And promote healthy marine ecosystems

The Nordic Prime Ministers – Katrín Jakobsdóttir, Mette Frederiksen, Sanna Marin, Magdalena Andersson, and Jonas Gahr Støre – have joined forces to promote healthy marine ecosystems in the Nordic oceans and facilitate the green transition.

Thereby, the region will assume a leading role in global efforts to reduce marine pollution, safeguard marine biodiversity, and achieve zero emissions in shipping by 2050.

Regarding this, Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre stated: “Nordic cooperation is more important than ever before as we seek to address Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Swedish and Finnish membership of NATO, and the climate and energy crisis.”

In more detail, a shared statement reads: “We will collaborate to reach an international agreement on an IMO target on climate neutral shipping by 2050 and support green shipping corridors and port infrastructure
along international trade routes as well as upscaling production of climate-neutral fuel for shipping.”

In other words, the plan is to establish zero-emission shipping routes for ferry transport between the Nordic countries and an effective IMO framework to minimize the transfer of aquatic invasive species.

Also, the statement mentions the cooperation with European initiatives such as the EU Green Deal Mission Restore Our Ocean and Waters by 2030 and the ocean-related Horizon Europe partnerships, including the Partnership on Zero-Emission Waterborne Transport.

Finally, Støre confirmed: “Together, the Nordic countries can influence and enhance the resilience of ocean areas nationally, regionally, and globally. In addition, the Nordic countries have agreed to expand cooperation on developing offshore wind power in the North Sea and the Baltic Sea.”

Last month, the Norweigan government published its Climate Action Plan for 2021–2030. It promoted the development of low- and zero-emission solutions in the aquaculture industry.