Foreign Minister Allamand highlights Chile’s role in ocean conservation and the fight against climate change

Foreign Affairs Minister Andrés Allamand participated this morning in the webinar called “The Other side of the Ocean-Climate Equation: Building Ocean Resilience in the Face of Climate Change” organized by Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and Mission Blue at the Wilson Center. It was held to discuss the importance of the ocean conservation processes that are currently being developed at the global level.

In the webinar Foreign Minister Allamand stressed the initiative taken by Chile in the creation of the Climate Change Observatory that will generate scientific data documenting this phenomenon, which will also be available to the global scientific community.

“This is another way in which Chile is showing its commitment regarding its role in matters of climate change and oceans and of course also in matters regarding Antarctica,” said the Minister. He added, “we are doing our best and even a small country like Chile can contribute to this global fight.”

In addition, the minister highlighted the fact that Chile has protected 43% of its exclusive economic zone and has promoted the protection of the ocean, participating in diverse ocean conservation initiatives. He added that under Chile’s presidency of COP25, work has been undertaken focused on the link between climate change and the ocean. The “Blue Agenda” was established as a priority.

“I think we should consider the idea of building an alliance or coalition specifically for supporting the creation and management of marine protected areas worldwide,” Minister Allamand said. He added that this is a practical idea that will have an “impact on biodiversity and ocean conservation.”

Finally, in regard to Antarctica, the Minister highlighted that in 2018, Chile and Argentina presented a proposal to the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) regarding the creation of a Marine Protected Area in the north of the peninsula measuring around 672,000 square kilometers. This reflects Chile’s commitment to achieving the target of protecting 30% of the ocean proposed in Agenda 2030.

“We believe that Antarctica deserves special attention due to its importance. And of course, due to our geographical position we are completely open to working together with different countries and organizations to further study the link between the protection of Antarctica and climate change,” Minister Allamand said.

Oceans cover 72% of the Earth’s Surface and are essential to the development and survival of humankind. The oceans also produce 55% of the breathable oxygen and play an important role in regulating climate. They therefore have a fundamental role to play in mitigating and adapting to climate change.