Responsibility to protect the oceans

The key to protecting seas and oceans is to reduce pollution from shipping, land-based sources and rivers emptying into the ocean. Such efforts must be combined with means of preventing and controlling air pollution.

An estimated 33 percent of all pollutants entering the ocean worldwide come from land-based air emissions. In addition, the world's fisheries need better regulation to prevent unnecessary destruction of this important resource.

The following prevention and clean-up measures are needed:

• Encourage/require separate sewage and storm-runoff lines in urban areas.

• Discourage ocean dumping of sludge and hazardous dredged materials.

• Protect sensitive and ecologically valuable coastal areas from development, oil drilling and oil shipping.

• Employ environmentally friendly land-use planning to regulate and control coastal development.

• Require double hulls for all petroleum tankers.

• Recycle used oil.

• Improve oil spill clean-up capabilities.

• Require at least secondary treatment of coastal sewage or use wetlands - natural filters of water — solar and aquatic techniques, or other environmentally acceptable methods.

The protection of the seas, oceans and coastal zones cannot be improved at the European level alone, and even less so at national and regional levels. The condition of the Black Sea, for instance, is determined by the environmental policies of all surrounding nations. The health of coastal zones depends strongly on the conduct of all interests that are active in the area.

Protection of the oceans 

Farmers sow and Baltic reaps algae