Government urged to help protect world’s oceans
VISITORS to a Greenpeace exhibition in Leicester signed a petition calling on the Government to offer strong support for the UN Global Ocean Treaty.
Final negotiations will take place next month on the wording of the treaty, designed to protect the world’s oceans.
Ahead of this, Greenpeace Leicester staged the Greenpeace Ocean Experience exhibition at the city’s Secular Hall, in Humberstone Gate.
Wildlife such as walruses, whales, giant jellyfish and penguins were featured in stunning photos taken from aboard the Greenpeace ship the Esperanza, which is travelling from Pole to Pole and is currently in the Antarctic.
There was also a presentation from a guest speaker and visitors had the opportunity to experience a virtual reality 3D simulation of the Antarctic Ocean narrated by Javier Bardem.
Poppy, a Greenpeace volunteer from Leicester, said MPs had been invited to the exhibition, but none had attended.
She said: “As an island nation, we know how important our oceans are for food, tourism and to protect us in the climate emergency.
“It’s a shame that our MPs couldn’t make it, but we hope they can support the campaign by signing Greenpeace’s Protect the Oceans Declaration.”
Fellow volunteer, Richard, from Loughborough, said: “We put on this exhibition to show the risks that wildlife such as penguins face from overfishing, melting ice and plastic pollution. It’s vital we protect at least 30 per cent of our oceans by 2030.”
A Greenpeace Leicester spokesman said: “Our oceans are the biggest carbon sink on earth, storing 50 times more carbon than the atmosphere.
“They are our best ally in the fight against climate change, but currently less than 5 per cent of the world’s oceans are protected.”