Call from beneath the waves to save planet’s ‘beating blue heart’
In a striking speech delivered from deep below the ocean’s surface, the Seychelles president has made a global plea for stronger protection of the “beating blue heart of our planet.”
President Danny Faure’s call for action, the first-ever live speech from an underwater submersible, came from one of the many island nations threatened by global warming.
He spoke during a visit to an ambitious British-led science expedition exploring the Indian Ocean depths. Oceans cover over two-thirds of the world’s surface but remain, for the most part, uncharted.
Speaking from a manned submersible 400ft below the waves, on the seabed off the outer islands of the African nation, President Faure said: “This issue is bigger than all of us, and we cannot wait for the next generation to solve it. We are running out of excuses to not take action, and running out of time.
“From this depth, I can see the incredible wildlife that needs our protection, and the consequences of damaging this huge ecosystem that has existed for millennia. Over the years, we have created these problems. We can solve them.”
The president said after his speech that the experience was “so, so cool,” and had made him more determined than ever to speak out for marine protection.
“We just need to do what needs to be done,” he said.
The oceans’ role in regulating climate is underestimated by many, even though as Faure pointed out they generate “half of the oxygen we breathe.”
Land erosion, dying coral reefs and the increased frequency of extreme weather events threaten the existence of small island nations, and some have found creative ways to express their concerns. Faure’s speech came a decade after members of the Maldives’ Cabinet donned scuba gear and used hand signals at an underwater meeting highlighting global warming’s threat to the lowest-lying nation on earth.
Currently only about 5 per cent of the world’s oceans are protected. Countries have agreed to increase the area to 10 per cent by 2020. But experts and environmental campaigners say between 30 and 50 per cent of the oceans should get protected status.
During the expedition, marine scientists from the University of Oxford used submersibles and drones to explore areas of great diversity 500m down, where sunlight weakens and the deep ocean begins. Their findings will inform ongoing United Nations talks aimed at forging the first high seas conservation treaty.
Oceans will be one of the seven main themes of this year’s UN climate summit in Chile in December.