Posts by Franziska Walter
To protect whales, we must stop ignoring the high seas
Almost two-thirds of the ocean, or 95% of the habitable space on Earth, are sloshing around beyond human borders and the jurisdiction of any country. These waters contain some of the last wilderness areas on the planet, are packed with life, and some spots are so remote that few humans have ever ventured to them.…
Read MoreGive the ocean a chance – our message from the UN Ocean Conference
I’m looking out over the River Tejo in Lisbon, Portugal, reflecting on the astounding resilience of nature. It’s the end of a motivating and exhausting five days at the second UN Ocean Conference (UNOC). Before the conference started, I went out on the river with Astrid Fuchs and Bianca König (colleagues from WDC Germany) and…
Read MoreWhales are our climate allies – meet the scientists busy proving it
At Whale and Dolphin Conservation, we’re working hard to bring whales and the ocean into climate conversations at the highest levels. I lead WDC’s ‘Green Whale’ team and this week I’m at the United Nations Ocean Conference in Lisbon talking to policymakers about the vital roles whales play in our fight against the climate crisis.…
Read MoreCOP26: Did we persuade world leaders to listen to the ocean?
As the dust settles after the United Nations Climate Change conference in Glasgow, it’s a good moment to reflect on what we achieved there for whales, dolphins and the ocean. Many things have been said already on how the event unfolded and here I’ll give my honest ruminations on what happened during and after those…
Read MoreWhales, trees and butterflies – how we’re giving a voice to the ocean at COP26
I’m in Glasgow representing WDC, Whale and Dolphin Conservation at COP26, the UN’s 26th climate conference. This is the first time WDC has attended one of these and it’s because we have something important to say – we desperately need the world to wake up and listen to the ocean, for without protecting it, we…
Read MoreSave the whale, save the world – because our lives depend on it
Carl Sagan famously called our planet a ’pale blue dot’ when he saw the first images of it taken by the Voyager 1 space probe from 4 billion miles away. It appears blue because almost three quarters of it is covered in water. The ocean is our greatest natural asset and our biggest carbon sink,…
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