With a letter written together with other students from France, Germany and Lithuania, they warn about climate change and demand urgent measures
More protection of the marine environment by increasing the number of reserves and an end to intensive agriculture and practices such as overfishing were some of the requests made by eight high school students from the Pedro Peñalver Institute in El Algar to UNESCO (Organization of the United Nations Nations for Education, Science and Culture). They did it together with thirty-six other students from centers in France, Germany and Lithuania.
Through a letter prepared and agreed upon by all the participants, after an analysis of the problems affecting the seas, they warned about the “emergency” situation of the oceans and the “extreme risk” of marine ecosystems. They blame the economic system for this, specifically “trade and transport”, but also “intensive agriculture and fishing, which destroy biodiversity”, they state in the letter.
The six girls and two boys from El Algar represented Spain within the Erasmus+ program ‘One Step Forward’, a European project aimed at raising awareness among young people about sustainable development, climate change and the importance of the oceans in the preservation of the environment. Those from Cartagena were coordinated by Pedro Peñalver professor María Isabel Cortés.
The boys have participated in the Erasmus + project ‘A step forward’, a European program on environmental awareness
“How are we supposed to keep quiet when we are already aware of the danger?” Thus begins the letter that was read three weeks ago during an ‘online’ conference to representatives of UNESCO and different institutions and associations involved in environmental actions. They did it in Nausicaà, a Marine Life Preservation Center of reference throughout Europe, located in Calais, France. They stayed in this city for five days. After sharing their concerns about environmental problems and ocean degradation, they engaged in discussions to decide which situations they consider most pressing.
Water contamination
They blame the excessive use of fertilizers and pesticides for the “increased pollution of our waters” and the “oil companies” because they are “a danger to marine life due to the huge amount of oil they dump daily.” Maritime transport and plastic pollution are for them, according to the letter, another of the great threats to the seas, such as tourism, in his opinion the culprit of “21% of the waste” found in the water.
After a study, they blame the degradation of ocean biodiversity on “intensive transport, fishing and agriculture”
The letter was read in the different languages of the participating students and in it they demanded urgent solutions, such as allocating more funds to research in marine cleaning technologies that can be used throughout the planet.
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