Zero Association. Ocean alerts are alarming

The environmental association Zero considered this Saturday, the eve of World Oceans Day, that the ocean's warning signs are alarming and that its protection is urgent.

In a statement, Zero lists some of these signs, such as “seawater temperatures rising at a faster rate than those in the atmosphere, and greenhouse gas emissions not ceasing”.

“The benefits we derive from a planet with a vast ocean are diluted in an economic system that fuels destructive practices, leading to the degradation of ecosystems and continued loss of biodiversity,” adds the association.

Zero also recalls that “more than half of the coral reefs have already disappeared, corals that perform important ecosystem services and are habitat for more than 25% of all existing marine species”.

According to the association, trawling is responsible for the accidental capture of more than 75% of fish species. In Portugal, the trawling fleet represents 14% of the total value of catches, but consumes 32% of public subsidies for fishing.

“This is an inconceivable paradox: destructive practices continue to be financed, despite being clearly unsustainable and constituting unfair competition with small-scale fishing, which has social and cultural value and is environmentally sustainable,” he says.

The association also warns that “despite all the evidence, only 2.7% of the global ocean is effectively protected, and many of these areas do not ensure real protection, lacking effective regulation, management plans, monitoring and adequate budgets. Coverage of protected areas cannot be the only criterion for measuring success”, it argues.

The problem, according to Zero, lies in “fragmented governance, with unclear competences and a lack of effective coordination between entities, associated with a dispersed and misaligned legal framework that makes it difficult to implement integrated actions”.

Zero also reports that it will be present at the third UN Ocean Conference (UNOC3) which begins on Monday in Nice, France, “demanding ambitious, binding and transformative commitments to rescue the ocean from the multiple crises it faces”.