Mission accomplished! The Relay4Nature baton - symbol of the inseparability of our planet’s environmental problems and their solutions – reached Brest this afternoon, brought by Alan on board his new IMOCA.
The One Ocean Summit officially kicked off with this event. The world summit where many heads of states and decision makers are expected, aims to reinforce international action in favour of the ocean and lead to concrete commitments.
The shared commitments will be announced on Friday 11th February. Governance of the high seas, protecting biodiversity and fighting plastic pollution will be among the major topics debated.
“I’ve been sailing for 27 years now. First with my family and more recently as a professional sailor around the world and I’ve noticed changes in meteorological conditions, like the absence of trade winds in the usual seasons, and gulfweed to the north of the Azores which we never used to see, not to mention the huge quantity of plastic. It’s not too late to take action, but we must do so rapidly. I’m really proud to be here in Brest with my boat and my team to bring this baton to help people understand that we must act now to protect the oceans.”
Alan Roura, sailor
Relay4Nature is an initiative of The Ocean Race developed in collaboration with Peter Thomson, the United Nations Secretary General’s Special Envoy for the Ocean, aiming to give voice to the ocean about major issues affecting our planet, and connected to international conferences where environmental decisions are taken.
The One Ocean Summit is organised by the French Presidency of the Council of the European Union, supported by the United Nations, starting Wednesday 9th February. It aims to strengthen international action in favour of the ocean and encourage concrete commitments. It’s the opportunity to kick off the second year of the Ocean Decade.
Photo © Austin Wongg / The Ocean Race