Former US Vice President Al Gore will address a conference in Cork today.
Mr Gore will provide an online address to the World Ocean Day Conference in City Hall, to address the environmental coalition Fair Seas.
The Conference will also hear from keynote speaker, ocean economist Professor Rashid Sumaila of the University of British Column, and Minister of State for Heritage and Electoral Reform, Malcom Noonan.
The inaugural Fair Seas World Ocean Day Conference will today hear how three quarters of Irish people believe the Government should prioritise fully protecting valuable marine ecosystems.
Aoife O’Mahony, Campaign Manager for Fair Seas says, "It’s amazing to see that most people care for, value and respect our seas and ocean, with the majority of people saying in repeated surveys that they want to see more and improved protections for Ireland’s marine habitats and species. Ireland’s new Marine Protected Area legislation is due before the Oireachtas in the coming weeks.
"This will allow Ireland to meet its national and international target of protecting at least 30% of our waters by 2030. This legislation must not only detail how we effectively manage any new MPAs in the future, but how we better implement protected sites that currently exist. It’s only by having effective MPAs and using all our sea and ocean areas sustainably, that we can address the biodiversity and climate emergency."
