The UN’s plans are always ambitious. At the only conference of the world community that is exclusively dedicated to the world’s oceans, the aim is to initiate joint measures to save the huge ecosystem. This is the 14th of a total of 17 goals on the UN Agenda 2030. Among other things, 30 percent of the oceans should be under protection in eight years. According to Greenpeace, it is currently less than three percent, but there are different statements.
No cause for optimism
But can one be optimistic before the meeting, which is taking place with a two-year delay due to Corona? On the question of whether concrete results are within reach, the UN said: There will be a declaration on the implementation and facilitation of the protection and conservation of the oceans. And we expect “that all stakeholders, from governments to businesses to civil society, make concrete and realistic voluntary commitments to address the diverse ocean-related issues affecting their communities, countries and beyond.”
The problem lies with the term “voluntary”. Maria Santos from the Portuguese environmental organization Zero is not alone in her opinion: “The Lisbon Declaration will not be binding. That puts the effectiveness in question,” she said in advance.
According to the UNOC, those who will be looking for “innovative, scientifically sound solutions” in Lisbon include the American climate envoy and ex-Secretary of State John Kerry, his Russian colleague Ruslan Edelgeriyev, a close confidante of Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin, and the UN – Secretary-General António Guterres. According to the Portuguese government, heads of state and government such as Emmanuel Macron and Boris Johnson may also want to stop by.