Walk the talk to save our oceans, leaders advise governments

Global leaders have warned that countries are at risk of missing the goal of protecting 30 per cent of the oceans by 2030, calling on governments and other stakeholders to turn promises into meaningful action.

Speaking during the  11th Our Ocean Conference in Mombasa yesterday, Deputy President Kithure Kindiki and former US Secretary of State John Kerry said it was time for action to protect the oceans which are critical to the survival of many communities across the world.

Prof Kindiki said human activities have placed immense pressure on oceans, threatening ecosystems and communities that depend on them, adding that healthy oceans are essential to human survival.

He called for stronger international cooperation to reverse the environmental degradation, protect oceans and unlock the potential of the blue economy.

“Science tells us that the survival of humans has a close relationship with the health of the oceans. There is a lot of pressure exerted on the oceans by humans which can be reversed. We must now move from talk to action,” he said.

The DP said Kenyans have participated in several ocean conferences and should now build on their successes to take care of the country’s marine biodiversity.

He affirmed Kenya’s commitment to sustainable management of marine resources and urged nations to translate promises into concrete action that benefits coastal communities, strengthens food security and supports economic growth.

“The world expects bold leadership, practical solutions and credible commitments that can accelerate action,” he said, calling for increased investment in ocean conservation, climate adaptation and sustainable fisheries management.

Growing threats 

Kerry, the founder of the conference that seeks to safeguard the shared water bodies and resources, warned that the world can no longer ignore the growing threats facing oceans, saying climate change, plastic pollution, overfishing and habitat destruction are pushing marine ecosystems to dangerous limits. 

“We cannot have a healthy planet unless we have a healthy ocean,” Kerry told delegates, noting that oceans produce nearly half of the oxygen people breathe, feed more than three billion people and absorb about 90 per cent of the excess heat generated by greenhouse gas emissions. 

He said scientific evidence now shows that ocean degradation is no longer a future concern but a present reality, citing record ocean temperatures, declining fish stocks and the widespread destruction of coral reefs around the world. 

“The measure of our success will not be in speeches. It will be in the reefs we save, the fisheries we restore and the mangroves we protect,” he said. 

He said oceans hold half of the world’s oxygen and support international trade, and hence, they should be protected at all costs.

He said the oceans act as a life support system, and scientists have made a clear description of the present reality of their health, adding that half of the coral reefs have been lost or degraded.

Unfolding disaster

He said the oceans have taken in millions of tonnes of plastics annually that cause pollution in the environment and even affect the fish that humans eat and called for global action to prevent the unfolding disaster.

Kerry said if actions were not taken urgently, the world would be inviting a disaster that would affect the marine environment and food security. “The challenge is not lack of knowledge; it is whether there is the political will to catch up with science. The challenge can no longer be an afterthought but policy and action.”

He called on nations to intensify efforts to meet their commitment on oceans protection so as to achieve 30 per cent protection by 2030.

Kerry also called for urgent action to counter the illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing that threatens food security around the world.

Present were Cabinet Secretaries Hassan Joho (Mining, Blue Economy and Maritime Affairs), Lee Kinyanjui (Trade and Industry) and Salim Mvurya (Sports and Creative Economy) as well as Mombasa Governor Abdulswamad Nassir, among others.

Joho said Kenya was honoured to host the conference at a time oceans faced unprecedented pressure from climate change, pollution, biodiversity loss and illegal fishing. 

He said the government has prioritised the blue economy as a key pillar of its economic transformation agenda and called for greater investment in ocean-based adaptation projects, marine conservation and sustainable development initiatives. 

He also urged delegates to accelerate the implementation of existing ocean commitments and strengthen international cooperation in tackling IUU fishing. 

Nassir highlighted his government’s ongoing efforts to improve environmental management and reduce pollution into the Indian Ocean. 

He said Mombasa has strengthened the management of waste generated by ships docking at Mombasa port and is rolling out an ambitious waste segregation and recycling programme aimed at reducing marine pollution. 

He revealed that the county was implementing a major wastewater treatment project backed by a $3 million (Sh400 million) investment pledged by President William Ruto. 

“We have a responsibility to act now and not tomorrow. What is happening to our oceans is a result of human actions, and it is upon all of us to reverse the trend,” Nassir said. 

He claimed that greed and neglect have contributed to the destruction of the marine ecosystem in some countries, including Kenya, where fish on the coral reefs have disappeared.

He said his county started collecting waste from vessels two years ago to reduce the dumping of hazardous waste into the ocean. “We will come up with waste segregation to manage hazardous waste that can kill fish.”

Delegates attending the conference are expected to announce new financial commitments and partnerships aimed at protecting marine ecosystems while supporting livelihoods for coastal communities worldwide. 

Cynthia Barzuna, head of the World Resources Institute that runs the Our Ocean Conference, said they were following up on several commitments that governments, corporations and individuals made to fund the management of the oceans. 

Organisers hope the Mombasa forum will be remembered not only as the first Our Ocean Conference held in Africa but also as a turning point in global ocean governance by shifting focus from promises to implementation and measurable action. 

Somalia’s Deputy Prime Minister Salah Jamal decried a worsening theft of fisheries resources, saying tonnes of fish are illegally taken away, leaving his country without benefit. 

Jamal appealed for cooperation, noting that his country has the longest coastline and a vast exclusive economic zone and should have good returns, particularly from tuna, to achieve food security.