Jamaica has announced its interest in joining the International Alliance to Combat Ocean Acidification.
The announcement was made by Senator the Hon. Matthew Samuda, Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, following this morning’s Interactive Dialogue at the United Nations Ocean Conference in Lisbon, Portugal, which he co-chaired with the United States Special Envoy for Climate, Secretary John Kerry.
The Alliance was formed by state, local and tribal governments of the U.S. and Canada along with Chile, Nigeria, and France with the aim of working to support the inclusion of ocean health and ocean acidification mitigation, adaptation, and resilience strategies in international climate agreements. This will be accomplished through the adaptation of five goals:
- Advancing scientific understanding of ocean acidification
- Taking meaningful actions to reduce causes of acidification
- Protecting the environment and coastal communities from impacts of a changing ocean
- Expanding public awareness and understanding of acidification, and
- Building sustained support for addressing this global problem
In a call to action by member states during this morning’s Interactive Dialogue entitled “Minimizing and addressing ocean acidification, deoxygenation and ocean warming”, Minister Samuda noted that the “political will (to mitigate climate change) is missing but must be found”.
He noted that as a Small Island Developing State, Jamaica continues to emphasize that the threats posed by climate change not only impact livelihoods but also the long-term impact on the quality of life of present and future generations.
“Carbon dioxide emissions are the main cause of ocean acidification. Greenhouse gases contribute to warming and rising sea levels. It is we humans who generate these excesses…As such, for us to make effective progress in achieving SDG14.3, we must reinvigorate our efforts to fulfill our international climate change commitments as well as those that address pollution. The risks are way too great to be brushed aside – loss of biodiversity, including marine and coastal biodiversity, destruction of habitats, increased food insecurity, disruption of sustainable economic activity, and I could go on”, the minister said.
Minister Samuda emphasized that SIDS are culturally, economically, and socially connected to the ocean and that minor changes in the chemistry of the ocean will have significant ripple effects on species, including commercial species, marine and coastal ecosystems, and water quality.
As such, he told the delegates that Jamaica will remain resolute in its support for collective and integrated ocean action to achieve SDG14. However, he added that the scientific data is pointing to the fact that not enough has been done.
“For every year, month, or day that we delay, the required actions intensify. Jamaica reaffirms that we all bear the responsibility to ensure that we meet the 1.50C to stay alive and call on our partners to work assiduously with us to that end,” Minister Samuda stated.
The UN has set 10 ocean-related targets to be achieved over this decade, as part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Among them, actions to prevent and reduce pollution and acidification, protect ecosystems, regulate fisheries, and increase scientific knowledge.
Delegates at the Conference, which ends on July 1, have placed focus on addressing these issues through interactive dialogue.