Panama and Canada presented the High Ambition Coalition for a Quiet Ocean this Tuesday at the Third Ocean Summit in Nice, France. This initiative has been signed by 35 countries, including the 27 members of the European Union, with Spain represented by the Minister for Ecological Transition, Sara Aagesen.
It is the first global political coalition dedicated to reducing underwater noise pollution caused by shipping, according to a statement from the organization Ocean Care, which asserts that the signing of the initiative represents “a shared commitment to mitigate this growing threat posed by ships and reduce their impacts on marine life.”
“Too often, the issue of underwater noise has been marginalized in global environmental discourse,” said Panamanian Environment Minister Juan Carlos Navarro, emphasizing that this Coalition establishes a commitment to act “decisively to protect marine biodiversity from this invisible but powerful threat.” For his part, Canada’s ambassador to France and Monaco, Stéphane Dion, emphasized the “urgency of collective action and ambitious global cooperation.”
Global commitment
“Through this Coalition, we are demonstrating Canada’s commitment to international leadership in ocean conservation and inviting our partners to join us in restoring a quieter, healthier ocean for future generations, while advancing greater sustainability in maritime transport,” said Dion.
For her part, the Third Vice President of the Spanish Government and Minister for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge, Sara Aagesen, explained that in two weeks, the Spanish city of Vigo will host the ministerial meeting of the Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic (OSPAR 2025), at which “the first Regional Plan on Underwater Noise is expected to be approved, with actions that guide the joint efforts of the parties to advance the fight against underwater noise.”
The launch of the Coalition demonstrates a “growing international consensus” that underwater noise is a problem that must be addressed to meet global biodiversity and climate protection goals, according to leaders from Indigenous communities, the shipping industry, intergovernmental organizations, and environmental NGOs attending the event.
“The ocean is an acoustic world where sound means survival: marine life depends on it to communicate, navigate, and find food,” emphasized Carlos Bravo, Ocean Policy Expert at Ocean Care.
Drowning out vital sounds
“Human-made noise pollution is drowning out these vital sounds,” according to Bravo, who believes there are cost-effective measures, such as reducing ship speeds, “that can immediately reduce both underwater noise and greenhouse gas emissions.”
