Young people who will once again take the streets across Europe on Friday 7 February 2020 have understood it: oceans need protection as much as any other ecosystem on the planet.
Friday's march, as part of the Fridays for Future movement, is supported by Ocean Week 2020, a civil society coalition that tells the dire truth: "Overfishing. Pollution. Acidification. Warming. Our precious ocean and the life that calls it home are now more at risk than ever before."
Unfortunately, the 12 facts listed by the Swedish Greens - Miljöpartiet de gröna - in 2017 still hold true. Beyond the much needed and civil society-led week-long campaign filled with events and on-line activism, there is a need for immediate and strong political action. The European Greens share the claim of the Ocean Week coalition that "Europe has the power to lead in its protection and restoration."
The slightest changes in ocean temperatures have a massive and direct impact on the Earth's climate, thus their protection is absolutely crucial in safeguarding a liveable planet for all citizens.
In our recent resolution, adopted during the 30th EGP) Council in Tampere in November 2019, the European Greens laid out our ambition for marine areas, recalling that the situation requires us to "engage in a dramatic effort to protect them". The most prominent call is for all EU member states to designate at least 30% of their territorial waters as Marine Protected Areas by 2030. The European Greens also insist on the need to involve citizens and communities in the protection of these areas.
