Former US vice-president Al Gore to address maritime protection conference in Cork
Environmental campaigner Al Gore will address the Fair Seas World Ocean Day Conference in Cork City Hall.
Former US vice-president and environmental advocate Al Gore is among speakers addressing the environmental coalition Fair Seas conference in Cork on Thursday.
Mr Gore will add his voice to the World Ocean Day Conference in City Hall, as a survey by Fair Seas shows the overwhelming majority of Irish people believe protecting sea life and restoring marine habitats should be a priority for the Government.
A Red C poll of 1,000 Irish people in May found almost two-thirds of people (62%) believe Irish seas have worsened in the past decade, while 77% agree that restoring the seas and ocean will protect marine biodiversity and help to tackle climate change.
Three-quarters believe up to 10% of Ireland’s Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) should be fully protected where no damaging activities occur, while 72% of people believe all fishing activities in Ireland should be low-impact and within scientific advice limits, the poll showed.
The Fair Seas coalition, which is made up of groups such as the Irish Wildlife Trust, Birdwatch Ireland, Coastwatch, and Friends of the Irish Environment, last year released an influential report that concluded a mere 2% of Ireland's coast designated as MPAs should increase 18-fold in order to restore and enhance endangered species such as sharks, puffins, and even blue whales.
The Fair Seas World Ocean Day Conference will hear from ocean economist Professor Rashid Sumaila from the University of British Columbia, who is the keynote speaker, as well as Heritage Minister Malcolm Noonan, Mr Gore, and National Geographic explorer-in-residence, world-renowned marine biologist Dr Sylvia Earle.
Chief executive of Irish Environmental Network Karen Ciesielski said Ireland had a "once in a lifetime opportunity to get this right" by adopting legislation that will protect marine habitats and species for generations to come.
"We are calling on Minister Malcolm Noonan to deliver the ambition that the Irish people are clearly demanding through robust legislation without delay," she said.
The marine bill currently going through the Oireachtas aims to cement the country's ambition to protect 30% of its maritime area by the end of the decade. It is due to be published within weeks. The EU's Marine Strategy Framework Directive legally compels member states to establish MPAs.
Prof Sumaila said now was the time for action.
"Our fisheries are vanishing and the ocean is in trouble for all sorts of reasons. We have enough agreements and laws, now we need action.
"Environmental NGOs, civil society, scientists and business all need to come together to make sure we implement the agreements that have been reached.
"We have the capacity, we have the brains, the resources and empathy to turn things around and make the ocean sustainable. It’s not impossible, let’s just get going.”
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