The ocean serves as more than just a means of subsistence for the people of the Seychelles. It is a way of life as well. About 80% of our housing stock and infrastructure are situated along the coast, and the water has an impact on these structures in a number of different ways.
We must figure out how to maintain a healthy connection with our ocean since we rely on it. I think there should be a mutual understanding between us and the oceans, where we learn more about how we treat them and eventually what they can do for us.
We have a special set of vulnerabilities as one of the Small Island Developing States (SIDS), which hinders our ability to achieve sustainable development.
The socioeconomic outcomes and our capacity to meet the SDGs are influenced by structural considerations, including our size, isolation, scarce resource base, market size, susceptibility to climatic hazards, and vulnerability to natural disasters.
To address the vulnerabilities of the SIDS, coordinated international initiatives are required, including special international financial structures.
Climate change is blamed for the main dangers that the Seychelles and other small island-developing governments face. These include, among others, an increase in storms and storm surges, changes in rainfall patterns that cause flooding or drought, an increase in sea temperature, changes in ocean acidity and harm to marine ecosystems, and sea level rise.
A cooperative strategy is required to combat these global dangers, especially in terms of mitigation and adaptation measures. How we collectively manage our oceans is a vital factor in helping to counter these challenges.
The water must play a significant role in this coordinated effort. It offers answers for lowering emissions, managing vulnerability, and enhancing resilience, and it is the biggest connector in our world.
The problems that SIDS is currently facing call for creative answers, forcing us to reconsider how we go about our regular tasks. In terms of where and how we concentrate our finite resources, especially our ocean resources, significant climate change activities are necessary.
Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are paying the price for human-induced climate change, despite the fact that we are the least to blame for it.
According to a recent study commissioned by the High Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy (Ocean Panel), the ocean can contribute up to 35% of the annual greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions required in 2050 to keep the increase in global temperature at 1.5°C.
This is based on current, implementable solutions, not on potential outcomes we might get in the future if technology advances. The world must succeed in resolving this global problem. The main players must take the initiative and contribute more significantly to the creation of creative solutions that will ensure the survival of small island states.
If this issue is not resolved, the Seychelles’ economic activity would decline and, together with the coral islands that make up the archipelago that comprise our Republic, would be submerged by rising tides.
Our message is straightforward: We must act right away. It comes from those who are directly impacted by this issue.
Investments must rise dramatically as well, as SDG 14 (the ocean target) continues to receive the least amount of funding of any SDG. According to Ocean Panel research, between 2030 and 2050, the world will need to invest US$2 trillion in targeted sustainable ocean solutions in order to realize the ocean’s potential for emissions reductions.
The Seychelles, an island nation, have demonstrated resilience in their approach and taken multiple actions to address the various problems caused by climate change and other ocean-related issues.
The Seychelles joined the Ocean Panel last month as its 18th member. In order to safeguard the oceans, promote sustainable economic growth, and push climate action to secure the welfare of our population and future generations, I’m happy to be working with other nations that share my values.
Despite the small size of our country, we are the guardians of a sizable area of the Western Indian Ocean. The Seychelles, frequently referred to as “a small island state but a large oceanic state,” is home to an abundance of marine ecosystems and resources. And we are making use of these resources to maintain a healthy ocean for wildlife, the environment, and the climate.
In an effort to promote and transition to sustainable marine and fisheries initiatives, efforts have included the World Bank’s introduction of the first-ever sovereign blue bond.
By combining public and private investment, resources were mobilized to support both small enterprises and local communities. It advocates the use of debt solutions by island and coastal countries to provide long-term sustainable funding that can aid in the preservation of 30% of the world’s oceans while achieving sustainable economic development and climate change adaptation.
To educate children about the significance and numerous advantages that the ocean offers, we also place a high priority on ocean literacy and awareness in the classroom. In addition to strengthening our country’s relationship with the ocean, this advances the worldwide dialogue on the significance of protecting this priceless resource.
Collaboration with our neighbors and people around the world is essential since the challenges we confront are global in scope. In addition to fostering ecological harmony, the Joint Management Area with Mauritius highlights the enormous potential for nations to work together to protect our oceans while gaining shared resources for future generations.
By becoming members of the Ocean Panel, we advance cooperation by uniting around a shared goal for the preservation and sustainable exploitation of our oceans. Together, we can fight to protect marine ecosystems, produce sustainable ocean revenue that supports economic growth, stabilize the climate, and promote responsible use of marine resources.
As a result, the Seychelles will be better able to manage our waters while also making a substantial contribution to the worldwide effort to promote the health and prosperity of our oceans.
As COP28 draws near, I implore world leaders to look to the ocean to inspire the critical “course correction.” The opportunity to collaborate across borders and find quick fixes in the ocean offers hope for steering the globe away from a terrible future.
