Screening of film Ocean with David Attenborough
Good evening!
It is a pleasure to welcome you all to the opening screening of Ocean with David Attenborough, a cinematic journey that celebrates the lifeblood of our planet. Tonight’s event, hosted together with the French Embassy in partnership with the FNCC, invites us to reflect on the beauty and power of the natural world that connects us all.
We are hosting this event together with France which recently hosted the Third United Nations Ocean Conference in Nice, and as Namibia is engaging with partners at Climate COP30 in Brazil.
The world has come a long way on climate change since 2015. The Paris Agreement and climate cooperation are working, but we need to move faster to keep the global temperature below 1.5C compared to pre-industrial times.
The EU is staying the course in its climate reduction targets, for our environment, our economy, our health, and our security. We are on track to reduce our Greenhouses emissions by 55% until 2230. Just last week the EU27 submitted a unified Nationally Determined Contribution to the UN, committing to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 66 - 72 percent by 2035. This means that the EU is still on track to become the first climate neutral continent by 2050.
The European Union is also deeply committed to advancing green action here in Namibia. Through Global Gateway, we are supporting Namibia’s green industrialisation and helping build a future powered by clean energy. We have also taken meaningful steps toward supporting more sustainable cities in Namibia, like the Waste Buyback centres in Katutura. Next year, we will continue with a larger tree-planting campaign.
And for those who think that climate action and economic prosperity cannot go hand in hand, let me share the hard facts on the EU’s climate trajectory: since 1990 (when the EU GHG peaked), the EU’s GDP has grown by around 65%, while greenhouse gas emissions fell by about 32%!
David Attenborough’s Ocean film reminds us why these efforts matter. The sea connects our continents, sustains life, and regulates our climate, yet it also mirrors the pressures our planet faces. We are called to see that protecting nature is not just an environmental task, but a human one, demanding imagination, empathy, and shared action.
I hope you enjoy this evening’s screening, and that it inspires each of us to see the world, and our oceans, with renewed wonder and care.
Thank you.