Ambassador calls to safeguard ocean

During the launching of the Ocean Policy 2020-2030, US Ambassador to PNG Erin McKee in her keynote address, spoke on the importance of safeguarding our ocean.

She said this is a shared responsibility that we must take, within the regional and global arena for the sake of our future generation.

 “Our future depends on a clean and healthy ocean, where protection and sustainable use go hand in hand. Our oceans are under threat from the effects of climate change, pollution, loss of biodiversity and unsustainable use."

Ambassador McKee congratulated the government of Papua New Guinea for taking a step forward in putting this policy to preserve this very vital national resource.

“As a steadfast partner in PNG’s success, we have engaged in many shared efforts and the United States is proud to again join you in a fight worth winning to preserve our collective futures.

“Overfishing has depleted 90 percent of large fish.  Agricultural runoff and sewage have polluted coastal waters, creating more than 500 large dead zones globally. Warming ocean water is 26 percent more acidic than before the industrial revolution, killing coral reefs and shellfish”, continued Ambassador McKee.

She said, we need to do more to maintain and restore healthy marine ecosystems, manage fish stocks and establish more marine protected areas to protect the most vulnerable parts of the ocean, such as coral reefs.

 

 

 

 

 

Author: 
Jemimah Sukbat