Marine degradation from land-based activities: a global concern - Vice-President Albert Gore Jr - Transcript

US Department of State Dispatch, Nov 13, 1995

Madam Executive Director, distinguished ministers, Your Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen: Thank you for giving me the honor and opportunity to address such a dedicated and distinguished gathering - and at such a crucial moment for the world we share.

Thirty years ago, when President Lyndon Johnson signed a piece of legislation which would be the precursor to this nation's Clean Water Act, he said, "The banks of a river may belong to one man or one industry or one State, but the waters which flow between the banks should belong to all the people."

Johnson was talking about a domestic issue: What could we do here in the United States to enhance public health and protect our rivers, our lakes, and our streams? But his message that "the waters which flow between the banks should belong to all the people," is exactly why we, as an international community, are here today. Because, as you all know, we have a common threat to a shared and precious resource: oceans pollution caused by land-based activities.

As we are well aware, oceans cover 71% of the earth's surface. And more than half of the world's population - close to 3 billion people - live within just 60 kilometers of the shoreline. The marine environment is the home to countless species of animals and plants. It is a constant supplier of food - and not only for humans, but for much of the food chain of most living beings. It is a vital part of our economies. Here in the United States, for example, coastal areas provide for 28 million jobs, and in many of your countries, the dependence on the coastal environment is even greater. In short, and as Executive Director Elizabeth Dowdeswell has said, oceans are indispensable in the maintenance of life on earth. Our oceans' survival is our survival. If they thrive, we can thrive.

That is why it is so disturbing to see that after thousands of years of very little geological change, we are now beginning to witness profound degradation of the marine environment. Algal blooms, for instance, appear to be occurring more frequently and are showing up in the waters where they have never been observed before. There was a bloom off the coast of Guatemala in 1987 which poisoned almost 200 people, killing 26. Here in the United States, in 1987-88, 740 dead dolphins washed up on beaches in the most extensive such kill ever recorded. And a newly discovered algae family - dinoflagellate - may be the cause of unexplained fish deaths that have occurred in the various regions of the world over the past 20 years. They rest on an estuary floor, and when a school of fish passes, they release toxins that disable their prey, sometimes causing death.

Chances are, the presence of these blooms can be attributed to human activity. In fact, over 80% of marine degradation can be traced to human activities on land. When we speak of human activities, or land-based activities, we are talking about source and non-point source pollution. We are talking about toxic pollutants, metals and radionuclides, sedimentation, and two of the most pressing issues of this conference - which I understand you will be discussing today - sewage and persistent organic pollutants, or POPS. Untreated and improperly managed sewage is perhaps one of the most widespread problems affecting human health and our environment.

Microbial contamination from sewage causes many human diseases, including cholera and hepatitis A. In most Pacific Island countries, microbiological contamination from sewage is the principal water - quality problem, with nitrate and phosphate levels high enough to have significant effects on coral reefs and to force closure of swimming areas.

Likewise, we have seen a growing body of evidence demonstrate the severe adverse environmental effects of certain chemical compounds. This problem is one that all nations share in, not just because of the dangerous consequences in areas close to their use and production, but also because we have seen these compounds migrate far from their source.

It is time, once and for all, to stop viewing our terrestrial and marine environments as two separate and isolated cycles. We must recognize and address these systems as one. Our task here of adopting a global program of action - the Washington Declaration - on the protection of the marine environment from land-based activities is of the utmost importance to the overall health of this planet. Unless we take action now, increased human concentration in coastal areas will undoubtedly result in even greater economic, social, and environmental loss.

We share the oceans. We share the waters that flow between the banks. Now is the time to share in the solutions to all that threatens those waters.

As recognized at the earth summit in Rio in 1992, the need to address marine degradation from land-based activities is a global concern. Now, some three years and several experts' meetings later, we find ourselves with a very real opportunity to adopt the first global program - a program that will lead to more sustainable interaction between mankind and the world's oceans. How do we do it?