Denmark’s finance minister Nicolai Halby Wammen has announced that his government will propose a law on nature and biodiversity with a target to protect 20 per cent of the ocean and strictly protect 10 per cent of the ocean.
Speaking at The Ocean Race Summit Aarhus on Thursday (1 June), Wammen said: “I am very proud to say that the Danish government will propose a law on nature and biodiversity and we have set a target to protect 20 per cent of the ocean, and strictly protect 10 per cent of the ocean, meaning that these areas will become essentially undisturbed from human presence.
“This is a very important step which I hope others will follow, because it is very good to speak and dream about how to protect the ocean, but it is not enough: if we are to make a real difference, if we are to make real change, if we are to protect what we love and what we cherish, real action is needed.”
The minister and former mayor of Aarhus added: “As humans, we are here for one brief shining moment, while the ocean has always been here and will remain here. We have not been very good at protecting it, which is something that the city and its people take very seriously. Let’s fight for the ocean as much as the ocean fights for us.”
The event, held during the stopover of the round-the-world sailing race, gathered together over 150 government, civil society and private sector representatives to explore ways in which the international community can come together to protect and regenerate the ocean and recognise its intrinsic rights.
The summit analysed the power of sailing to influence positive change, the close intersection of science, shipping and sailing, the key role of youth in ocean action, the change needed for a more sustainable fashion industry and featured innovative solutions.
Boris Herrmann, skipper of Team Malizia, which last week set a new 24-hour monohull distance record as they raced into Aarhus, covering 641.13 nautical miles, spoke at the Summit as part of a panel that examined how boats can be vessels of opportunity.
Talking about the team’s work to gather scientific data about the state of the ocean to help grow understanding of climate change, he said: “I like these opportunities we are given, we can contribute to science. This helps us learn about it ourselves and to reach out with a message. Sport has the potential to create attention and emotion.”
Leonardo Sonzio, vice president and head of fleet management and technology at Maersk spoke about the opportunities that shipping provides and highlighted the world’s first green methanol powered vessel that will do her maiden voyage this year, arriving in Copenhagen in September.
“This is the start of a new era for shipping,” he said. “We are committed to deliver our decarbonisation targets which are in line with the science-based target — 1.5 degree pathway.”
The Ocean Race Summit Aarhus is part of a series of high-level events to promote the recognition of the inherent rights of the ocean, held in some of the stopover cities that are hosting the teams as they circumnavigate the planet during The Ocean Race 2022-23.
The sixth and penultimate leg of the race next week sees the VO65 fleet rejoin the IMOCAs for a three-day, 800-nautical mile sprint from Aarhus to The Hague in the Netherlands – with the IMOCA fleet making a fly-by visit to Kiel while the VO65s race directly to The Hague.
Much of the early part of the leg takes place in coastal waters, where making the most of the thermal breezes caused by land heating and cooling — as well as dealing effectively with coastal currents — could be key to success.
