Agenda

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To agree any items to be dealt with after the public (including the Press) have been excluded. Thereare no itemswhich officersrecommendshould be dealtwithin thisway, but if confidential minutes from Cabinet and/or the Council’s Committees are being discussed, Officers may recommend consideration in the private part of the meeting.

Motion 1:  Motion for the Ocean

Proposed by: Cllr John Heath

Seconded by: Cllr Aurora Bailey 

Motion signed by:  Cllrs Geoff Jung, Tim Dumper, Paula Fernley, Olly Davey, Brian Bailey, Charlotte Fitzgerald, Alasdair Bruce, and Marianne Rixon.

It is the UN Ocean Decade, and the tide is turning on Ocean neglect. Our Ocean and climate are in a state of emergency, and whilst many local authorities have already declared a climate emergency, the Ocean is still missing from many of our climate action plans. By supporting this evidence-based Motion, based on Dr Pamela Buchan’s pioneering research on marine citizenship, we can help local and national governments take action to improve Ocean health.

A model ‘Ocean Recovery Declaration’ – or Motion for the Ocean – seeks to help ALL local governments recognise that the world’s Ocean is a fundamental part of climate regulation and that it must be considered as part of an effective climate emergency response. It is vital to ensure that local Councils commit to supporting a more ecologically healthy sea and to rethink how Ocean is taken into account in planning and decision-making at local level.

Many councils up and down the country have supported this important motion. They are too numerous to mention, and I believe that EDDC should add its name to the list. The councils that have so far affiliated to the motion are listed under Motion for the Ocean Motion-for-the-Ocean-coastal-councils.pdf.

We welcome the opportunity to support Devon County Council colleagues in protecting our Oceans, and will work in conjunction with all signatories to play our continued part in improving our seas and oceans.