Leaders from 14 countries, including Australia’s Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, and heavyweight-countries such as Indonesia, Japan and Mexico, have set out an ocean action agenda. The 14 countries form the “The High Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy” (the Ocean Panel).
The Ocean Panel has committed to sustainably manage 100% of the ocean area under their national jurisdiction by 2025. That’s an area of ocean of 30 million square kilometres, which is about the size of Africa.
Shipping to be sustainably managed
The Ocean Panel’s newly-released policy agenda, “Transformations for a Sustainable Ocean Economy“, specifically refers to shipping.
The agenda notes that ocean-shipping is the most energy-efficient form of transport and it is vital to international trade. It further notes that maintaining global supply chains will be critical to support recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and future crises.
It adds that “technology to decarbonise and minimise the negative environmental impacts of marine transport exists but must be brought to scale. To ensure the industry is resilient, we must move decisively towards reducing greenhouse gas emissions by investing in solutions now to support rapid decarbonisation”.
Priority actions for shipping and ports
The agenda identifies a series of priority actions:
- Establish early national targets and strategies to support decarbonisation of vessels
- Stimulate the development and adoption of technologies for producing and storing new zero-emission fuels
- Incentivise sustainable, low-carbon ports that support the transition to decarbonised marine transport and shipping fleets through renewable energy and zero-carbon fuel supply chains
- Promote the transition of the global fleet to modern modes of propulsion and renewable fuels, including through strengthened regulations within the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and support technical cooperation for international capacity building
- Minimise the transfer of aquatic invasive species by ships through an effective IMO framework, including its robust implementation
- Apply the global regime for safe and environmentally sound recycling of ships
- Promote quiet vessel programs by ports in sensitive areas, and incentivise the use of vessel-quietening technologies taking into account international guidelines
- Ban the use and carriage for use of heavy fuel oil in the Arctic through the International Maritime Organization.
According to a statement from the High Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy, “a healthy ocean is essential for everyone. More than three billion people rely on food from the ocean each day. The ocean covers 70% of earth and helps transport at least 90% of goods. A healthy ocean contributes [US]$1.5 trillion to the global economy annually and millions of jobs in fishing, tourism, transportation and other sectors. The ocean provides food, energy and medicine. It is the source of recreation, discovery, identity and culture for billions of people. The ocean also stabilizes the climate by absorbing about a quarter of CO2 emissions and producing half of the world’s oxygen”.
Australia’s Prime Minister, Scott Morrison said, “Australians have always had a deep connection to the ocean. It is an integral part of who we are: our culture, lives and livelihoods. Many of our important industries are ocean-based, including fishing, trade, tourism and recreation. Australia is investing in practical solutions to the challenges facing our oceans, to protect our precious marine and coastal ecosystems, such as the Great Barrier Reef”.
The countries involved in the Ocean Panel are Australia, Canada, Chile, Fiji, Ghana, Indonesia, Jamaica, Japan, Kenya, Mexico, Namibia, Norway, Palau and Portugal.
