whale
One Animal at a Time
Whales
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The whale is the largest animal that has ever existed and belongs to a group of marine mammals called cetaceans, which includes more than 80 species of whales, dolphins and porpoises.
Despite living in the water, whales breathe air.
They are found in each one of the world's oceans, from the Arctic and Canada to the Gulf of California, the Coral Triangle, and the Mediterranean.
Whales are essential to combat climate change because of their crucial role in the ocean to fix, store and sequester carbon.
Disclosure about Whales and the Sea
8 of the 13 great whale species are endangered or vulnerable, even after decades of protection. A minimum of 300,000 whales and dolphins die each year from bycatch in fisheries and habitat loss.
One of the reasons why exponentially strengthening conservation efforts by whales is essential for the future of the planet and of human beings is that they are a very important natural solution to the climate emergency. They capture, accumulate and retain tons of carbon on the ocean floor.
The whales are listed as endangered on the IUCIN Red List.
Marine biologists estimate that there are just over 1.3 million individuals in the ocean, a quarter of what there used to be before the boom in wild hunting of this species. It is urgent to raise awareness to be aware, educate to understand, and show their lives to help save them.
Canary Islands, for the Ocean and Cetaceans
In Tenerife is the point of Europe with the greatest biodiversity of cetaceans - the Southwest of Tenerife, from Rasca to Teno. A unique place for fauna:
Bottlenose dolphins, sperm whales, spotted dolphins, fin whales, common dolphins, pilot whales and orcas.
1 million inhabitants, 6 million tourists, 800,000 cars are just some of the ways in which the pressure that is being exerted on Tenerife is shown, much greater than what the island can bear.
This current model of large-scale urban and tourist development is destroying Tenerife's natural spaces and biodiversity, as a result of an unsustainable island and its collapse. A change is urgent.
A macro port for cruise ships, ferries and 470 recreational boats is a serious threat to this underwater paradise, and would endanger the entire ecosystem, the living beings that inhabit it and the people who live on the island. Sign for a tourist moratorium on the islands and watch the documentary series Save Tenerife.
Helping create the largest Ocean Protection Act
No matter where you live on the planet, the state of Antarctica, its ocean, its biodiversity, its species, affects you. We depend on this incredible ice sheet that covers the southern hemisphere and that is degrading at an appalling rate.
Its ice does not stop melting even if you look the other way, the waters become warmer, temperatures rise and fishing increases. We found our opportunity to turn around this devastating possible future that is upon us. It is not too late, but we must do it now.
The importance of this ecosystem that we perceive so far away is incalculable. In it the magnitude of the dangers that threaten our blue planet is multiplied and what happens there consequently determines what we live around the Earth, completely. It is in our hands to do everything possible to conserve the nature that inhabits this continent, which is essential for life.
Antarctica, like the planet, belongs to no one and it is everyone's responsibility to ensure that it lasts without being destroyed, without species on the verge of extinction or an ocean on the edge.
You are facing a growing number of threats, which we must address sooner than ever. Now we can act to create the largest ocean protection act in history.
Marine protected areas significantly increase biodiversity, the abundance of species in their natural habitat, and ecosystem health, as well as contributing to climate resilience. These zones in their entirety would protect almost 4 million square kilometres, equivalent to the size of the European Union.
Add your name to the petition urging the leaders of CCAMLR member countries to act now to protect Antarctica. All of our signatures will be delivered, which will show the vast amount of public support for action to protect Antarctica's precious waters. Sign at Only One #ProtectAntarctica.
Protect Whales for Earth's Climate in a Noise Pollution-Free Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean is one of the most important areas for marine biodiversity on our planet and the most polluted sea in the world.
We need to act now, we are facing a global climate crisis and an alarming loss of biodiversity.
One of the most invisible ways in which this sea is being threatened is noise pollution. The Mediterranean Sea is one of the regions with the greatest activity of the merchant marine, more than 220,000 large ships transit through it every year.
The faster these boats move, the more noise they make, the more CO2 they emit, and ultimately, the more marine animals they kill.
A law that reduces the speed of ships in the Mediterranean Sea is key to protecting whales, reducing noise pollution in the oceans and mitigating climate change. The time to make it possible is now.
Collisions between boats and large marine animals such as whales, dolphins, sea turtles, sea lions, seals, and sharks are a reality. Marine animals struck by ships die immediately or suffer serious injuries that lead to a slow and painful death.
A large body of scientific research documents the enormous positive consequences of slowing down ships. Slowing ships in the Mediterranean is a straightforward and effective solution with numerous environmental benefits, including reducing ocean noise and greenhouse gases while protecting one of our greatest allies against the climate change: whales.
I have contributed my ideas to protect and recover biodiversity and reduce pollution that affects our ocean. They will be put to the vote and will help craft a strong manifesto and shape the European Elections that will take place in May 2024.
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