Nippon Foundation Nereus Ocean Science Conference

Princeton, USA

Thank you for the introduction. Good morning to you all.

I am excited to be here among so many people who are passionate about the ocean. The Nippon Foundation was founded 60 years ago, by my late father Ryoichi Sasakawa in order to promote the maritime industry and to develop human resources across multiple sectors. Through our collaborative fellowship programs with the United Nations and the World Maritime University, we have provided advanced education and research in the field of ocean affairs. The number of our scholarship fellows exceeds 1300 graduates from 134 countries.

With my interest in the oceans, it was nine years ago that a book written by Professor Cury caught my attention. Devouring through its pages I was strongly stimulated to come face to face with the crisis that our oceans are facing. As a foundation dedicated to maritime and ocean affairs, we felt a strong responsibility that it was absolutely vital to address this serious situation. Based on our founding principles we immediately converted our thoughts into action. And, in 2011, just a year later the Nereus Program was born as an unprecedented initiative to predict the future oceans. As I stand before you to speak today, I cannot but say how proud The Nippon Foundation is to have been part of this invaluable endeavor, with all of you talented individuals who have answered to our call and joined us to work for the last eight years.

The achievements made over these eight years are astounding. Whether it be the 300 publications with diverse perspectives, media coverage from around the world, and presentations made at the United Nations and other international meetings, The Nereus program has been the frontrunner in investigative scientific research. It goes without saying, that this outstanding publication is the embodiment of these achievements. But what I value even more, is the global network that was built during this program, of experts with brilliant minds and a strong will to dedicate their passion and energy towards the oceans. This global network will certainly be guiding the future of our oceans and become one of the monumental achievements of humankind.

Over these eight years, The Nereus program issued countless warnings to the world, regarding the state of our oceans based on scientific evidence. As you are all aware, a 17th century Dutch jurist, Hugo Grotius, who wrote the famous principle of “the Freedom of the Seas,” called for open access and free use of the oceans. But I cannot hide my disbelief that there are still voices advocating for these 17th century principles, in a world where the population is now seven billion and still growing, and the ocean environment is rapidly deteriorating. Now, more than any other time, the international community must be aware of the need to establish a cooperative framework based on a common understanding. Standards to stop the rise in sea temperatures and ocean acidification, as well as standards to protect fishing resources have been set largely by the United Nations. However, these efforts are fragmented, and a lack of coordination and legally binding commitments are undermining these efforts and hindering the development of effective sustainable measures with dramatic consequences on human survival. The United Nations has 193 member states. But there is only one mother ocean. We can no longer ignore the cries of our mother ocean.

This latest outstanding publication from the Nereus program, “Predicting Future Oceans” will serve as a guiding textbook for ocean advocates around the world, and a powerful tool to explain the “scientific evidence” behind the ocean crisis. The survival of humankind depends immensely on the actions we take in response to the predictions made about the future of our oceans. I am convinced that this conference is the first step in this effort.

I convey my deepest gratitude to the Nereus fellows, professors, researchers and students on your completion of this massive eight-year program. And most importantly, I convey my utmost appreciation to the principle investigators, professors and Director Dr Cheung for leading the program, and Director Dr. Ota for taking on this incredible task from its inception to its completion.

Ladies and gentlemen, The Nereus fellowship program itself will come to a close. However, this network and the important task to harness the knowledge gained about the future of our oceans will remain. The Nereus program has enabled us to understand what may happen in the future. Our next task will be to show humankind, how we should adapt and act upon this future. Thus, become the trigger to change the world. This important task will require an expansion of this network, and a new set of capacity. As the next step forward, we will continue to support the human network that was cultivated from the Nereus program, and we will embark on a new interdisciplinary global initiative.

Ladies and gentlemen, we have the responsibility of passing on healthy, beautiful oceans to humanity a thousand years into the future. I am today still a young man at the age of 80. You know, my father once told me that living beings will live four to eight times the age of their physical maturity which for humans is set on the average age at 25. My father was called to heaven on urgent business at the age of 96 and has not yet returned. Simple calculation will give me another 20 to 120 years. Therefore, I still have ample time to walk with all of you, every step of the way, for the future of our oceans.

Thank you.