Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1414163
Karmenu Vella is a former EU Commissioner Karmenu Vella 12 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 26 SEPTEMBER 2021 OPINION LAST Friday the European Un- ion and the EU4Ocean coalition kick started in Malta a series of ocean literacy activities around the Mediterranean. I was hon- oured to open the event, not on- ly because they chose to embark on this ocean literacy journey from Malta, but even more so, because these series of events are a continuation of a number of initiatives that were founded during my tenure in office as EU Commissioner. Back in 2014, the sustainabil- ity of our ocean, the health of our seas, were not at the cen- tre-stage of political discus- sions. Rarely did they feature in public debates and little did we hear about them if not re- garding the fisheries aspect. So together with DG MARE we worked relentlessly to ensure that we bring to fore our ocean and the need to ensure its sus- tainable management into po- litical discussions. Not only within the Commission, other European Institutions, and at Member States level, but also at an international level. Along the way, we could not but realise that our mission to ensure the health and sustaina- bility of our seas required much more than just political atten- tion. Yes, political will is vital, but the decisions taken at polit- ical level are only half the battle. We needed to have everybody on board: politicians; business leaders; the media; our mari- time stakeholders; as well as cit- izens and young people. So, we stepped up our efforts on ocean literacy at every level. Our oceans count for 70% of our planet's surface. They pro- vide half the world's oxygen; absorb more than a third of our emissions and 90% of the plan- et's heat; host more than half of the planet's biodiversity; they are the prime climate regula- tor; provide most of our food; and present endless econom- ic opportunities. It is through ocean literacy that we can grow to appreciate the magnitude of the services oceans provide to us, and the seriousness of man- made impacts. It is through ocean literacy that public opin- ion can shift in favour of pro- tecting the oceans' natural cap- ital, its spectacular biodiversity, and its role in regulating our planet. On Saturday we celebrated the Mediterranean Coast Day. The objective of this yearly cel- ebration is not just to appreci- ate the richness of the Sea that surrounds us, but more impor- tantly to raise awareness on the need to have and maintain a healthy and sustainable Sea. To raise the red flag and resonate our call for action and to en- hance our knowledge about the Sea that surrounds our coast. The Mediterranean Sea forms only 1% of the planet's oceans. Despite its limited size, it is home to 10% of all the species that exist within our ocean and is home to more than 500 million people living along its coast. In addition, it hosts more than 300 million international tourists, that is 30% of the to- tal world tourist arrivals, on a yearly basis. From 1960 to date the population along the Med- iterranean coast has more than doubled in size. This means that environmental pressures on our Sea have increased consider- ably. Thousands of tonnes of plastic waste are dumped into this Sea, on a yearly basis, and in certain areas, concentrations of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) exceed 100μg/m3 compared to the global average of 40 μg/m3. Our unsustainable actions are pushing the seas beyond their limits. Consequently, we are threatening our own exist- ence and that of the millions of other species that depend on them. In our battle to minimise these pressures we need to en- sure that every human being, especially younger generations, develop knowledge about their dependency on the ocean. Scientists and researchers work tirelessly to deepen our knowledge of the ocean. Excit- ing new discoveries are being made almost every day. We must ensure that this knowl- edge is passed on to our chil- dren and grandchildren, the ocean champions of tomorrow. They will be far more knowl- edgeable than we are today, and they will in turn pass on the responsibility for our oceans' well-being to their own children and grandchildren. So, I urge everyone to continue spreading the word. To awaken our love of the oceans, including the Med- iterranean Sea, and to inspire every human being to act. Making the oceans everybody's concern It is through ocean literacy that we can grow to appreciate the magnitude of the services oceans provide to us, and the seriousness of man-made impacts