Stephen Morgan MP, who signed up to Greenpeace’s oceans pledge earlier this month, has now called on Government to support a bold Global Ocean Treaty in a number of cutting parliamentary questions.
The city MP’s parliamentary actions come amid UN discussions in New York surrounding the Global Ocean Treaty.
The continued efforts follow local actions by campaigners which the Portsmouth South representative is supporting.
Stephen Morgan MP said:
“Overfishing, plastic pollution, and oil drilling are gutting our oceans of life and destroying delicate ecosystems. There is no planet B and we cannot afford for complacency.
Right now, only 1% of the world’s oceans are protected. Scientists say that we need to protect at least 30% by 2030.
It falls at the feet of government to treat this issue with due priority and ensure that appropriate representation is sent to New York for discussions around the Global Ocean Treaty.”
The talks have been described as being on a knife edge – and could result in a weak treaty unable to properly protect marine life.
Mr Morgan added:
“I have submitted questions directly to the Government department responsible in a bid to urge a strong UK presence at these international discussions.
To get the ambitious deal our oceans and climate need, we need senior politicians in the negotiating room who can push for a strong treaty.”
Tackling the climate emergency and being a national voice on environmental matters is a priority for the Portsmouth MP. He has been working closely with Friends of the Earth, has orchestrated constituency-based climate events, regularly speaks at climate strikes, has used the Queen’s Speech debate to raise the issue and has made repeated calls on Government to treat climate change as a top priority.
