The aviation and shipping sectors are set to be exempt from targeted CO2 emissions cuts in the December Paris climate agreement, according to the latest draft deal. This is an irresponsible U-turn, say environmental groups Seas At Risk and Transport & Environment. CO2 emissions from the two sectors are set to grow by up to 250% by 2050, making attempts to limit global warming to 2°C all but impossible.
Seas At Risk's Swiss member organisation OceanCare is working to raise awareness of the deleterious effects of ocean noise on marine mammals. In particular they have been lobbying the United States' and Greek governments to prevent seismic testing that could seriously harm cetacean life.
An EU level 50% marine litter reduction target for 2020, widely accepted as both necessary and feasible, must be coupled with affordable measures to ensure its success. Retorna have been working over the last five years to show how a Deposit and Return System (DRS) for drinks containers is one of the best tools to help achieve this goal.
Brussels - Spanish waste NGO network Retorna has joined Seas At Risk as their 26th member organisation.
Retorna is a Spanish network of 17 NGOs, consumer and environmental groups, trade unions and recyclers that works to realise a zero waste future and to stop the flow of waste from our society into the Mediterranean. They believe that no waste should be landfilled, incinerated or end up in our forests, rivers or seas.
Spain has far to go if it is to achieve this goal. Only 15% of waste is recycled and barely 9% is composted. Of the 51 million beverage containers put on the market daily, 28 million are sent to landfill or incineration and four million disappear, usually into the environment as litter. In marine litter surveys they make up between 30 and 50%. As a result, Retorna is focused on creating and promoting deposit return schemes as the most efficient and sustainable solution to the problem. The platform also promotes beach clean-up operations and consumer educational projects through its website.
Seas At Risk looks forward to working together with Retorna in our fight against marine litter.
Brussels - The Fisheries Committee of the European Parliament has significantly improved an initial proposal from the Commission on the Baltic Sea multiannual plan adding objectives to bring stocks to sustainable levels and setting fishing levels that will allow for such stock recovery in accordance with the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP).
Seas At Risk is very happy to be wrapping up its 25th anniversary year by welcoming three new member organisations to our network
Brussels - Seas At Risk is dismayed that the new European Commission has announced it will withdraw key environmental legislative proposals in its 2015 work programme, including the vital circular economy package and its waste legislation review.
London – Responding to today’s adoption by the International Maritime Organisation of the long-awaited Polar Code, aimed at regulating shipping in Polar Regions, a coalition of environmental groups criticised the measures for not going far enough to adequately protect the fragile Arctic and Antarctic environments.
London - The North East Atlantic Fisheries Commission (NEAFC) this week agreed to close six new areas totalling around 11,000 square kilometres to bottom fishing to protect vulnerable deep-sea species ecosystems and extended its prohibition on the catch of several shark species.
Brussels - The EU’s Agriculture and Fisheries Council today agreed on deep sea fisheries quotas for 2015 and 2016 that will allow for the continuation of overfishing of these particularly fragile species.
Brussels - Seas At Risk has commemorated its 25th anniversary with a special marine litter policy event followed by a celebratory party at the Museum of Natural Sciences in Brussels.
Brussels - The Commission has released the first regional discard plans aimed at eliminating the practice of discarding unwanted fish back into the sea, as required under the recently reformed CFP. It is questionable, however, whether these plans will actually ensure that perfectly edible fish will no long be thrown overboard.
Belgium, 20-25th October 2014 - Seas At Risk members Project Aware and Sea First Foundation are supporting the Belgian tour of the Ocean Film Festival.
The Ocean Film Festival originated in Australia, but is this month touring in Belgium. The vision of the festival is to inspire one to explore, respect, enjoy, and protect our oceans. Film is at the heart of the Ocean Film Festival Australia and by introducing this tour of the Belgium they aim to share the best films from around the globe with their audiences.During October, the Ocean Film Festival Belgian Tour will screen over 2 hours of the most inspirational, educational and entertaining films related to the ocean from independent film makers from Belgium, the UK, Australia and across the globe.
The festival will include a unique selection of films of varying lengths and styles covering topics such as the oceanic environment, marine creatures, ocean related sports, coastal cultures and ocean lovers.
For more information and the programme of the event
Rome, 9th October - The European marine science community today adopted the ‘Rome Declaration’, reflecting its vision of a future marine science agenda.
Brussels, 6th October - Seas At Risk congratulates Swedish MEP Isabella Lövin, who will be leaving the European Parliament to become Minister of Foreign Aid and Development in the new Swedish government.
Brussels, 4th November 2014: A policy seminar on marine litter and the circular economy.
Brussels - The Commission has released its proposal for bi-annual deep sea quotas for 2015 and 2016.
Brussels - Karmenu Vella, candidate for Commissioner for Fisheries and Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, survived his hearing in the European Parliament relatively unscathed, but without convincing that the Juncker Commission will put sustainability at the heart of their agenda.
In a joint position paper with a wide coalition of environmental NGOs, Seas At Risk has proposed a number of priorities to ensure that European aquaculture develops in an environmentally responsible manner. This is the first time environmental NGOs have presented such a vision on aquaculture.
The European Commission has today issued a headline reduction target for marine litter in Europe as part of its Communication on a Circular Economy. We believe that this target is inadequate and will need to be significantly strengthened to really tackle the problem of waste entering our seas.
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