Commitment

What is our commitment?

Data and numbers

Importance of the oceans

  1. The oceans cover 75% of the planet’s surface and contain 97% of the existing water.
  2. 90% of the oceans have never been explored. They are completely unknown to mankind.
  3. The oceans retain 93% of the heat caused by human activity worldwide. 
  4. The oceans absorb 30% of the carbon dioxide produced by humans, buffering the impacts of global warming.
  5. The oceans generate 50% of the Earth’s oxygen. They are home to 90% of life on the planet.

Environmental challenges of the oceans

  1. More than 80% of all marine pollution originates on land, including agricultural runoff, pesticides, plastics, and raw sewage. The remaining 20% comes from activities at sea such as fishing and shipping.
  2. 10 million tons of garbage reach seas and oceans every year, predominantly plastic waste.
  3. Around the world, 1 million plastic bottles are bought for drinking every minute, while up to 5 billion single-use plastic bags are used each year.
  4. More than 1 million seabirds and 100,000 marine mammals and turtles die each year from entanglement or ingestion of marine debris.
  5. 1 in 3 fish caught for human consumption contain plastic and by 2050 it is estimated that there will be more plastic in the oceans than fish.

Potential of the oceans

  1. 90% of the volume of international merchandise trade is transported by sea.
  2. More than 3 billion people depend on marine and coastal biodiversity for their livelihoods.
  3. Globally, the market value of marine and coastal industries and resources is estimated at $3 trillion per year or about 5% of global GDP.
  4. If we implement sustainable policies over the next 25 years, the oceans can:
    • sustainably produce 6 times more food than at present.
    • Generate 21% of the necessary emission reductions.
    • generate 40 times more renewable energy.

Source: United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) & Word Resources Institute (WRI)

Our pillars

Our life and profession have revolved around the sea for decades. The oceans harbour immense undiscovered treasures. It is home to innumerable species, resources and knowledge that have not yet been revealed.

We need to establish a new relationship with our oceans, based on respect, to achieve the protection and conservation of their habitat.

It is vital for the future of human life to change the perspective since it is impossible to ignore that the future of the planet is in danger. This type of transformation must occur among the economic stakeholders of the sea. This journey has already begun and we want to belong to the group of pioneers who lead the change.

The pillars of Friends of the ocean

  1. Minimize the negative impact that maritime and land activity has on our seas.
  2.  Increase collaboration between economic, political and scientific operators to apply our experience to the protection of the maritime environment and the sustainable development of the blue economy.
  3. Recognize sea professionals as key workers for economic and social development in the world.
  4. Collaborate in the environmental awareness of future generations of young people who will lead the ocean economy in the coming decades.
  5. Assume our responsibility as protagonists of the maritime sector in West Africa, acting at the regional level to achieve the desired planetary impact.

Manifesto

for

action

An Atlantic Ocean free of garbage and plastics.

READ THE MANIFESTO

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© friends of the ocean - 2021

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