Will Seas and Oceans Be Able to Feed Mankind?
Jörn Thiede, SPbU honorary doctor, head of the laboratory "Palaeogeography and Geomorphology of Polar Countries and the World Ocean", has been elected chairman of the European Academies' Science Advisory Council (EASAC) working group.
This organisation, together with the Joint Research Center (JRC), presented in Brussels the report "Marine stability during changes in the oceans and seas", which focuses on the key issues of sustainable development of the changing oceans and seas. The report contains both scientific advice to policymakers and political advice to scientists.
"The health of the oceans and seas and their sustainable use are of vital importance for the future of the European society, and in fact — for the whole world," said Professor Jörn Thiede. According to the scientist, rational management of these sensitive and rapidly changing components of the global environment must become one of the world politics' priorities.
In the past 10 years there has been increased attention to the management of the seas, both within the EU and beyond. The fundamental challenge lies in the fact that European politicians must decide how to achieve sustainable use of the oceans in order to support future generations, taking into account the fact that economic needs grow together with the increase in human population.
The JRC-EASAC report examines the political and scientific contexts of use of the seas and oceans, provision of the effective management based on the ecosystem approach, management of human activities affecting the environment. The experts including SPbU Honorary Doctor Jörn Thiede also made recommendations concerning the increase of the stability of the ocean to the use of its resources and the creation of a unified database.