Aimee Clark: The Power of Voice and Passion

It is the fourth day of The Ocean Conference today and it is also World Oceans Day and I am currently waiting for a side event on ‘Combatting Ocean Acidification’ to begin. I have experienced an incredible mix of emotions in the past four days of the conference, from elation to dejection, and I have witnessed some very frustrating events occurring at the United Nations.

One thing I must mention is that I think that the biggest realisation I have come to this week is about the value of NGOs and other organisations of civil society that really use their voices to make tangible and positive impacts. These organisations effectively put the pressure on governments and the private sector to act and implement the promises they make during these events and this is incredibly important to maintain the momentum spoken of here.

I have been exposed to some inspiring people in the past week who have founded projects that push the boundaries between science, education, art and culture. It is with these organisations and in talking and interacting with these people that I see hope. Hope for the future of the oceans and hope for producing tangible outcomes of this event.

On the first day of this conference I walked home feeling disenchanted, I had spent the day sitting in meetings that consisted of states and government representatives speaking of the great efforts their countries have done in combatting ocean issues without really saying anything at all.

I am still listening to various people constantly state and re-state that we have problems, there is climate change, there is ocean acidification occurring and that we need to stop using single use plastics while they sit at a table covered in single use plastic water bottles.                                

Really?

There are some other things I have realised this week:

• We need to collaborate with indigenous peoples more in order to effectively protect our oceans, as traditional knowledge and practices have so much value and indigenous groups have such important perspectives to share.
•  We need to stop calling for just more research before action is taken. Yes, we always need more research but we are also running out of time to reverse some of the damage done to our oceans and biodiversity, and just continually researching these effects without mobilising to tackle the issues being researched will not help marine ecosystems become more resilient in the future.
• We need to stop ‘preaching to the converted’ when it comes to talking about science and new scientific knowledge as this isn’t going to change anything. If the public doesn’t know or doesn’t understand then we will never have success. The rest of the world needs to hear about science in a way that they can understand.  As the great Dr Sylvia Earle says, “far and away, the greatest threat to the ocean, and thus to ourselves, is ignorance”.

On a personal level I have certainly been questioning where I am going with my career this week, where should I put my energy to be the most effective for implementing and initiating change? I have learnt so much about new concepts like ocean literacy, the value of art and culture to communicating science and world issues and the diversity of people to drive change. This is what motivates me the most and is probably the knowledge that is the greatest value to me to take away from this conference.

There have been times this week that I have wondered ‘how does anything ever get done in the world, if everything takes so long, if all that happens is the proposal of more summits and further platforms for discussion on the same issues how does the world progress forward each day?’

But then someone steps up and says, ‘this is what I am doing, this is what our project is, this is how it has worked’ and most importantly, ‘this is what we will be doing in the future, these are the successes and failures we have had, learn from us’. It is only when this happens that I feel inspired to think that just maybe there is hope.

Aimee 

All posts by Institute delegates reflect their own thoughts, opinions and experiences, and do not reflect those of the Institute.

Siobhan Patia: Puipui lou gataifale - protect your oceans

E le gata I le va fealoa'i ma le isi tagata, ao le va fealoa'i, ma lona si’osi’omaga, fanua, ma le tapuafanua o le elele, ma le sami. (Tanielu, 2012)

The relational space does not end with human interaction but it extends to the environment, lands, sacred lands and oceans. (Tanielu, 2012)

Going to scale in the ocean side event - with dignitaries from around the Pacific region

The conference has begun and it is a bitter sweet but symbolic moment. Seeing SIDS representation here is fantastic and my heart swells, particularly with the fact that Fiji is co-chairing. However, I have to wonder how much of this is a box-ticking exercise especially for some of the sessions. I have tried to attend most side events with at least one SIDS representative/delegate speaking. 

Lagi from Conservation International

Attending the ‘Healers of our ocean: Asia-Pacific women leading ocean action to achieve SDG14 - how we can learn from them?’ side event we witnessed intersectionality for all that it is. There were two women from Fiji and the others were from Sweden; on a panel that looked like it was supposed to be focusing on how we can learn from Asia Pacific women. The women spoke well on how they were mobilising their communities to be proactive in fisheries and coastal management. They also spoke about how they use this platform to encourage young women into this field of work and STEM studies. Privilege and inappropriateness made it’s appearance again when comments were welcome from the floor. A female lawyer from New York used the limited time to compare the struggle towards leadership with women in the legal profession and how informal supports for home life are crucial. I understand her comment but for the event, I am not sure there was much value added. 

Another session I attended ‘Going to scale in the ocean: form large scale MPAs to whole domain management - ridge to reef to ocean’ had quite a bit of over-flow in the room. As a tangent, there were quite a few SIDS side events that were placed into small rooms that had over-flow which was irksome. A few of us AYLI delegates were in attendance as we were asked by representatives of Conversation International to help out with ushering dignitaries into the room. In a Pacific cultural context, this is an important practice, to ensure we appropriately recognise and respect leaders with mana. Speakers from the Cook Islands highlighted the work they were doing with Marae Moana Marine park to cover their whole exclusive economic zone (EEZ). They also mentioned the potential for exploring the rights of the ocean to be recognised as a legal entity with reference to the Whanganui river in Aotearoa and Ecuador. Kiribati highlighted their work with Phoenix Islands Protected Areas (PIPA) and how these protected areas act as natural pristine laboratories to analyse the impacts of climate change on low lying atolls, particularly coral. In any regard, they have stated that they are not waiting for research findings to act, and intend on extending PIPA towards the Winslow reef this year. 

“PIPA is our special gift to humanity, and I hope the world will recognise this and continue to support it into the future.
- Delegate panelist for Kiribati”

We heard further talks from Palau, New Caledonia, Dame Meg Taylor and comments from Marquesas, Rapanui, Hawaii and Maggie Barry the Minister for Conservation in New Zealand. As another tangent, the Minister for Tokelau made a statement towards the Cook Islands in asking them not to leave Tokelau behind, particularly as they are right next to the northern Cook Islands. I am not familiar with the politics in the region at a detailed level however think the comment made from Tokelau speaks to deeper dynamics behind closed doors between the two SIDS countries. 

In all regards, I am not sure how heavily to read into these nuances mentioned above at the various events; whether intentional displays of tension between different states and institutions or just a consequence of ill-planning by the UN event organisers.

The opening quote was from my previous Church Minister’s wife at Ekalesia Fa'apotopotoga Kerisiano o Samoa (EFKS) Grey Lynn, Dr Lonise Tanielu. If I have seen little further, it is by standing upon the shoulders of giants such as her. Fa’afetai tele lava.

Katie Kyung: The disappointment that triggered motivation

It’s been a week since I’ve been in New York City. A week (or rather a few days) was all it took for me to realise many things.  

These few days have made me realise how I have been taking the green environment of New Zealand for granted. The vast span of ocean that I could reach within 5 minutes walking distance from my house, the myriad of beautiful walking tracks, the fresh air I could breathe everyday. These things are not a given in this concrete jungle city.

Milford Beach, Auckland New Zealand 

New York City, Top of the Rock

I feel privileged to be at the Oceans Conference held at the United Nations Headquarters at such a dynamic time. With the President announcing his withdrawal from the Paris Agreement, the conference could not be a better platform to unite the voices of every nation, to withstand the blunt decision of a single man and bring about a much-needed change. At such extreme times, extreme decisions need to be made. If we preserve the wildlife, the resources, and the culture that the ocean provides for us, we need go to the extra mile.

It was relieving, however, to see how many States were independently in support of the Paris Agreement. As we talked with Daniel Francis, the Global Climate Program Coordinator at the Environmental Defense Fund, the grief that many citizens of the United States felt towards the decision of their nation’s representative was evident. If Plan A is blockaded, there’s always Plan B. Representatives of American States, cities and companies are preparing to submit a plan to the United Nations, expressing their independent avowals to meet the United States’ greenhouse gas emissions targets under the Paris climate accord.

I was also recharged with inspiration after hearing a talk from Sylvia Earle. There were many quotes that we could take from her presentation, “we should be scared of the teeth of the deep sea mining equipment, not the teeth of the so-called man eaters in the sea,” “We don’t think of them as wildlife, we think of them as products,” “If fish could speak, we’d probably have different laws.” To see someone in their 80s still diving, still learning and researching about the ocean, instilled both hope and challenge for the youth.

The few days before the conference were full of contradictions - the pollution behind the city’s vibrancy, the withdrawal of the leader, my lack of awareness in this time of turmoil. Nevertheless, being surrounded by passionate people that really care for the environment is a beacon of hope for myself and that is why I am here in New York today.

All posts by Institute delegates reflect their own thoughts, opinions and experiences, and do not reflect those of the Institute.

Emily Joy Frost: Sometimes, the tortoise does not always win the race….

I am writing this after attending the plenary session on SDG 14 in the main hall. While listening to the heads of state talk, pretty much patting themselves on the back for things they have already done, I am thinking to myself “what happened to the future?”

There has been very little mention to form very essential partnerships, frameworks, legitimate initiatives for capacity building or knowledge sharing.

The most rewarding and inspiring discussions are not from the heads of state, and not governments, but other organisations and groups which are intricately linked to the ocean, those who have a genuine connection to ‘her’. For too long have the governments been too absent in the climate discussions. They have been slow to act, slow to spark discussion and are losing the race.

To this end, the rabbit in this race is by far the NGO, civil and science associated groups who are the grassroots of the necessary change to meet SDG 14 and to push the rest of the world forward. Never have I met such a genuinely passionate group of people, these individuals are the feet which implementation will walk, and I look forward to seeing them run forward with action for the future sustainable ocean, to which, I offer my own feet to help you drive past the slow tortoise of government, towards the finish line of a more sustainable future and a future where ‘she’ can flourish once more.

All posts by Institute delegates reflect their own thoughts, opinions and experiences.