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Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs

International Year of the Ocean 1998

Background

In recognition of the importance of the ocean, of the marine environment and its life-giving resources, the United Nations declared 1998 as the International Year of the Ocean. The major aim of International Year of the Ocean has been to create awareness and obtain commitments from governments to take action, provide adequate resources and give the priority to oceans and coastal areas which they deserve.

The Ocean Charter

The Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) has endorsed an initiative called the Ocean Charter. The Charter has been sponsored by the Canadian Government and is a declaration of intent, of belief and commitment to the future of the marine environment. The Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott signed the Ocean Charter on behalf of the UK Government on 8th June 1998 (World Oceans Day).

UK Involvement

One of the chief activities that has been organised in the UK as part of the International Year of the Ocean has been a series of regional Open Forums. They were held in Aberdeen, Oban, Newcastle, Lowestoft, Belfast and Plymouth. The aim of each forum has been to provide an opportunity for a broad spectrum of interested organisation (ranging through national and local government, Research Councils, Academia, Industry and Non-Governmental Organisation) to contribute to a debate on the resources the oceans offer, and the challenges that have to be overcome if they are to be sustainably managed.

The product of each regional forum is a summary of:

  1. An assessment of the region's marine resources; placing the regional potential in a broader North Atlantic and global context.
  2. A summary of the existing and potential problems of sustainable exploitation of these resources.
  3. An outline of the science and technology that is needed in order to overcome these problems.
  4. Recommendations as to how to introduce more about the oceans into education and public awareness at all levels.

The culmination of these regional fora was an open National Forum, held at the International Maritime Organisation headquarters on 17th September 1998. The Rt Hon Michael Meacher MP gave the keynote speech at this forum.

OPENING ADDRESS GIVEN BY MICHAEL MEACHER:
INTER-AGENCY COMMITTEE ON MARINE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
NATIONAL OPEN FORUM - 17 SEPTEMBER 1998

I am delighted to have been invited to address you this morning. I am particularly pleased to have an opportunity to review the Government's contribution to the "International Year of the Ocean"; to look ahead a little to what we need to do to continue improving the protection of our common marine environment, once this year is over; and to consider the role of science and technology in that process.

And from what I have heard about the regional fora that have been held in preparation for today's conference, it is heartening to know that you, too, have been considering this issue.

Human impacts on the marine environment have been with us for many years, changing through the centuries as our needs have altered and new technologies have developed. The current century has seen by far the most rapid and extensive changes of all. And yet it is only relatively recently that we have begun to realise that the seas and oceans, and the species that live in and depend on them, cannot be exploited endlessly for our gain. Coastal communities throughout the world whose livelihood depends on the sea have long recognised that man and the oceans must live in balance - now it is up to the rest of us to follow their example.

In February, in launching the Government's involvement in the International Year of the Ocean, John Prescott addressed a conference in Stockholm where he outlined what he saw as the seven main threats to the world's oceans and seas:

There are wide differences in circumstances between regional seas, and, therefore, the nature and degree of these threats varies - for some countries the need to fish in order to feed the population is a major concern; whilst for others, the challenge is how to reduce the level of contaminants being poured into the seas via rivers and through the atmosphere. It follows that, in some instances, regional and local initiatives can be the most effective way of tackling these problems. However, there are some threats that require action from all countries if they are to be overcome. I am thinking particularly of global warming and the alarming possibility of consequent rises in sea level, which could disrupt the lives of coastal communities and threaten some small island states.

Turning to look at the Year of the Ocean itself, in January this year, my colleague, Glenda Jackson, began by announcing the new arrangements for Port Waste Management Planning. The location of the UK puts it at particular risk from marine pollution from shipping - we have the third largest coastline of any European state. And these new regulations are part of an on-going commitment to reduce pollution from all types of shipping.

Also in March, the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, together with Scottish Office and my own Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions published a guidance note on the integration of fisheries and environment policies. This follows the meeting of North Sea Fisheries and Environment Ministers in Bergen in March last year, at which it was agreed that an ecosystem approach to fisheries management was needed. Indeed, this was one of the subjects that I discussed with the Norwegian Environment Minister this week during a visit to Kirkenes and Thurmsö in the north of Norway. This approach should be based on sound science and should fully involve scientists, fishermen and other relevant parties in the decision making process. The UK guidance note summarised the commitments to action that have been agreed by North Sea countries in respect of the integration of fisheries and environmental issues and reviewed how they are being taken forward by the United Kingdom. During our Presidency of the European Union, we kept up the momentum on this issue, which I really do believe is the key to the sustainable management of our oceans. And our German colleagues have pledged to continue this work when they assume the EU Presidency early next year.

In April, a meeting of the G8 Environment Ministers at Leeds Castle recognised that marine biodiversity is a vital and integral part of global biodiversity. The meeting undertook to identify what needs to be done to improve the way in which the marine environment is managed and encouraged the Bratislava Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity to adopt a suitable programme of work.

Then on 8 June, World Oceans Day, on behalf of the UK, John Prescott signed the Ocean Charter, which aims to highlight the need for all of us to act together to protect the oceans and use their resources in a sustainable manner. As you know, the Ocean Charter has been drawn up by the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO and is being sponsored and promoted by the Canadian Government. Although the UK had always remained part of the International Oceanographic Commission, under the new Government, 1998 also saw the UK re-join UNESCO - confirmation that the Government considers the work of UNESCO, and in particular the IOC, in fostering international research and development to be very important.

July saw the first Ministerial meeting of the OSPAR Commission for the protection of the marine environment of the North East Atlantic, in Sintra, Portugal. The sixteen Contracting Parties to the Convention, including the UK, successfully reached agreement on a number of important issues, including new provisions for the protection of marine ecosystems and biological diversity from the adverse effects of human activities, measures to prevent the pollution of the maritime area by continuously reducing discharges, emissions and losses of hazardous substances and radioactive discharges and the disposal of disused offshore oil and gas installations. In particular, we were able to obtain unanimous agreement to a ban on the dumping of all steel installations.

We also agreed, now that the decision on the disposal of disused offshore installations has been adopted, to develop a similar strategy, for adoption at next year's meeting of the Commission, on setting environmental goals for the offshore oil and gas industry and establishing improved management mechanisms to achieve them.

The UK, together with France, also decided to end our potential opt-out from the ban on the dumping of radioactive waste at sea - a practice that both John Prescott and I have long believed to be wrong.

Looking ahead, we adopted long-term strategies to guide the work of the Commission over the next five years on hazardous substances, radioactive substances, eutrophication and the protection of ecosystems and biological diversity.

Finally, we approved work on the production of a Quality Status Report on the North East Atlantic by 2000 to provide a sound, scientific basis for identifying and prioritising future tasks and for revising the strategies at the next Ministerial meeting of the Commission in 2003.

The agreements which we reached at Sintra represent significant progress in the protection of the marine environment. They have helped the UK to finally shed its image as the "Dirty Man of Europe" and underline this Government's commitment, together with that of our North East Atlantic colleagues, to protecting our common heritage of the oceans.

This new emphasis is illustrated by the announcement earlier in the year by Robin Cook, that the Foreign Office would be sponsoring a UK and Jamaica joint Workshop on Marine Biodiversity in the Caribbean next month. I will be attending to represent the UK. The Workshop aims to support the Governments of the Caribbean Region in their work on implementing the Convention on Biodiversity, while identifying specific priorities to address constraints and threats to the sustainable use of marine biodiversity in the Caribbean region.

That brings us more or less up to date - but what next? How do we go forward from here? How do we know that the environmental policies formulated by Governments are addressing the right issues?

I believe that we need to ensure that steps to conserve the marine environment and manage it sustainably are based upon a sound scientific understanding of that environment. As the Office for Science and Technology recognised in 1997 - "Science is playing an increasingly influential role in contributing to the formulation of policy and regulatory decisions, particularly on sensitive issues involving people's health and safety, animal and plant protection and the environment." My Department alone currently has a specific annual marine research budget of some £1.5 million, which is intended to help in the identification of possible future policy options, as well as supporting those already identified. Other DETR programmes have important relevant marine elements - for example, climate change, biodiversity and offshore aggregates.

In April, for example, I announced a joint initiative between DETR, MAFF, the Environment Agency, the Scotland and Northern Ireland Forum for Environmental Research and the European Chemical Industry to investigate whether there is evidence of changes in the reproductive health of marine life. If that is so, the project will seek to identify possible causes and potential impacts on populations of marine animals. The results of this research will help to ensure that any actions necessary to protect the marine environment from endocrine disrupting chemicals are targeted appropriately.

We need to work together to develop the processes by which scientific advice as well as public concerns can be properly reflected in policy making. We need to ensure that these processes are applied to all policy areas and international conventions - the proper use of sound science in the evaluation of risks and impacts in the marine environment together with the need to improve processes for generating, sharing and utilising this science are absolutely vital in developing policies for sustainable development.

Agenda 21 noted that: "Often there is a communication gap amongst scientists, policy makers, and the public at large.....Better communication is required among scientists, decision makers and the general public." As a first step, in 1996, the Commission on Sustainable Development invited the UN Agencies which sponsor the Joint Group of Experts on the Scientific Aspects of Marine Protection - otherwise known as GESAMP - to consider how it could be made more inclusive in its membership, and how economic and social aspects of the questions which it considers can be taken into account. To date, not enough has been done to achieve either of these aims.

As a result of an EU initiative during the UK Presidency, a Panel Discussion on "Science and Sustainable Development", held at the Commission for Sustainable Development meeting in New York earlier this year, recommended that future CSD sectorial issues, such as the consideration of Oceans and Seas to be held in 1999, "should explicitly address and implement more effective science communication processes".

Next year's CSD will be our chance to address these matters - it is our opportunity to put oceans issues at the vanguard of best practice.

Events like today's conference are a vital part of the preparation for the CSD discussions. In March of this year, I announced the forthcoming London Oceans Workshop, which we also want to be a part of those preparations. We want to use the Workshop to consider further how we can best generate, share and utilise science for improving marine environmental policy. The Workshop is being co-hosted by the UK and Brazil and will be held in London in December this year. It will discuss what still needs to be done to improve the way in which the global ocean environment is managed. Scientists, national experts, NGOs and policy makers from around the world will be brought together to review the work done in this field since 1996 when CSD first reviewed the oceans, and to make recommendations on how this work can be taken forward.

Conclusion

We began our term of office by putting environmental policy at the heart of Government - as we look forward to the new millennium, we now need to put science, engineering and technology at the heart of environment policy.

Published 8 July 1999
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