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Dear readers,
The forthcoming UN Ocean conference in New York and the Our Ocean conference in Malta are putting oceans in the spotlight. And it makes the question on whether “blue growth” can be compatible with healthy and resilient oceans all the more urgent. It’s impossible not to be concerned when the European Commission includes “deep sea mining experts” in the list of “green jobs” of the future. Deep sea mining has no place in a future shaped by the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development. Seas At Risk has a new video out showing that deep sea mining is incompatible with the circular economy. Watch the video, share it and sing along!
And speaking of the circular economy, we would like to see the European institutions practice what they preach. Their meetings and cafeterias are full of single-use plastic items. In a joint action to fight marine litter, Seas At Risk has challenged the European institutions to break the single-use plastic habit, announce this commitment at the UN Ocean Conference, and make it happen at the Our Ocean conference.
Meanwhile, do you ever wonder why the results of fisheries’ quota negotiations rarely follow scientific advice? Guess who succeeded in taking selfies with national ministers during the quota negotiations coffee breaks? Our joint in-depth report reveals details of fisheries lobbyists in the Council building during the non-transparent quota negotiations.
Further in this newsletter articles on deep sea fisheries, fisheries management in offshore marine protected areas, and the use of dirty fuel by ships in the Arctic.
We hope you enjoy this edition,
The Seas At Risk team
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2017 is certainly putting oceans in the policy spotlight. In the build up to the UN Ocean conference and the Our Ocean conference, declarations by the Commission and statements by the Environmental Council, the European Parliament and the European Economic and Social Committee call for sustainable use of the oceans, highlight the importance of oceans for climate change, and re-affirm the EU’s commitment to enhancing ‘blue’ socioeconomic growth.
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The many precautionary warnings about deep sea mining remain unheeded by the European Commission, which re-affirmed deep sea mining as one of its priority Blue Growth sectors. In its Report on the Blue Growth Strategy: Towards more sustainable growth and jobs in the blue economy, the Commission takes stock of the actions it undertook since the publication of the Communication on Blue Growth in 2012.
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In a psychedelic comeback to the screen, Mr Smashing takes us to his deep sea disco and meets the love of his life. Destroying the deep sea to get metals for our throw-away mobile phones and other e-devices? Seas At Risk thinks it is better to step up efforts on the circular economy – make devices repairable, re-usable, recyclable. Use mineral resources more efficiently and keep them in the economy loop instead of wasting them. Watch our video and share!
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Seven European environmental NGOs are challenging the European Council, Parliament and Commission to practice what they preach and implement greener public procurement in their own buildings by phasing out single use plastics. While the European Parliament and Council negotiate the new Circular Economy legislation and the Commission develops a Strategy on Plastic in the Environment, disposable single use plastic items are still omnipresent in the EU buildings.
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A new investigation by Corporate Europe Observatory and Seas at Risk reveals how Dutch and Spanish fishing lobbies have used press passes to access the EU Council building during crucial ministerial negotiations on fishing quotas. ‘Fishing for Influence’ documents the fishing industry strategy of using press passes to get close to the annual closed-door Agriculture and Fisheries (AgriFish) quota talks at the EU Council.
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Member States are designating more and more marine protected areas in their offshore waters (i.e. beyond 12 nautical miles) in order to protect vulnerable or remarkable marine habitats and species. These areas need to be effectively protected from damaging activities, in particular from certain types of fisheries. International cooperation, following the rules of the Common Fisheries Policy, is key to this.
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In 2016, the European Parliament and the Council adopted a new deep-sea regulation, bringing outdated EU legislation in line with international agreements and scientific developments. To ensure that the new objectives are being achieved as foreseen, Seas At Risk and allied NGOs have written to Commissioner Vella, calling for an effective implementation of the deep sea regulation, to protect deep-sea ecosystems from the harmful impacts of deep-sea fishing.
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A major new study by the International Coalition for Clean Transportation has concluded that the environmental and economic risks of an oil spill of heavy fuel oil (HFO), are much higher than the savings associated with keeping using this fuel.to power ships in the Arctic. HFO is a cheap residue from the refining process, is highly viscous and very difficult to clean up in the event of a spill in cold and ice covered waters.
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Seas At Risk joined over 230 European civil society organisations and trade unions in a common appeal to the leaders of Europe with the following statement. As we mark the 60th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome, we have a momentous opportunity to take stock of how far Europe has come – and how far we still have to go in order to offer a sustainable and prosperous future to everyone in Europe.
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Retorna, a Spanish NGO and a member of Seas At Risk, is committed to fight marine litter. It encourages local governments to adopt deposit return schemes as a way to collect the millions of plastic bottles Spaniards consumed every day. In cooperation with Nikotxan, Retorna published a video to raise awareness on the marine litter problem. This is the second episode of 'Return to the Future', a YouTube Webseries.
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