The number of countries trying to safeguard the world’s most abundant resource – its oceans – may be nearing a high-water mark. This week’s third United Nations Ocean Conference has drawn some 10,000 participants and nearly 60 heads of state to Nice, France, more than double the attendance at the previous session in 2022. They brought an urgent feeling of common cause, similar with what veteran naturalist David Attenborough stated in his latest documentary, “Ocean”:
“After living for nearly a hundred years on this planet,” he said, “I now understand that the most important place on Earth is not on land, but at sea.”
As ocean temperatures, sea levels, pollution, and overfishing have risen, so has global support for a high seas treaty to address these issues. One example: On the first day of the conference, 18 countries ratified the Agreement on Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction, bringing the total to 49.
Although the United States is unlikely to join in, French President Emmanuel Macron expects the threshold of 60 country ratifications to be reached shortly. After a 120-day waiting period, the high seas agreement would be adopted as a complement to the 1982 U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea. (Despite not signing that pact, the U.S. has generally abided by its provisions as customary international law.)
The high seas treaty builds on other types of multilateral agreements, such as those that govern telecommunications, civil aviation, and even the conduct of war. This one outlines guiding principles for the use and protection of waters beyond each country’s 200-mile exclusive economic zones, covering both marine life and commercial activities. Studies show that even temporary limits on shipping, fishing, or seabed mining can help rapid regeneration of diminished resources. Fish populations rise dramatically. The renewal of ocean life can often draw tourists, supporting local livelihoods.
Environmental challenges may “test us to the brink,” U.N. special envoy for the ocean Peter Thomson wrote in a recent blog. “When we are functioning at our best, especially in times of crisis, humanity’s hallmark has been common purpose and common effort for the common good.” And the best place to demonstrate that right now is “the most important place on Earth.”
