What is the High Seas Treaty for protecting world oceans?

While many countries have taken steps to protect vast, ungoverned areas of the oceans around the world, their High Seas Treaty has yet to come into force. The U.N. Oceans Conference, which is taking place in Nice this week, hopes to change this.

What is the High Seas Treaty?

Signed in 2023, the treaty provides a legal framework to create marine protected zones on the “high seas”, or ocean areas beyond national jurisdiction.

Less than 3% are currently protected, despite the fact that the oceans cover more than two thirds of our planet.

The treaty includes 75 points that cover areas like protecting, caring for, and ensuring responsible usage of marine resources. It also contains a provision requiring environmental impact assessment of any economic activity in international waters.

The treaty also seeks to ensure that every country has an equal and fair access to ocean resources. Officially, it's called the Biodiversity beyond National Jurisdiction Treaty.

On Monday, French president Emmanuel Macron announced that 50 countries have ratified the agreement, and 60 are needed to make it effective.

In addition to the High Seas Treaty and a U.N. biodiversity agreement for 2022, countries have agreed to conserve 30% of their territorial water.

WHY DO WE REQUIRE AN OCEAN TREATY?

The oceans are vital to coastal economies, supporting them through tourism, fishing and other activities, such as shipping, mining and offshore energy.

The oceans absorb about one-third of the carbon dioxide (CO2), the main gas that drives climate change. Phytoplankton in the oceans provide half the oxygen on the planet.

Marine life is struggling now, and the human industry and development is almost entirely responsible.

Scientists at the International Union for Conservation of Nature say that more than 1,500 marine plants and animals face extinction. This number is likely to increase due to pollution, overfishing and ocean acidification.

Deep-sea mining of rare-earth metals may also pose a threat to the ocean ecosystems in the coming years. Macron will urge countries in Nice to postpone seabed exploration until researchers have a better understanding of deep sea ecosystems.

Scientists worry that governments may try to alter ocean chemistry in order to increase its ability to absorb CO2. This scenario could limit global warming, but researchers warn that it could have unintended effects.

What are the next steps for the Treaty?

The treaty is still 10 signatures short, according to Macron's announcement on Monday that 50 countries have ratified it.

After 60 countries ratify the treaty, it will come into effect 120 days later. The next step is to set up the institutions and committees that will implement the treaty. Signatories are expecting to hold their first conference in a year.

The United States, under the current president Donald Trump, is not expected ratify this treaty despite its participation in the original negotiations.

What else is happening at the U.N. OCEANS Conference?

At least 55 heads-of-state, business leaders, and civil society groups are expected to attend this five-day event.

This week, in addition to discussions on the progress of the treaty, it is expected that delegates will also discuss overfishing and water pollution, as well as other threats to marine wildlife.

Ocean-related financing is far behind other areas of sustainable investment. Ocean-related expenditures totaled $10 billion for the five-year period 2015-2019.

The U.N. estimates every year that at least $175 billion will be needed for marine protection.

The last U.N. Oceans Summit was in Lisbon, co-hosted with Kenya in 2022. The next summit, which will be co-hosted jointly by Chile and Korea in 2028, has been set. Virginia Furness is reporting, Katy Daigle is editing and Hugh Lawson is producing.

(source: Reuters)