Cardinal Peter Turkson, Prefect of the Vatican Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, spoke on Wednesday at the 31st Regular Session of the International Maritime Organization’s General Assembly. This session, which is being held at IMO headquarters in London, is aimed at finding more effective measures and marshaling greater resources toward the conservation and sustainable use of our oceans, seas and marine resources.
In his opening words to the General Assembly on Wednesday, the Prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, Cardinal Peter Turkson extended to delegates Pope Francis’ appreciation “for the IMO’s commitment to develop measures to control emissions from the shipping sector.” The Cardinal said that “this places shipping at the forefront of efforts to decarbonize the global economy and promote investments in clean energy for sustainable shipping.”
Growing carbon dioxide emissions, Cardinal Turkson underlined, “increase the acidity of oceans, as oceans absorb at least a quarter of emitted carbon dioxide.” If these present trends continue, he added, “this century may well witness an unprecedented destruction of ecosystems, with serious consequences for all of us.” The Perfect praised the IMO’s new regulations that mandate cleaner-burning fuels at sea to reduce sulphur emissions. But, he underlined, “we also need to recognize how much detergents and chemical pollutants continue to pour into our rivers and into seas and oceans.”
Wrapping up his speech, Cardinal Turkson said, “we can and must reverse the degradation of our oceans and seas. This vast blue realm is God’s gift for us”.
Vatican News Department
