trillion a year. Yet, the oceans are all too often pushed to the sidelines of international climate summits.
The One Planet Summit for the Ocean
As France holds the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, it is hosting, with the backing of the United Nations, the One Ocean Summit in Brest in an effort to mobilize countries to take a more ambitious approach to marine management, and translate our shared responsibility into tangible commitments.
On 9 and 10 February, more than thirty workshops and roundtables will tackle a wide range of issues, from ocean energy and maritime shipping to sustainable tourism and the blue economy. Several initiatives will be launched in matters of marine ecosystem protection, sustainable fisheries, and the struggle to reduce ocean pollution, from plastics in particular.
On 11 February French President Emmanuel Macron will bring together Heads of State and Government, business leaders and policymakers to sign up to a set of new and ambitious commitments.
“There is a role for ‘blue diplomacy’ in a host of areas, from piracy to pollution to overfishing and carbon storage. I think that’s what interests the president,” Olivier Poivre d’Arvor, France’s Ambassador for Marine Issues, told the Guardian.
Find out more: AFD and the Ocean
AFD has committed more than €5 billion over the past 10 years to the maritime and coastal economy and the protection of ecosystems. And by 2025, about 70% of AFD’s ocean projects will have biodiversity and climate benefits.
On Friday at 3 pm, AFD and its partners will hold a press conference where they’ll make a number of announcements tied to the Clean Oceans Initiative steered by AFD, the European Investment Bank and KfW, Germany’s development bank.
The French Facility for Global Environment (FFEM) will attend the Summit for the launch of a project to combat underwater acoustic pollution, and will participate in the Blue Hotspot discussion of noise pollution at sea and its impact on marine diversity on Thursday at 10:45 am. Along with AFD and partners, FFEM will also take part in a participatory conference on the governance of the high seas and the protection of biodiversity Thursday at 6:30 pm.
Find out more: Aquatic ecosystems at the FFEM
The three-day Summit will be broadcast online in both French and English.