“Ocean pollution is widespread, is worsening and, in most countries, is poorly controlled.” This was the conclusion of the first symposium on “Human Health and the Ocean in a Changing World,” held in the Principality in December 2020.
This Symposium, organised by Monaco Scientific Centre, the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation and Boston College, was attended by 44 researchers from 18 countries. The scientists gave an overview of the current situation and outlined the positive effects of the marine environment on human health (such as the health and well-being benefits of access to marine and lake areas and the development of new medicines from the sea).
They also listed the negative effects of global warming in this regard (ocean acidification, the development of pathogens, danger to coastal populations notably due to adverse weather conditions, etc).
Ocean pollution was the subject of a dedicated scientific report, coordinated by Boston College and Monaco Scientific Centre. It recalled that many pollutants from agriculture, industry and the burning of coal are discharged into the oceans. It also explained how climate change is leading to an increase in the circulation of pathogens and the development of toxic microalgae.
“Human activities have led to a complex mixture of substances entering the aquatic environment. This mixture reaches the oceans through rivers, runoff, atmospheric deposition and direct discharge. Ocean pollution has many negative impacts on ecosystems and human health, especially for vulnerable populations,” the scientists concluded.
This report was published following the symposium on “Human Health and Ocean Pollution,” and is backed by the Monaco Declaration.
This Declaration, which was read out in the presence of H.S.H. Prince Albert II of Monaco, makes recommendations to the “leaders of all countries and citizens of the whole Earth,” with the objective of “advancing human health and well-being by preventing the pollution of the Oceans.”
“We must listen to the scientists and we must work together – the scientific community, political leaders and economic players, and civil society – to find solutions that will heal our world. »
Prince Albert II of Monaco
