The lost chance to save our oceans

French President Emmanuel Macron hosted the 'One Ocean Summit' in Atlantic coastal city Brest from February 9 to 11, in which representatives of more than 100 countries committed measures aimed at preserving the ocean from illegal fishing, plastic pollution and better governance of international waters.

The goal of this summit was to raise the collective ambition of the international community on threats faced by oceans and to translate our shared responsibility into tangible commitments. This was an unprecedented international political engagement to thrash out solutions to pressing maritime problems.

Participating in the virtual summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, "India has always been a maritime civilisation. Our ancient scriptures and literature talk about the gifts of the oceans including marine life. Today, our security and prosperity are linked to the oceans." He also confirmed his commitment to eliminating single-use plastic and his willingness to be part of the global initiative on this issue.

Oceans cover more than 70% of the earth’s surface. Scientists estimate that 80% of all life on earth is found under the ocean surface. It plays a crucial role in carbon sequestering; generating at least 50% of the oxygen. Similar to the tropical forests of Amazon, marine life plays an important function in mitigating climate change.

The health of the oceans is intricately linked to all life forms on the planet.

The oceans are facing threats from multiple sources. Though dumping of plastic is widely known as a major threat, industrial pollution, destruction of fragile coral reefs, climate change, unbridled tourism and overexploitation of marine resources are causing irreversible damage that may lead to the emptying of life in the ocean by 2048.

The summit did address some of these problems and there were commitments by nations and companies to implement policies that will protect biodiversity. Nevertheless, most of these were individual assurances of voluntary action rather than commonly agreed goals. Bhupendra Yadav, Environment Minister representing the Indian government, said that there is a need for action to prevent and reduce marine litter, but stressed voluntary domestic action by countries.

Unfortunately, these country-level responses are not going to have any drastic impact in addressing the myriad problems that have trans-boundary implications. Speaking on behalf of developing countries, Hage Geingob, President of Namibia, said, "We do not pollute much in Africa; it is you, the developed countries, that pollute more. We do not produce plastic and yet we are the first to suffer the consequences."

The biggest threat to the ocean is industrial fishing. Huge ships with trawlers scoop the sea for targeted fish like tuna and in the process, cause collateral damage that is called ‘by catch’ killing 6,50,000 marine mammals like sharks and dolphins that enhance. Ironically, developed countries like the USA and those in the European Union provide an annual subsidy of $40,000 to this fishing industry.

With powerful vessels and the backing of their governments, these shipping lines are decimating marine life at a staggering speed, leading to the destruction of coral reefs. While coastal countries in Africa face starvation due to the lack of marine catch, the illegal fishing industry supported by powerful countries have stolen the fish harvest to meet the ever-growing fish market worldwide. Shockingly, 50 million sharks are killed every year, which never gets media attention. In addition to this, the seabird population has decreased by 70% over the last four decades.

Deep-sea mining is another grave threat to the ocean. This is done to explore and exploit mineral resources lying beneath the seabed. The Indian government is one of the 31 contractors that have secured permission for deep-sea mining. India has allocated 41 billion rupees for this project. The government does not want to recognise the damage it will cause to marine life and diversity.

Though our prime minister has recalled our scriptures about the gift of oceans, in reality, most of our industrial pollutants and municipal sewage is directly dumped into the coastal waters without treatment. Oceans are fed by rivers that bring nutrients through sediment flows along the rivers. However, with most of the rivers dammed, this crucial function gets disrupted with marine life facing an acute shortage of food, leading to decreased fish catch.

Human actions over the past decades have caused irreversible damage to marine ecosystems. Political and business leaders who could have made the difference at the 'One Ocean Summit' have squandered the opportunity to rescue the ocean. ‘Blue diplomacy’ has failed, leading to ‘blue washing’ of the issues.

Oceans are ripped off their resources on a scale unprecedented in the history of mankind. The need of the hour is a committed global response, bold actions with equitable partnerships to enable communities to build resilience to threats.

The oceans are crying for mercy. The summit has failed to respond to their call.