To open the final session, Rose O’Donovan read out a message from Jessica Roswell, Commissioner for Environment, Water Resilience and a Competitive Circular Economy. The Commissioner sent the forum a message confirming she would soon table a European water resilience strategy. This provided the introduction to the final inspirational talk of the day where Fred Buyle, Freediving World Record Holder, explorer and photographer, shared insights from his underwater experiences.

After winning four world records, he turned to photography “to show the underwater world in the most natural way”. His pictures demonstrated how humans and ocean wildlife, even large sharks, could happily coexist and interact. He became a marine biologist, helping scientists to tag and monitor different species. Their work confirms that below the surface 90% of predatory fish and sharks have been lost over the past 50 years. Agricultural practices, such as fertiliser use, eventually impact on oceans with unforeseen consequences. To tackle the problems facing the land, sea and global population requires a systemic approach. “We cannot just act on little things. That’s what 45 years in the ocean showed me and the last 25 years working with scientists.”

Closing remarks

Janez Potočnik drew two main messages from inspirational speakers Mike Massimino and Fred Buyle. Whether looking down at Earth from space or up from the ocean depths, one sees “pure beauty”. Both perspectives confirm the “ultimate fragility in which we live”. He stressed: “we should behave accordingly and respect that.”
The Chair of the Forum shared some hard facts about climate change. Indicators continue to advance in the wrong direction. He informed participants of the work of the Systems Transformation Hub. This aims “to bring systems thinking and acting to European policy making”. It is recommending a coherent European land use strategy that would replace sectoral conflicts with one “grounded in systemic thinking and aligned with long-term resilience goals”.

He concluded: “Apparently, we humans are the most intelligent species on planet Earth, so it would be high time to prove it.”