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He came to Greece for the 11th Delphi Forum, but helium visits the state often, not lone for authoritative engagements, but besides to drawback a hoops crippled from clip to time. Albert II, Prince of Monaco, besides met with the Greek premier curate during his visit to our country, with whom helium discussed his initiatives for the extortion of marine life, backing for actions to prevention the Mediterranean monk seal, arsenic well arsenic further strengthening practice astir the “blue economy.”
In 1 of his uncommon interviews, Albert II spoke to Kathimerini astir the interaction of the war successful Ukraine and developments successful the Gulf connected the people of the vigor transition, while besides highlighting the trouble of convincing citizens to follow sustainable alternatives.
Many European leaders are freezing their vigor transition targets, while President Trump has embraced the “drill, baby, drill” doctrine. In 2017, you described President Trump’s determination to withdraw from the Paris Agreement arsenic a terrible shame. How bash you remark connected this renewed displacement toward fossil fuels?
I understand that this [shift] is not bully quality astatine all. It is very atrocious quality for everyone, and supra each for aboriginal generations, including our children and grandchildren. We present cognize the semipermanent effects of hydrocarbons and the carbon-based economy. But it is not capable to simply condemn these developments; we person to transportation people, and that is the hardest part. We request to understand why so galore radical support policies that are harmful to quality health, the climate, and the environment. Many view ecological concerns arsenic constraints and changes that are inconvenient oregon restrictive. Some adjacent judge they are asserting their freedom, when successful information they are committing themselves to a aboriginal marked by dependence and suffering. So we indispensable animate people. Human advancement is not incompatible with preserving our earthy resources and our planet. Alternative vigor sources tin supply lasting solutions. It does not person to beryllium a single approach, but there tin beryllium a premix of solutions, galore of which already beryllium and simply request to beryllium scaled up. Historically, advancement connected behalf of the satellite has ne'er been easy; it has ever required effort, and outcomes person seldom been clear-cut. What matters present is demonstrating that these solutions are feasible and expanding them, which will, of course, necessitate backing and commitment.
Do you judge that the war successful Ukraine and the situation successful the Gulf are accelerating the request for vigor independency and greater concern successful sustainable vigor models? And if so, what initiatives should beryllium prioritized?
I think these crises person a treble effect. On the 1 hand, they item the urgent request to interruption escaped from traditional vigor dependencies. On the different hand, they besides request contiguous solutions, which are often not ideal. Any struggle involving dense subject enactment is ne'er bully for the environment, and its effects will unluckily beryllium long-lasting. Returning to the vigor transition, it is simply a agelong and very costly process that requires important investment. In times of crisis, such concern is often hard to unafraid oregon justify. A world successful changeless struggle cannot sustain the level of practice and concern required. Continuous crises are not lone harmful to humanity but besides to the planet. At the aforesaid time, we indispensable gully lessons from these conflicts and physique vigor independency done renewable sources such arsenic geothermal, solar, wind, and wave power. There is besides the committedness of hydrogen, which has seen notable improvement successful caller months, though not yet astatine the indispensable scale. Ultimately, bid is simply a prerequisite for advancement successful this area. We cannot spend a fragmented world if we want to beforehand these solutions. Collaboration is essential.
In October, you traveled to the Sporades, where you visited the Alonissos National Marine Park, a sanctuary for the extortion of the monk seal. At the aforesaid time, Monaco has contributed much than €10 cardinal to a “blue economy” concern fund. What initiatives are you presently undertaking to item the value of the oceans, and what bash astir world leaders not understand astir them?
In my earlier remarks, I spoke astir the information that we are a maritime civilization. We indispensable take this into relationship and guarantee that we attraction for our seas and oceans, while besides recognizing the benefits that tin travel from the sustainable use of marine resources. There are galore aspects of the “blue economy” that are processing successful a sustainable way, including tourism, communications, and nutrient trade. A ample proportionality of the world’s colonisation lives within 100 kilometers of coastlines, which makes this assemblage not lone important but afloat of potential, provided it is managed responsibly. Seas are fragile ecosystems, and the Mediterranean successful peculiar is particularly vulnerable. We indispensable so find ways to make these activities while strengthening their protection. To execute this, we request to mobilize economical actors. The firm world plays a important role, and it is important to link businesses with different stakeholders. Many economical actors are already engaged successful this direction, oregon are willing to be, and we indispensable support them done due regulatory frameworks, entree to capital, and technological guidance. Solid information and probe are indispensable to guarantee that improvement remains sustainable, and we present request to facilitate and accelerate these efforts.
Given that Monaco is 1 of the world’s starring destinations for yachting and luxury tourism, and with Greece having implicit 16,000 kilometers of coastline, what areas of practice and partnerships are you discussing with your counterparts successful Athens?
We discussed various programs successful which our instauration (Monaco Explorations) has been involved, galore of them tied to section ecosystems. A cardinal illustration is the monk seal and the broader effort to strengthen its protection. This includes bringing together antithetic probe initiatives and fostering collaboration done alliances. One such initiative, the “Monk Seal Alliance,” has proven to beryllium very successful. Beyond that, we addressed broader challenges affecting not lone the Mediterranean but the world astatine large. A large precedence is the improvement of marine protected areas, supported and financed done dedicated backing mechanisms. We besides discussed efforts to combat integrative contamination done targeted programs, arsenic well arsenic the ongoing, semipermanent efforts to scope planetary agreements connected water governance, such arsenic the “High Seas Treaty” signed astatine the United Nations past year, to support 30% of the world’s oceans by 2030, and the planetary plastics treaty, which, unfortunately, has not yet delivered the expected results. We besides reflected together connected the aboriginal of tourism and however to marque it much sustainable while ensuring it respects marine environments. This is indispensable not lone for Mediterranean countries but globally. Tourism is 1 of the astir dynamic industries successful the world, and peculiarly important successful Greece, but it indispensable afloat prosecute successful this transition. Its semipermanent viability depends connected it. With increasing request from planetary populations, the assemblage needs support done innovation, concern and due regulation. While the maturation of tourism tin look very affirmative from a purely economical perspective, it tin spot important strain connected delicate environments. That is why amended absorption and regularisation are indispensable to equilibrium economical benefits with biology protection.
We person seen you respective times astatine Greek hoops games. How bash you acquisition the atmosphere? And secondly, are you discussing immoderate practice with Greek teams successful terms of cognition speech oregon different associated programs?
I indispensable accidental that the fewer times I person attended hoops games successful Greece, the ambiance has been incredible. The passionateness and vigor of the fans are remarkable, sometimes adjacent overwhelming for visiting teams playing successful that environment. You tin truly spot some the enthusiasm and the heavy cognition that fans person for the game, which makes it a truly unique experience. I was συγνώμη not to beryllium capable to be the caller crippled against Panathinaikos, and congratulations to Panathinaikos for their win. I judge our adjacent (Monaco) yearly crippled is against Olympiakos, so we will spot however that goes. We are very arrogant to person a strong team susceptible of performing astatine a precocious level successful the Euroleague. It has been a challenging play successful galore respects, some connected and disconnected the court, but the team continues to compete. As for practice with Greek clubs, there person not yet been immoderate ceremonial discussions regarding partnerships oregon cognition speech programs. However, it is surely something that could beryllium considered successful the future. I besides callback attending the Champions League last successful 2018 betwixt Monaco and AEK, and I americium sure I will person the accidental to instrumentality and acquisition erstwhile again the passionateness and ambiance present successful Greece.
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