World leaders gather in France to address threats to the oceans
World leaders are gathering in France this week for an international conference to address the crises facing the oceans due to overfishing, climate change and pollution.
The third United Nations Conference on the Oceans (UNOC), which begins on Monday (9), seeks consensus to establish a common policy and raise funds for marine conservation.
The United Nations says the oceans are in an “emergency” situation and political leaders meeting in Nice must try to reverse the situation, as nations debate what policy to adopt on deep-sea mining, plastic waste and overfishing.
Co-sponsored by France and Costa Rica, the conference is expected to welcome nearly 50 heads of state and government, including Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and his Argentine counterpart Javier Milei.
French President Emmanuel Macron is due to sail to Nice from Monaco, where he will attend an event to raise private funds for ocean conservation.
Other vessels will join him in the Mediterranean for a maritime parade. Later in the evening, Macron will treat leaders to a dinner of Mediterranean fish ahead of the summit's official opening ceremony on Monday.
Peaceful demonstrations are expected throughout the five-day event. France has deployed 5,000 police officers in Nice for the event, which will also be attended by many scientists, businesspeople and environmental activists.
Pacific leaders should turn out in large numbers and demand, in particular, concrete financial commitments from governments.
The US government is not expected to send a delegation. President Donald Trump recently announced that he will encourage seabed mining in international waters, which has drawn widespread criticism.
France has promised the meeting will do for ocean conservation what the Paris Agreement did for global climate action at COP21 in 2015.
Analysts expect nations present to adopt a 'Nice Declaration' to ratify greater ocean protection, along with additional voluntary commitments by individual governments.
France has set a high target and hopes to secure ratification by 60 countries for a landmark treaty to protect marine habitats worldwide that goes beyond individual national jurisdictions.
So far, only 28 countries and the European Union have signed the text.
The entry into force of the treaty is seen as crucial to achieving the globally agreed goal of protecting 30% of the oceans by 2030.
“We have created this sort of myth that governments don’t have the money for ocean conservation,” Brian O’Donnell, director of the Campaign for Nature, told reporters.
“The money exists. What doesn’t exist is political will,” he added.
Recent UN conferences have struggled to reach consensus and the funds needed to combat climate change and other environmental threats.
Oceans receive the least funding of all the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
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