SACRAMENTO, USA- Kenya will join the rest of the world in marking World Oceans Day 2024 this weekend, June 8.
Y News understands that this yearly occasion serves as a poignant reminder of how vital it is to safeguard our oceans and marine life.
The theme for World Ocean Day is “Sustainable Fishing Means More,” which underscores the importance of sustainable fishing practices in ensuring the health and abundance of marine resources for generations to come.
But ahead of the global event, it is now emerging that Liquified Natural Gas (LNG), a ‘natural’ fossil fuel, is seeing a rapid expansion worldwide.
LNG is primarily methane gas extracted from the ground through fracking or other forms of drilling. If cooled, the gas becomes liquid and can be stored and transported by sea using special tankers.
When burned to obtain energy, methane produces less carbon dioxide than other fossil fuels, such as oil or gas. However, methane is a potent greenhouse gas responsible for almost a third of all the global warming we are experiencing today (UNEP 2024).
A new report released by Earth Insight on how LNG developments continue to lock in fossil fuels and threaten fisheries, human health, ecosystems, and the global climate shows how the last ten years have been the ocean’s warmest since at least the 1800s, with 2023 being the hottest ever recorded (NASA 2024).
“Destructive marine heatwaves are becoming more frequent and intense across the world. Massive coral bleaching episodes destroy reefs and all the natural life they support. And species are being displaced from their habitats, moving to cooler and deeper waters, disrupting ecological chains and impacting fisheries,” reads the report seen by Y News.
The report released early this week in Sacramento, USA, is signed by Bart Wickel (Research Director, Earth Insight), Tyson Miller (Executive Director, Earth Insight) and Elissama Menezes (Global Director, Say No to LNG)
Our oceans cover 70% of the planet’s surface and play a vital role in sustaining life. From providing oxygen for every second breath we take to feeding billions of people and hosting 80% of the world’s biodiversity, the ocean is essential to our existence.
“But in addition to its climate impacts, LNG plans directly threaten oceans and coastal communities. Much of the proposed infrastructure will be built in iconic regions, renowned for their beauty and extraordinary natural richness,” the report further reads.
Earth Insight now warns that plans by some countries to set up new LNG terminals where methane is burned to obtain energy will increase shipping intensity and noise pollution in marine migration corridors, mating and nursery areas, and important fishing grounds.
According to Earth Insight’s analysis, continued LNG expansion along the Gulf Coast in the United States will disproportionately impact communities of colour in some of the country’s poorer states.
In Mexico, Earth Insight argues that new LNG infrastructure threatens “the world’s aquarium,” home to 40% of all marine mammals and many endangered species.
On the other hand, building new LNG terminals in the Philippines will add more pressure to the Verde Island Passage, one of the world’s most biodiverse marine places.
Meanwhile, in East Africa, gas developments in Mozambique have already caused the forced displacement of local communities, are linked to ongoing violent conflict, and threaten several critically endangered marine species.
In Brazil, plans are underway to build new LNG terminals along the Atlantic coast, a region already crowded with oil and gas infrastructure.
“Rather than betting on short-term solutions with direct impacts for marine animals and coastal communities, banks and companies should redirect economic resources towards renewable energies and long-term solutions,” Earth Insight says.
Earth Insight observes that governments and international organisations must ensure the protection of biodiversity-rich regions and respect local populations’ rights.
