From the deep ocean, Seychelles president calls for action on climate

Seychelles President Danny Faure (left) joins the British-led Nekton research mission in an underwater submersible off the coast of Desroches Island. Seychelles President Danny Faure (left) joins the British-led Nekton research mission in an underwater submersible off the coast of Desroches Island. Photo: Nekton Photo: Nekton Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close From the deep ocean, Seychelles president calls for action on climate 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

DESROCHES ISLAND, Seychelles — In a striking speech delivered from deep below the ocean’s surface, the Seychelles president made a global plea Sunday for stronger protection of the “beating blue heart of our planet.”

President Danny Faure’s call for action came from one of the many island nations threatened by global warming.

He spoke during a visit to an ambitious British-led science expedition exploring the Indian Ocean depths. Oceans cover over two-thirds of the world’s surface but remain, for the most part, uncharted. There are better maps of Mars than of the ocean floor, Faure said.

“This issue is bigger than all of us, and we cannot wait for the next generation to solve it. We are running out of excuses to not take action, and running out of time,” the president said from a manned submersible 400 feet below the waves, on the seabed off the outer islands of the African nation.

Wearing a Seychelles T-shirt and shorts, the president told the Associated Press after his speech that the experience was “so, so cool. What biodiversity.” It made him more determined than ever to speak out for marine protection, he said. “We just need to do what needs to be done. The scientists have spoken.”

The oceans’ role in regulating climate and the threats they face are underestimated by many, even though as Faure pointed out they generate “half of the oxygen we breathe.” Scientific missions are crucial in taking stock of underwater ecosystems’ health.

Small island nations are among the most vulnerable to sea level rise caused by climate change, and some have found creative ways to express their concerns. Faure’s speech came a decade after members of the Maldives’ Cabinet donned scuba gear and used hand signals at an underwater meeting highlighting global warming’s threat to the lowest-lying nation on earth.

Land erosion, dying coral reefs and the increased frequency of extreme weather events threaten such countries’ existence.

During the expedition, marine scientists from the University of Oxford have surveyed underwater life, mapped large areas of the sea floor and gone deep with manned submersibles and underwater drones.

By the end of the Nekton mission, researchers expect to have conducted over 300 deployments, collected around 1,400 samples and 16 terabytes of data and surveyed about 11 square miles of seabed using high-resolution multi-beam sonar equipment.

The data will be used to help the Seychelles expand its policy of protecting almost a third of its national waters by 2020. The initiative is important for the country’s “blue economy,” an attempt to balance development needs with those of the environment.

Researchers hope their findings also will inform United Nations talks aimed at forging the first high seas conservation treaty, scheduled to conclude this year.

David Keyton is an Associated Press writer.