The EU Ocean Act Conference was co-organised by the Government of Ireland as part of Ireland’s EU Presidency Programme. The conference brought together high-level representatives from Ireland and across the European Union, including policymakers, researchers and key stakeholders to engage in discussions on the future of EU Ocean Governance and the broader agenda of sustainable ocean management. Two delegates from Blue Ireland attended and participated in events over the three day programme.
Among the international speakers particularly aligned with the ethos of Blue Ireland were Vera Coelho, Executive Director and Vice President at Oceana Europe and Alexandra Cousteau, Co-founder and President of Oceans 2050, Senior Advisor to Oceana, and Co-Founder of EarthEcho International.
Oceana is the largest international advocacy organisation dedicated solely to ocean conservation. In a panel discussion entitled ‘Balancing the central role of the ocean in delivering the EU’s climate, energy and biodiversity objectives’, Vera Coelho emphasised that ecosystem health is at the core of what is necessary and that the time for action is now. She commented that she is ‘tired of the tomfoolery‘, a sentiment with which Blue Ireland fully agrees.
Alexandra Cousteau co-founded Oceans2050 to focus on strategies that bridge the gap between people and the planet by empowering ocean changemakers, scaling innovative technologies, enabling transformational initiatives, and developing public tools to accelerate the restoration of abundant oceans by creating a connected experience right at our fingertips. She spoke about her family history of connection with the ocean, her granfather, Jacques-Yves Cousteau, showing people what was beneath the surface – that ‘world of extraordinary life, diversity and beauty’, and her father, Philippe Cousteau, witnessing that world begin to decline. In one short paragraph she expressed Blue Ireland’s central message.
“Ocean-based climate action has to work with nature, not against it, Offshore renewable energy will play an important role in Europe’s energy transition, and I support that, but it has to be planned carefully, transparently, and within ecological limits. We cannot solve one crisis by quietly deepening another”.
Apart from the value of hearing so many expert speakers, the conference provided a unique opportunity for Blue Ireland to network with Irish and European colleagues across a range of interests.
It is abundantly clear that the time for action in Ireland is also now, and that we too are tired of the tomfoolery’. May the EU Presidency motivate the Irish authorities to greater alignment with the ecosystem focused intitatives outlined so passionately by both Alexandra Cousteau and Verea Coelho. That would be a real legacy to leave us all when they hand over the batton.