EU: 2022 must see action on oceans, biodiversity, plastics

UNITED NATIONS — The European Union’s environment chief said Thursday that 2022 must be the year for an ambitious agreement on the oceans, for action that protects the world’s biodiversity, and for starting negotiations to tackle the global crisis of plastic pollution especially at sea. Virginijus Sinkevicius, the EU commissioner for environment, oceans and fisheries, told a U.N. news conference that precious time to save nature and the oceans has been lost over the past two years because of the COVID-19 pandemic and the 27-member bloc is determined to move ahead quickly to steer “a global green transition.” “This year must be the year of the oceans. “This year we must find a window of opportunity to reach agreements that will change the world for better.” Sinkevicius said a top priority for the EU is to reach “a Paris moment for biodiversity” -- like that in Paris in 2015 when world leaders reached the landmark climate agreement which set a target of keeping global warming below 2 degrees Celsius since pre-industrial times. They are trees, oceans and healthy ecosystems.” The Lithuanian politician said that at the 15th conference of parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity in Kunming, China from April 25-May 9 there must be “a genuinely transformative moment for biodiversity, and this requires a strong political engagement from all at the highest level.” The most important outcome at that conference should be agreement to protect 30% of the planet’s land and oceans by 2030, and also restore degraded ecosystems, he said.