Dear readers,
While 15,000 scientists gave a clear warning about the catastrophic fate of the world in a “letter to humanity”, some recent decisions taken by our politicians indicate this warning is being ignored. Examples came from the Fisheries Committee of the European Parliament, with its recent decision to weaken crucial legislation aimed at minimising environmental impacts of fisheries; from the International Maritime Organisation, with its refusal to take immediate action to fight the climate crisis, and from EU Member States that lack the ambition to achieve healthy seas by 2020. To remind the Member States of their 2020 commitment and determined to have a bluer future for our marine waters, Seas At Risk launched the “Save EU seas” petition. Help us by signing and sharing it!
Seas At Risk hopes upcoming events will show our policy makers the need to address the warning of the scientists. At the next meeting of EU Fisheries Ministers, when the fate of the critically endangered European eel will be decided. And in the long awaited European Commission proposal for a plastic strategy, which should include legislative action to reduce single use plastic items – every year we use billions of these items and a lot ends up on our beaches and in the sea, as a recent report of Seas At Risk shows.
With these hopes in our hearts, we wish you all Merry Christmas and a happy 2018!
Seas At Risk's team
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Help us to "save EU seas" by 2020
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Time is ticking. Chances of achieving biologically diverse, clean and healthy seas by 2020 - as required by the Marine Directive - are decreasing every day if urgent action is not taken. Measures proposed by Member States to achieve this noble commitment are too weak and lacking in ambition to achieve it. Meanwhile our seas face increasing pressure. Action is necessary, now!
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Measures adopted by Member States will not give us healthy seas by 2020 - unless urgent action is taken.
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In its new report ‘Tackling overfishing and marine litter’, Seas At Risk undertakes an analysis of fisheries and marine litter measures adopted by Member States under the Marine Directive. While noting some progress, it concludes that much more effort is needed to achieve healthy fish stocks and reduce harm from marine litter by 2020. The report also provides recommendations on the measures needed.
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How to cut ocean plastic pollution? Start with these billions of bottles, straws and coffee cups!
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New figures shine a light on the massive scale of the single use plastic problem in Europe, a problem that is contributing significantly to the ocean plastic pollution crisis yet could easily be addressed with existing policy solutions. Seas At Risk launched a new study that provides some damning figures of the quantities of single-use, on-the-go plastic items that are a common feature of all European lives. The study estimates that, consumed annually in the EU 28 there are: 46 billion beverage bottles, 16 billion coffee cups, 580 billion cigarette butts, ...
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European Parliament Fisheries Committee seriously weakens marine environmental legislation.
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The European Parliament Fisheries Committee today voted on a proposal that will revise legislation on the protection of fisheries resources and marine ecosystems. The proposal merges more than 30 existing regulations and directives, all aimed at minimising the impacts of fishing on ecosystems. However, the proposal seriously weakens or deletes several existing measures.
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NGOs call for the Fisheries Council to agree fishing limits that end overfishing
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On 11 & 12 December, the Fisheries Council will meet to agree fishing quotas for 2018. Ahead of this meeting, Seas At Risk, together with Pew, Oceana, ClientEarth and the Fisheries Secretariat, has called on the Ministers for Fisheries of the EU Member States to follow current scientific advice and take steps to end overfishing.
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Environmental NGOs call on Ministers to ban eel fisheries
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Seas At Risk joined 19 other NGOs in a call to fisheries ministers to ban fisheries for adult eel in all EU waters, including fresh water. Due to anthropogenic impacts there has been a dramatic reduction in the European eel in all the EU in the last 30 years, and less than 5% of the stock is left. Conservation efforts to protect this species have failed up to now. Since 2008 scientists have been advising to close the fisheries, but this has so far been ignored by the Ministers.
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The International Maritime Organisation fails to recognise urgency of climate action
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Calls for urgent action to reduce ship greenhouse gas emissions have been met with heavy push-back by many states and big industry groups meeting at the International Maritime Organisation (IMO). A group of Pacific Island and mainly European states clashed repeatedly with those saying that decisions on immediate measures should await the final iteration of the IMO’s comprehensive GHG strategy in 2023, rather than be part of the “initial” strategy in 2018.
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The EU will reduce ship greenhouse gas emissions if the International Maritime Organisation fails to do so.
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EU governments and Members of the European Parliament have agreed that Europe should act on ship greenhouse gas emissions from 2023 if the International Maritime Organisation fails to deliver effective global measures. Seas At Risk welcomes the strong position taken by the European Parliament and EU governments. The EU’s determination to regulate ship greenhouse gas emissions will increase pressure on the UN body, and help guard against further delay in the agreement of global targets and measures.
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Members of the European Parliament call for a ban on dirty fuel in the Arctic
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Members of the Environment Committee of the European Parliament called for a ban on the use of heavy fuel oil in the Arctic. Heavy fuel oil is the cheapest marine fuel and accounts for three quarters of all fuel carried in the fuel tanks of ships sailing in the Arctic. Heavy fuel oil is also one of the world’s dirtiest fuels, a waste product of the refining process. It is almost impossible to clean up in the event of a spill, and produces high levels of black carbon when burnt. Black carbon emissions accelerate the melting of Artic ice and contribute to climate change.
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Regulating ship speed could cut emissions by a third - study
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Greenhouse gas emissions from three ship types - containerships, bulkers and tankers - could be reduced by a third, on average, by reducing their speed, according to a new independent study. The cumulative savings from reducing the speed of these ships alone could, by 2030, be as much as 12% of shipping’s total remaining carbon budget if the world is to stay under the 1.5ºC global temperature rise, the CE Delft study for NGOs Seas At Risk and Transport & Environment, founding members of the Clean Shipping Coalition (CSC), found.
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Seas At Risk promotes solutions to single use plastic pollution at high level events
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The past month Seas At Risk has been presenting the results of our new study ‘Single-use plastics and the marine environment’ at high level events. On the 6th of November Seas At Risk met with the Vice President of the Commission, Mr Timmermans, together with the Rethink Plastic Alliance of seven leading NGOs working on plastic issues. The meeting came at a crucial time as the European Commission is in the final stages of developing a strategy on plastics in the circular economy.
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Deep sea mining - A sustainable choice for Portugal?
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In October 2017, Seas At Risk together with its Portuguese members organised a conference on ‘Deep sea mining – A sustainable choice for Portugal?’, which was attended by over 100 participants, including Portuguese and Azorean government representatives, NGOs and scientists. The conference also marked the launch of Oceano Livre, a coalition of Portuguese NGOs against deep sea mining.
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Aquaculture - Risks and opportunities in the Baltic Sea
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With its ‘Blue Growth Strategy’, the European Union aims to boost its aquaculture production, both to meet the growing demand for seafood and to foster economic growth and employment. To this end, the 2014 Common Fisheries Policy contains several measures to stimulate aquaculture, as does the 2014-2020 European Maritime and Fisheries Fund.
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We dream of a bluer future!
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2018 is fast approaching. Seas At Risk and its members will be on call with their collective expertise and concrete policy solutions to solve the major challenges our seas are currently facing. Together with our members, we send you season’s greeting and wishes for a bright blue 2018.
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