MAPS: THE MARINE ARCTIC PEACE SANCTUARY
Unwilling to accept that the fate of our world should rest in the hands of a few powerful people attached to the status quo, the all-volunteer Parvati.org, led by the award-winning Canadian musician Parvati, has a brilliantly simple and effective solution to the global crisis: MAPS, the Marine Arctic Peace Sanctuary. Championed through the Marine Arctic Peace Sanctuary Treaty, it overrides outdated provisions in the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and ends all exploitation in the Arctic Ocean north of the Arctic Circle.
MAPS stabilizes the melting polar ice and compels a global shift to renewable energy. The first of 99 nations has signed the Treaty: Samoa.
From the remote, forbidding icy reaches of the Arctic to the lapping tropical waters around the South Pacific islands, we are all connected. The loss of ice in the Arctic, called a “death spiral” by scientists, is linked with sea level rise that threatens to engulf these islands. Prime Minister Tuilaepa Aiono Sailele Malielegaoi of Samoa knows what is at stake. Having repeatedly called on world leaders to take action to stop the Pacific Islands from drowning, he has now signed the MAPS Treaty and issued this strong statement:
“Samoa is pleased to support the Marine Arctic Peace Sanctuary (MAPS) Treaty. For us, this Treaty along with the Oceans Pathway reflects the richness of the oceans in biodiversity and their significant role in regulating temperatures, as well as the need to protect our planet’s cooling system so as to stabilize climate and sea levels. Small island states like Samoa which are on the front lines of the impacts of climate change see MAPS as a realizable solution to addressing pivotal climate change issues.”
Today, much of the Arctic Ocean is unprotected under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which allows coastal states to exploit all natural resources within 200 nautical miles or more from their coastlines. That’s why Parvati.org created the MAPS Treaty as an addendum to the UNCLOS that protects all Arctic Ocean waters north of the Arctic Circle, regardless of jurisdiction.
The MAPS Treaty has been translated into all official UN languages, provided to all 193 UN member states, and shared with officials at COP21, COP22, COP23 and UNGA 72.
In 2010, with the support of fans and well-wishers from around the world, Parvati travelled to the North Pole to give the northernmost musical performance ever, in order to raise awareness of the melting polar ice. Her first-hand experience of the beauty and vulnerability of the High Arctic led her to found Parvati.org in 2014 in response to the threat of seismic testing in the vulnerable Arctic Ocean ecosystem.
Globally respected scientific luminaries such as Dr. Jane Goodall and Dr. Sylvia Earle are among the growing chorus of voices calling for this sanctuary which was born from the deep desire to be of service to our hurting world. Dr. Goodall says, “It is hugely important to establish the proposed Sanctuary.” Dr. Earle says MAPS is “an idea whose time has come”. Leading biologist Dr. E. O. Wilson calls for 50% of the Earth to become conservation areas to prevent mass extinction. MAPS creates the biggest marine protected area in history, an immediate and powerful solution to the unprecedented threat facing our planet today.
Please be part of the change our world needs. Sign and share the MAPS petition at https://parvati.org, and call on your government to ratify the MAPS Treaty immediately.
THE MAPS TREATY
Why do we need it?
Today, much of the Arctic Ocean is unprotected under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which gives coastal states full authority to exploit all natural resources within 200 nautical miles or more from their coastlines.
The MAPS Treaty is an addendum to the UNCLOS that protects all Arctic Ocean waters north of the Arctic Circle. By scientific estimates, half of the planet must become protected areas if we are to stop a staggering loss of biodiversity.We are past the time for incremental steps to protect our ecosystems. Our world is in crisis and all life is at risk.Bold, decisive and ambitious action on a large scale is required to keep our planet safe and healthy.MAPS is not an end goal, but a baseline necessity.
HOW IS MAPS DECLARED?Every member state of the United Nations is eligible to sign the MAPS Treaty.It enters into force with the signatures of 99 states, including those with territory in the Arctic Ocean.
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN MAPS IS DECLARED?
Every state signing the MAPS Treaty agrees to:Put an immediate stop to all activities prohibited under the MAPS Treaty, and Harmonize its own laws to ensure compliance with the TreatyA governing body will be established with the United Nations to ensure compliance with the MAPS Treaty.
websit, https://parvati.org
