End clap for the One Ocean Summit, in Brest, to which around twenty heads of state responded, physically or remotely. This Friday morning, a small group of environmental activists led by Greenpeace reiterated their warning message regarding the decisions that are expected at this summit, which opens a year of major meetings on the preservation of the oceans
From our special correspondents in Brest,
A hundred militants, two gendarmes on duty on the other side. The gathering, operated by a small group of NGOs including Greenpeace and Pleine Mer, shone less than the sun which was gradually rising over the harbor of Brest. But the fundamental messages, hammered home upstream of the One Ocean, have been tirelessly repeated: no to overfishing, no to the exploitation of the deep sea for their mineral resources.
At the end of a red carpet rolled out on the ground, a statue of Emmanuel Macron parodied as the king of hypocrisy. And at his feet, Gaëlle, who came with her family. ” I wanted us to demonstrate and be present to show that we do not agree with this anti-social and anti-environmental policy. We exploit nature, the environment, the planet without thinking about tomorrow. As a result, I am very worried about the future of my children. “His son Ronan, 14, is also mobilized with a sign “Save our oceans”: ” The oceans are one of the largest ecosystems on our planet and if we fail to protect it, there will be plenty of disasters. I don’t know what to expect and I’m a little worried about the future, so we have to move a little there. »
Further on, activists wave banners to denounce the ” blue washing by Emmanuel Macron.
A lot of ” BLA bla ” also denounces François Chartier, in charge of the Oceans at Greenpeace, who considers this summit very disappointing. Important subjects have been carefully avoided, he believes, in particular the question of the exploitation of the seabed and its strategic mineral resources. On this question, he denounces the double discourse of France, a confusion under the cover of research. ” These seabed exploration contracts, issued by the International Seabed Authority, are used [par la France, NDLR] such as mining exploration licenses aimed at evaluating deposits. The government actually presents it as scientific missions. In reality, we understand that exploration licenses aim to prepare for exploitation. We support public scientific research, which is not intended for industrial activities but for knowledge. »
Greenpeace supports, like other NGOs but also the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the European Parliament and large companies, the need for a moratorium on exploration for exploitation deep seabed.
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Another point of contention, forget from the summit of Brest: small fishing… and big fishing. ” Not a single artisanal fisherman has been invited to this summit, laments Thibault Josse, coordinator of the Pleine Mer association which brings together citizens and artisanal fishermen We bring together multinationals, governments but not those who live from the sea. Yet scientists tell us that overfishing is the most significant impact on marine biodiversity today. However, this is a topic forgotten at the summit. »
Emmanuel Macron, host of the ocean summit in Brest, pleaded shortly after for the conclusion at the WTO of an agreement against public aid for overfishing and illegal fishing, a subject under discussion at the Organization. world trade.