The quarterly magazine Marine & Oceans has just published a new issue with a special report “2022, Year of the Ocean”, produced in partnership with Mercator Ocean International. The year that has just ended has indeed seen many conferences and summits dedicated to the ocean: what is the outcome and what dynamics for the years to come? Experts involved in the daily protection of the oceans and privileged partners of Mercator Ocean International have the floor.

Content and authors

The special report “2022, Year of the Ocean”, gives the floor to Pierre Bahurel, Director General of Mercator Ocean International, and to major French and international players involved in the knowledge, preservation and sustainable use of the ocean, who give an overview of the situation and prospects (page 84 to page 113).

• Olivier Poivre d’Arvor, French Ambassador in charge of Poles and Maritime Issues and special envoy of the President of the French Republic, Emmanuel Macron, for the United Nations Ocean Conference, opens the dossier by presenting the numerous Summits and Conferences in 2022 as well as the national and international commitment in support of the sustainable ocean. Ambassador Poivre d’Arvor is the French delegate at the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs in charge of the transformation of Mercator Ocean into an intergovernmental organisation.
• In his interview, Kestutis Sadauskas, Deputy Director General of DG MARE (the European Commission’s Department of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries), explains how “the year 2022 has been very productive”, with the beginning of the Mission Ocean and its promise of a Digital Twin of the Ocean to make ocean knowledge accessible to all. Mercator Ocean International has been involved in the co-construction of the latter with its entire community since the Digital Ocean Forum in April 2022.
• Pascal Lamy, Vice-President of Europe Jacques Delors, President of the Board of the EU Mission Ocean, and Geneviève Pons-Deladrière, Director General & Vice-President Europe Jacques Delors, also present their assessment for the year 2022, in which “many positive things have happened” and where science is still a major player in the protection of the ocean. This is why, according to her, the Copernicus Marine Service, operated by Mercator Ocean International on behalf of the European Commission, will be one of the major pillars of the European Digital Twin and will contribute directly to the objectives defined by the Mission Ocean in terms of science and innovation.
• Peter M. Haugan, Program Director at the Institute of Marine Research (Norway) and Professor of Oceanography at the Institute of Geophysics, University of Bergen (Norway) reviews the key events of the year 2022 that set the course “to achieve 100% sustainable management of the world’s oceans, seas and coastal areas by 2030”. Mr. Haugan is part of the Norwegian delegation in charge of the transformation of Mercator Ocean International into an intergovernmental organisation.
• Rym Benzina, President of La Saison Bleue, Director of the World Maritime Forum, explains the success of the 5^th World Maritime Forum, where an international panel of experts, scientists, economic leaders, associations and politicians – of which Pierre Bahurel was a member – produced a prospective roadmap on the Ocean in 2050 as well as a first action plan. A real international mobilisation for a prospective reflection on the ocean in 2050!
• Joana Akrofi, Program Manager at the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) within its Scientific Division, presents, in her interview, the « GEMS Ocean » program (Global Environment Monitoring System-Ocean) whose objective is to provide relevant ocean data and indicators, easily accessible to all UN member states and for which Mercator Ocean International has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with UNEP.
• Jérôme Aucan, Head of the SPC (Pacific Community) Ocean Science Centre, a key scientific and technical actor for the sustainable development of the Pacific Islands, the main victims of climate change, presents “Concrete actions for a sustainable future of the Pacific Ocean”.

About Marine & Oceans

The magazine MARINE & OCÉANS is published by the “Société Nouvelle des Éditions Marine et Océans”. Its objective is to make the general public aware of the main geopolitical, economic and environmental issues of the seas and oceans.