Urgent action is needed to protect oceans
THE world must stop treating seas as a sewer and Britain should play its part by ending the export of plastic waste to countries that may dump it in the ocean, MPs say in the Sustainable Seas report written by the Environmental Audit Committee group of MPs. It calls for urgent action to protect oceans and stop destroying marine life. It focuses on threats to marine life from climate change, overfishing and pollution and sets out action that Britain must now take. The government’s out-of-sight, out-of-mind treatment of the oceans puts marine resources at great risk.
Plastic makes up 70 per cent of litter in the ocean and the amount could treble within 10 years unless urgent action is taken, according to a report by the Commons Environmental Audit Committee. The committee urged Britain to push for a ‘Paris Agreement for the sea’, a reference to the international deal secured in 2015 to tackle global warming. Mary Creagh, the committee’s Labour chairwoman, said: ‘Our children deserve to experience the wonders of the ocean, but climate change poses a triple whammy of threats from ocean warming, deoxygenation and acidification.’
These are stark warnings to Guernsey as Policy & Resources brings in its policy letter for extending the Bailiwick’s territorial seas beyond three nautical miles to 12 miles. It calls into question what record of protection has resulted from the island’s guardianship over the three mile level, particularly with respect to sewage and the problem of plastic waste. We are still dumping all our sewage directly into the sea with no thought of proper sewage treatment. Meanwhile many of our beaches fail internationally recognised bathing water quality tests. And reducing food packaging and removing plastic food containers is slow moving and retailers continue to distribute plastic carrier bags. Will we be seeing more responsibility from our government with the extension of our territorial seas to 12 miles?
DEPUTY DAVID DE LISLE