OceanCare at UNOC3: Offshore Fossil Fuel Exploration Must Stop Now
On behalf of the 200+ international NGOs who co-signed an open letter to the UN Ocean Conference, Nicolas Entrup of OceanCare called on states, during the plenary session, to commit to end oil and gas exploration at sea.
Speaking during the plenary session of the Third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3), Nicolas Entrup, Director of International Cooperation at OceanCare, delivered the following urgent call to governments supported by a powerful coalition of 208 environmental organisations demanding an immediate end of offshore oil and gas exploration:
I deliver this statement on behalf of OceanCare and many global civil society coalitions, representing hundreds of organisations and millions of constituents worldwide.
Scientific evidence shows clearly that we are in a climate emergency.
And yet, offshore oil and gas exploration continues. This industry not only contributes a disproportionate level to climate change, but also ocean destruction from chemical and noise pollution.
Despite clear warnings from the IPCC and the UN Emissions Gap Report, we remain trapped in a pattern of systemic contradiction—acknowledging that fossil fuels account for the vast majority of global emissions, endorsing the science, declaring commitments, yet continuing to license new offshore hydrocarbon exploration.
There is a word for this: incoherence.
This is not a policy gap. It is a governance failure.
And it is happening despite the clear objectives and targets set under SDG 13 and SDG14.
Offshore fossil fuel development is not a bridge. It is a breach—of scientific guidance, legal obligations, and intergenerational trust. Agenda 2030 is a mere 5 years away.
The incoherence must end. And it must end now.
On behalf of the 200+ international NGOs who co-signed the open letter to this Conference, we call on States to commit to:
- A global prohibition on new offshore oil and gas exploration activities, and
- A just and expedited phaseout of existing offshore extraction.
In addition, OceanCare provides a 6.Point Action Plan how the objectives of SDG14 can be achieved within our written statement.
UNOC3 must not produce another well-meaning Declaration. It must set a precedent, to truly move from words to action, to implement truly effective measures for the protection of the oceans. The science is clear. The path is clear. What is missing is genuine political commitment and implementation.
We need change. Because Our Planet Is Blue.
Publication
- Open Letter from NGOs: “End Fossil Fuel Exploration in the Ocean” (with list of signatories)
Notes to editors
Signatories of the Open Letter from NGOs “End Fossil Fuel Exploration in the Ocean” to the UNOC3 include leading marine conservation groups, climate coalitions, and grassroots organisations from six continents, all demanding decisive action to address the deteriorating state of the Ocean.
The letter calls on governments to commit to transitioning away from fossil fuels by prohibiting all new exploration activities for fossil fuels in areas within and beyond national jurisdiction, in line with the objective agreed at the COP28 climate conference. The organisations are urging governments to incorporate such a commitment into the Declaration, which will chart a course for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 13 and 14. Consistency requires keeping fossil fuels in the ground by immediately ending the exploration of new hydrocarbon deposits, which would strengthen the link between marine conservation and climate action.
The coalition emphasises that continued offshore fossil fuel exploration is fundamentally incompatible with meeting the Paris Agreement’s climate targets and protecting marine biodiversity. Current exploration activities involve the use of airguns that produce some of the loudest human-generated noise in the marine environment, causing severe harm to marine wildlife from the smallest zooplankton to the largest whales.
The Third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3), currently being held in Nice, France, focuses on accelerating the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 14 (Life Below Water). UNOC3 provides a crucial opportunity for governments to commit to concrete actions for ocean protection and address the interconnected crises of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution.
OceanCare’s initiative “Because Our Planet Is Blue” calls for six specific actions to protect the Ocean, including as its first demand: “Ban offshore oil and gas exploration and phase out existing fossil fuel extraction.” The campaign highlights that despite Paris Agreement targets, billions of dollars continue to be spent exploring for oil and gas in the seabed, even within marine protected areas.
Image material
- Because Our Planet Is Blue campaign visual “Oil and Gas”
- Because Our Planet Is Blue campaign visual “Underwater Noise”
