At the Our Ocean Conference in Panama, Federal Environment Minister Steffi Lemke called on heads of state and government to campaign for binding agreements on international marine protection. The Our Ocean Conference brings together numerous heads of state and government as well as ministers to present concrete measures to protect the oceans. The Federal Environment Ministry is involved in this year’s conference with a total of 12 voluntary projects worth over 300 million euros.
Federal Environment Minister Steffi Lemke: “We need the ocean as a powerful ally in the fight against the climate crisis. But the seas are increasingly suffering from the climate crisis, species extinction and heavy pollution. Effective marine protection therefore requires strong alliances that work towards effective agreements on the climate crisis Protecting the seas, for example to protect the deep sea, against pollution from plastic waste or for marine protected areas on the high seas. If we continue to exploit and pollute the seas in this way, we will also lose the fight against the climate crisis.”
This year’s Our Ocean Conference is being held in Panama in parallel with the crucial phase of the UN negotiations for a marine protection agreement. Therefore, on the eve of the Our Ocean Conference, the Blue Leaders – a group of particularly ambitious marine conservation ministers – gathered in Panama to support the negotiations at the highest level.
Federal Environment Minister Steffi Lemke: “Three months ago in Montreal, the international community agreed to effectively protect at least 30 percent of the seas by 2030. In order to achieve this goal, a comprehensive instrument is urgently needed to designate marine protected areas on the high seas together as “Blue Leaders” we are committed to the strongest possible agreement with high protection standards. One thing is clear: we need a successful conclusion to the negotiations on Friday in New York, the seas need their first global protection agreement.”
Central topics at this year’s Our Ocean Conference are the establishment of new marine protection areas, the pollution of the seas with plastic, the protection of the deep sea and the associated government negotiations, among other things for an internationally binding agreement “End Plastic Pollution” as a founding member of the High Ambition Coalition.
Among other things, the BMUV will support Colombia with a project of the International Climate Initiative to designate marine protected areas and the funding program against plastic waste in the seas now has a total volume of 168 million US dollars.
In the official program of the Our Ocean Conference, Federal Environment Minister Steffi Lemke will take part in a panel on oceans and climate change and will present the promotion of marine protection as part of the natural climate protection action program. Funds from this program will be used for the preservation and renaturation of coastal and marine habitats in the North and Baltic Seas, for example by planting sea gas meadows, salt marshes and algae forests to reduce seaborne CO2 get saved.