Ireland’s role in 2013 international agreement on Atlantic Ocean research celebrated in Dublin event

An international research agreement forged during Ireland’s EU presidency in 2013 has led to much greater understanding of how humans have impacted the Atlantic Ocean, and how it is affecting our climate, a commemoration event was told on Tuesday.

Praising those who had the vision to form the alliance between the EU, United States and Canada, Steve Thur of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in the US said it had “pushed the boundaries of marine research and innovation” globally and ensured the Atlantic was in a better place.

The scientific knowledge that accrued from the co-operation had important benefits for society, particularly marine-dependent communities, and would ensure better protection of economies bordering the Atlantic in the future, he believed.

Mr Thur was addressing a gathering in Dublin on Tuesday hosted by Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin to mark the 10th anniversary of the Galway Statement, which committed signatories to joining forces on Atlantic research, and to building a common path for sustainable management of the shared resource.

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EU commissioner Mairead McGuinness said the agreement led to a successful decade of science diplomacy and co-operation.

“Thousands of researchers have mobilised to work together on marine research and innovation, which resulted in the discovery of new species and a better understanding of the ocean climate – in particular the crucial role played by the Atlantic Ocean,” she said.

“The global ocean” was facing a threefold crisis of climate change, biodiversity collapse and pollution, Ms McGuinness said, while it was also increasingly becoming a contested geopolitical space where conflicts were likely to be played out.

Solving the crisis was part of the European green deal, including a commitment to protect 30 per cent of marine and fresh waters by 2030, she said, but solutions were needed quickly “in making the blue economy carbon neutral and circular”.

[ Ireland is experiencing one of the most extreme marine heatwaves on earth, so why aren’t we more alarmed? ]

Commissioner for environment, oceans and fisheries Virginijus Sinkevicius, underlined the progress since the statement was signed. “Today, we can count on sound co-operation in marine research between the two sides of the Atlantic.

“Our ambitious targets on nature restoration, the fight against pollution, and a sustainable blue economy can only be met if we can enhance this fruitful co-operation, building synergies between the many initiatives developed in and outside the EU. Research has no borders, and the all-Atlantic Ocean research alliance has proven it,” he added.

Mr Martin said it was “a key achievement of our European Council presidency in 2013″ and is now a global model for multilateral co-operation on research to tackle shared challenges.

“The success of the initiative is evidenced by the number of countries that have joined [since]... This is now a truly all-Atlantic co-operation where Ireland continues to play a central role,” he added.

It also led to other international agreements, notably the All-Atlantic Ocean Research and Innovation Alliance (AAORIA) agreed last year.

Geo data specialist David Millar of Fugro said sea mapping was the basis of all ocean science and the alliance had conducted pioneering work in mapping more than one million square kilometres of the Atlantic seabed and provided “invaluable outcomes”.

Dr John Bell, the commission’s Healthy Planet director and member of the Directorate-General for Research & Innovation, paid tribute to the leading role played by the Irish government, the Marine Institute in Galway (where the agreement was signed) and the EU in securing the agreement.

It had led to mapping of new areas of the ocean and the discovery of important new species and underwater mountains while putting the Atlantic, a shared resource, on a path to sustainable management. “The ocean is a central part of how we move forward as society,” he said.

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Charlie McConalogue said: “As an island nation, bordering the Atlantic Ocean, Ireland’s culture, heritage and identity are intrinsically linked to the Ocean that surrounds it. The Galway Statement has been instrumental in fostering a decade of marine research co-operation. It has led to the development of numerous collaborative projects and initiatives in which Ireland will continue to play a significant role over the next decade.”

Michael Gillooly, interim chief executive of the Marine Institute, said the Galway Statement and AAORIA had delivered an exemplary example of science diplomacy. “The Marine Institute is proud to have contributed to this important work and we look forward to continued co-operation with the other members of the alliance.”

The Dublin event was attended by high-level representatives of all the signatories; ministers from countries across the Atlantic; ambassadors and leading marine scientists who discussed outcomes from the co-operation and future research opportunities.

Activities marking the 10th anniversary will continue in Galway on Wednesday and Thursday with events open to the public, including a two-day conference organised by the EU, the Marine Institute and the University of Galway.