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Massive investment in offshore wind energy, ecological transport and aquaculture. Arctic oil extraction and seabed mining, on the other hand, are not sustainable, according to Erna Solberg’s marine panel expert report.
– Building a sustainable economy is one of the greatest opportunities of our life, says Prime Minister Erna Solberg. Now present the main findings of the ocean panel. the photo was taken outside of Runde in Sunnmøre.
Heiko Junge / NTB
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On Wednesday, Erna Solberg and 13 other heads of state and government will launch their global action plan for clean and rich seas. 240 researchers and experts from around the world have contributed a professional report that is presented at the same time as the conclusions of the High Level Panel, which Solberg has led.
Greater use of the sea can help solve humanity’s challenges, is one of the main messages of the sea panel.
At the same time, it is noted that many of the sea’s resources are today overloaded, that the condition is alarmingly bad and that life at sea is seriously threatened.
The offshore wind revolution will be crucial for ecological change in the offshore economy, according to the Global Action Plan for the Sea.
Fredrik Refvem, Aftenbladet (archive)
Seafood revolution
But to solve the climate crisis, secure food supplies, and preserve marine ecosystems for future generations, the oceans must play a crucial role. And the potential is formidable, according to the panel:
- Offshore wind turbines can produce 23 times more energy than the world’s total electricity consumption today. Floating PV systems also stand out as another promising option.
- We can produce six times more food from the oceans than we do today. Fish catches can increase by 20% above current levels if stocks are taxed in an economically sustainable way. But if we continue with overfishing, this could threaten global food security.
- Fish farming can be of formidable importance, but only if production takes place without a negative impact on surrounding ecosystems and if the food does not come from wild-caught fish.
- The cultivation of algae, seaweed, mussels and oysters can make a valuable contribution to the global production of nutritious food and feed, without serious environmental effects.
Read on E24 +
More than 200 Norwegian companies made income from offshore wind last year
Out of the fossil age
The economic benefit from investments in the proposed measures will yield a five-fold increase in performance over the next 30-year period, the report states.
Farming of fish and other species will be more important in future food production if it is carried out in an environmentally friendly way. The image is from an installation on Sørfjorden by Osterøy in Vestland County.
Tor Høvik, Bergens Tidende (archive)
For example, converting to greener shipping and other measures could create 12 million new jobs, the report states.
“Sustainable maritime economies can lift millions of people out of poverty and contribute 20 percent of the climate cuts needed to reach the 1.5 degree target in the Paris Agreement,” he said.
Climate and prosperity
Prime Minister Erna Solberg took the initiative of the action plan.
– For too long we have perceived that there is a contradiction between the protection of the sea and the production of the sea. We don’t do that anymore. The oceans feed us, stabilize the climate and give us greater prosperity, Solberg says in a statement in connection with the launch.
– Sustainable use of fishery resources is necessary to ensure the world’s food supply. The photo was taken while fishing for cod off Senja.
Cornelius Poppe / NTB
The 14 countries on the marine panel are now committed to the sustainable management of all their marine and coastal areas by 2025.
This means that about 40 percent of the world’s coasts and 30 percent of exclusive economic zones will be covered by the plans.
Protection and protection
Solberg and the leaders of the other 13 countries are also challenging the rest of the world’s coastal states to do the same by 2030.
Countries also support the goal of protecting and protecting 30 percent of the world’s oceans through marine protected areas and other conservation measures by 2030.
Solberg has chaired the so-called high-level panel with the president of Palau, a Pacific island nation. Heads of state and government from 14 coastal states have participated in the ocean panel, including Australia, Indonesia and Mexico.
– The whale in the room
The experts behind the report also throw a small torch into the debate over oil extraction in the High North by stating that extraction in marginal and vulnerable areas like the Arctic is not compatible with climate goals and a sustainable marine economy.
Lokese Castle with its “chimneys” is located in a volcanic area in the mid-Atlantic mountain range between Svalbard and Jan Mayen. This is one of the areas that is being explored, among other things, in terms of mineral resources.
University in Bergen
Another of the government’s new areas of focus is the extraction of minerals from the seabed. On the Norwegian platform alone, it is estimated that these resources can provide an annual income of NOK 180 billion. Norway has potentially huge deposits of seafloor minerals that are needed in everything from solar panels to electric car batteries.
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Big players are positioning themselves for Norwegian offshore wind development
But according to experts, there is still so much uncertainty about environmental effects and legal conditions that mining at the bottom of the sea does not belong to a sustainable marine economy.
– Such activities may also be in conflict with the UN’s sustainability goals, states the report.
– Covid-19 has hit hard
The “Give it 100%” campaign will kick off in connection with the launch of the ocean panel report. The scientific journal Nature also does a special issue with several of the panel’s expert reports. The Norwegian launch will take place in Oslo on Thursday.
– Norway is a port nation, and I put my power and that of the government to implement the package of measures presented by the maritime panel, Prime Minister Erna Solberg says in a press release.
Solberg also points out that the covid-19 pandemic has hit industries like shipping, fishing and tourism hard.
– Strong international cooperation in the blue-green sea is more important than ever. We must better protect the sea, so that we can produce healthier food, clean energy, secure jobs and transportation at sea, he says.
