The Oceans Conference is drawing to a close, but there is still time for conclusions. Today was the day to bring together important voices from the sector on sustainability, financing and the opportunities that the ocean can create in another side event: Business4Ocean. This act took place today, July 1, at the Convento do Beato and was attended by the Secretary of State for the Sea, Jose Maria Costain Silvia Earlrecognized marine biologist of the National Geographic Society, of Antonio Pires of Lima.president of the BCSD, and Miguel Stilwell d’AndradeCEO of EDP.
The welcome was given by António Pires de Lima, president of the BCSD. “Companies have come a long way towards sustainability. Today they have become an active and fundamental part of making a more sustainable future possible. Even the smallest companies play an important role in this journey”, he began by saying and then added: “we cannot make excuses, more than ever we need to put into practice the goals we have to build a more sustainable future. It is necessary to involve companies so that they can provide us with solutions”. For the president of BCSD, sustainability has long become the modus operandi of various companies and businesses. Still, the changes cannot stop here and there is still a long way to go.
With the tone set for the rest of the afternoon, it was time for Miguel Stilwell d’Andrade, CEO of EDP, to take the stage with the question: “How is energy connected to the ocean? The ocean is a great source of energy. We must take advantage of all the potential that the ocean offers us.” It is in this sense that the issue of energy transition arises. “More than ever we need to speed up this energy transition,” he said, taking the opportunity to reinforce EDP’s objectives in this regard. With its sights set on saving the planet, the brand plans to invest 1.5 million euros in renewable projects in the ocean until 2025 and strengthen its leadership in the energy transition with a commitment to offshore wind power, through its participation at Ocean Winds, always with sustainability and the fight against climate change as the main focus. “We are often faced with why we have different technologies. The truth is that the world is very diverse. In some places we have a lot of wind, in others we have sun or land, so we need to bet on the best technology for each place and use that technology to produce renewable energy. And the fact that there is so much innovation, different technologies, means that today we have the necessary capacities to produce that same energy, to take advantage of the existing diversity and the different ecosystems”, added Miguel Stilwell, ending his speech with a reinforcement of the mission of EDP on this journey: “As a company, we are more than committed to being sustainable, building smart networks that respond to the needs of our customers”.
And before the final debate took place, it was the words of Sylvia Earle, a renowned marine biologist with the National Geographic Society, that filled the room. “In all the universe, there is no place like home. And ours is blue. Today it is not so difficult for humans to realize that we are not alone. We need all sea creatures, we need the ocean. And, above all, we must think about how we can use energy, our knowledge and intelligence, to really make a difference. The environment is our support system.” For the biologist, knowledge is the key to the future. Thus, knowing the ocean remains one of the biggest gaps we see. “We are still way behind when it comes to knowing and exploring the ocean. Building more technology that allows us to really get to know it is our great task”, she added, taking advantage of the last moments to leave the alert:“ we all need to unite. We have to fight for change because this could be our last chance.”
The call to action was a constant throughout the conference, and the moment of the debate was no exception. Grzegorz GorskiCOO of Ocean Winds, Ricardo Mourinho Felix Vice President of the EIB, Raquel Gaiao Silvamember of sea faberY Marco LambertiniDirector of WWF, were the voices of this exchange of ideas, moderated by Camilo Lourenco, analyst and founder of “A cor do Dinheiro”. From here, the list of conclusions and things to put into practice did nothing but grow. “We still need technology that allows us to collect the necessary data to understand what we can change and to be able to understand what is really happening in the ocean”, Raquel Gaião Silva began by saying. According to the speakers, we have reached the point where everything has an impact and the main objective is to neutralize it or even reach the point of being able to reverse it. For Marco Lambertini “the evidence of the impact of climate change on nature is impossible to hide”. As a complement, for Ricardo Mourinho Félix, “you cannot think about our actions without thinking about the consequences. We need to think about our decisions and understand how we can reduce their impact. We need to use the energy transition to save the future.” And for that same future to be possible, ours, that of our children and that of future generations, “it is necessary to bet on the energy transition, for its acceleration, and also for its independence. We have to think about the future, anticipate tomorrow”, concluded Grzegorz Gorski.
One thing is correct. The future is just around the corner and we have reached the moment where every minute counts. José María Costa, Secretary of State for the Sea, took advantage of the closure to reinforce the idea that had been transmitted throughout the afternoon: “We have to invest more in this area. Bring together knowledge, financing and investors in the same space to build sustainable aquaculture. This is where we have to turn. We need to equip ourselves with the best we have in terms of technology, innovation. Associating all this with research excellence. For the minister, “the sustainable blue economy is the economy of knowledge, of science. We have to bring together the best we have to work together to save and rehabilitate the ocean. Ocean that is our home”.
Source: Observadora
