The special envoy of the White House for the weather, John Kerryurged this Tuesday to act before the climate crisis and to save the oceans from the conviction that the challenges to avoid collapse are very great and that ambition is not enough. “There is no time to lose”he emphasized.
Kerry spoke this Tuesday at the opening of the ninth “Our Ocean” 2024 Conference taking place in Athens (Greece), a country with a special connection to the ocean and thousands of kilometers of coastline.
“There is no better place to talk about climate impacts than Greece“We do not have time to waste to fight against all of them because we must think as humanity.”Kerry recalled.
The president expressed his confidence that more ambitious agreements can be reached in Greece to fight against the impacts on the ocean and emphasized the responsibility as citizens of the planet in the protection and conservation of the ocean and its resources.
“We have to be aware of the impacts of the ocean on the climate”he noted, before recalling the warnings from scientists about the climate crisis: “If we don't act now, we are heading towards collapse.”
“Our collective action must serve to preserve the ocean, which is the resource of life on the planet, but we cannot forget the impact of the climate crisis on the ocean, and we cannot protect the ocean if we do not act against the crisis. climate,” he said.
For his part, the Greek Prime Minister, Kyriákos Mitsotakisassured that Greece is hosting a conference focused on the blue economy and the potential of the ocean, because three quarters of the planet is occupied by the ocean, which provides many services, livelihoods and food to millions of people along the coastline.
However, he recalled that Sea level continues to rise in a way that endangers thousands of people who live on the coasts.
As he explained, this conference will create a new guidance model for ocean protection, since it is an “inclusive” forum, in which small island states and others affected by the impacts of climate change also participate.
According to Mitsotákis, the environment and the ocean are on the political agenda, but efforts must be redoubled to protect and conserve marine resources and fight against climate change, plastic pollution, microplastics, for sustainable tourism, overfishing and safe maritime transport, always thinking about future generations.
Greek Environment Minister Theodoros Skylakis, for his part, said that as host Greece is committed to new goals to save the ocean without forgetting humanity.