Elías Gomis Photography

Few days ago finished the Oceans Conference, at Manado, in which more than seventy countries have met to urge the United Nations to include the protections of the seas in the Global Strategy Against Climate Change.

The Manado Statement (called so by the name of the locality of Celebes Islands where took place) has been endorsed by more than sixty countries asking to consider the effects of climate change on the seas, towards the next Copenhagen meeting, with the clear intention to create a new protocol to replace the Kyoto one.

This statement will not be compromising because of the opposition of some developed nations. It also reflects the need to intensify the international cooperation in all levels (specially in politic and scientist), recommending to start technical and economical helping measures to the less developed countries to achieve a sustainable progress.

In the five pages document, is remarked the need to set plans to reduce the contamination to the seas (including the coast board) and a true strategy of sustainable development, as well as increasing scientific research and data interchange.

The main axis of the statement are the effects of climate change o marine ecosistem. In fact, if the current process of polar warming goes by, scientist say the water level could rise up to one metre high, with the loose of coastal areas and islands, as well as a phenomenon of acidification of the sea waters, with the consecuent extintion of species.

Some ecologists and scientist have remarked that there is no mention in Menado Statement about the urgent need to fast decrease the CO2 emisions, main cause of the global warming and the climate change.

Manado statement | See whole declaration