Greece does what it usually does: it leads an effort to make a difference for the entire planet, Special Presidential Envoy for the Climate John Kerry said in a videotaped message at an event in Athens ahead of “Our Ocean Conference Greece 2024” on Monday, ANA reports.
The rotating “Our Ocean Conference”, which was first organized in 2014, is an initiative by the US former Secretary of State and current Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry. Today’s preparatory conference was held at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation south of Athens.
Kerry spoke of the upcoming 9th conference, which will be organized in Greece, and said he looked forward to collaborating with the Greek government on its preparation over the next two years. The former secretary of state referred to ancient Greece and its relation with the sea as reflected in the Iliad and said Greece was an admirable global leader in the sector of shipping.
In addition, he referred to the interest of shipping companies in building new ships with no carbon footprint, and in fishing practices, particularly illegal fishing in the open sea that was supported by some countries while depleting the oceans of fish, such as the bluefin tuna, under threat of extinction.
Oceans are vital to life on the planet and absorb 90% of the increase in the Earth’s temperature, changing their chemistry more than it has changed in millions of years, he noted.
Referring to the 7th conference at Palau, Kerry noted that more than 70 nations met and committed to nearly 400 actions worth approximately 16 billion dollars. The 8th “Our Ocean” conference will be hosted by Panama.
RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations, Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report
Photo Source: pixabay.com
