Our proposals and demands to address the climate crisis
To mitigate the climate crisis, a collective effort from all of humanity is required. Every nation was called upon – and they responded: the 2015 Paris Agreement is globally binding and commits to limiting global warming to well below 2 °C compared to pre-industrial levels, with an active pursuit of limiting it to 1.5 °C. However, implementation requires numerous further steps. A distinction must be made between two areas of action:
(1) the private sphere
This encompasses all individual actions that "each of us" can undertake. This includes sustainable living, reducing CO₂ emissions, and actively demanding the implementation of the Paris Agreement from policymakers.
Larger, higher in emissions, and slower to adapt, however, is
(2) the public sphere
Transport infrastructure, energy generation, and building regulations are subject to state regulation, funding, and restrictions. Here, elected legislatures must take action and establish the necessary regulatory frameworks. This applies to all sectors – both those widely discussed, and several that are specific to the marine environment. These areas represent our primary demands:
By kind permission of Marc-Uwe Kling / Bernd Kissel
Banning bottom trawling
Bottom trawling fisheries emit approximately the same amount of CO₂ equivalents as aviation. Demands to reduce air travel, abolish tax subsidies for aviation fuel, and ban short-haul flights are logical and are supported by us. However, it is equally critical to ban bottom trawling. These nets destroy the seabed, which functions as a highly effective carbon sink. When the seabed is disturbed and destroyed, stored CO₂ escapes—hence the significant impact on the climate.
Regional marine protected areas for carbon sinks
Specifically, mangroves, seagrass meadows, and salt marshes sequester carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, acting as carbon sinks. The more these ecosystems remain intact or can be restored, the more they contribute to capturing already emitted CO₂ from the atmosphere and storing it long-term. Human attempts to claim every square metre of land for settlements, agriculture, transport, and tourism destroy these vital natural habitats. This must end; these areas must be designated as protected areas so that they can perform their natural function in mitigating the climate crisis without human interference.
Banning krill fishing in the Antarctic
The Antarctic region around the South Pole appears inhospitable, primarily because it is associated with images of blizzards, icebergs, and penguins. In reality, the region is exceptionally productive in sustaining life, particularly krill. This zooplankton feeds the entire marine food web from the bottom up. Crucially, they consume vast quantities of organic matter; through photosynthesis and metabolic processes, oceans produce about half of all global oxygen while simultaneously sequestering and processing immense amounts of CO₂. Extracting zooplankton from the oceans deprives marine life of its primary food source. This is particularly critical in the Antarctic and must therefore be stopped.
Our detailed brochure on this topic can be found in our downloads.