The state of our ocean is worrying.
Our ocean is not healthy now because the
human activities produced the climate change. The ocean is now suffering.
The carrying capacity of ocean has reached its limit. Overfishing, ocean and
sea pollution and the many other challenges. Many of us have experiences with
oceans. We have seafood from the ocean, but that is not all. And oceans and seas are
largest carbon dioxide sink. Imagine if we do not have the sink where the carbon
dioxide will go? And also, ocean and sea serve as stabilizer for the temperatures
we have on mainland.
The global surface is 70% covered by sea, and our economic growth and
development depends to a very large extent on oceans and seas. A large bulk
of goods and the food and grains, they are shipped by ocean-going ships, and of
course the fish industry and a fishery. If we are deprived from the seafood
available from the oceans, you just imagine what kind of difficulties we're
going to have. So ocean and seas provide directly or indirectly good
opportunities for economic growth and the social equality
some areas needed need urgent action.First, overfishing;
some species of fish are overfished. If we cannot stop them they would disappear
totally. Second is equally serious: pollution. The people are joking, if you drop
a plastic bottle on this side of the Atlantic,
it may be picked up by the other side of the Pacific. Thirdly, the climate change
actually produces the adverse effect on ocean and seas. The melting of iceberg
would raise the sea level.
We are going to have a very important and large conference. I think through
this conference we are perhaps trying to achieve the following objectives:
Number one -- to raise the awareness of the international community about the
importance for the future of mankind, that is the oceans and seas are so
important for us and for our future generations and secondly I would say to
mobilize the support of all international communities, including
national governments, local communities, NGOs and people on the streets, to join
efforts to protect the oceans and seas, to improve the environmental conditions
for them. Thirdly, we are going to encourage some specific actions to be
taken on the ground to protect our ocean and seas last but not least we hope that at
this conference that the international community will be further mobilized for
oceans and seas, and they will be working in genuine
partnership. And if you look
at all these commitments they are submitted on voluntary basis from the
national governments, from NGOs, from the international organizations, and from
many many sectors of the international society, so what I would like to say is
that as ordinary citizens, we can do a lot. Let's join the forces with others in the
community to take action immediately to help our oceans,
help our future.