The member states of the UN began in “positive energy” two weeks of negotiations to finally try to give birth to a treaty to protect the high seas and avoid further damage which would see the objective of preserving 30 % of the planet by 2030.
The “last last”? After more than 15 years of informal and then formal discussions, this is the third time in less than a year that the negotiators have met in New York for what is supposed to be the last session.
But this time, on Monday, at the start of two weeks of discussions until March 3, cautious optimism seems in order that this session will be the right one.
A “universal, effective, enforceable and future-proof treaty is within reach,” conference chair Rena Lee said at the opening.
“There is a lot of positive energy (…) and it is up to us to increase this positive energy, not to lose sight of our objective and to make this (conference) really the last”, he said. -she then commented at the end of the first day, receiving from the hands of Jane Fonda a petition of 5.5 million signatories demanding a “strong” treaty.
“We are losing the ocean, and if we lose the ocean, we are losing ourselves,” the American actress and activist told AFP. “It is the fight that will determine if there is a tomorrow for humanity.”
The high seas begin where the Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) of states end, no more than 200 nautical miles (370 km) from the coast, and are therefore not under the jurisdiction of any country.
Even though it represents more than 60% of the oceans and almost half of the planet, it has long been ignored, in favor of coastal areas and a few emblematic species.
Yet ocean ecosystems produce half of the oxygen we breathe and limit global warming by absorbing a significant portion of the CO2 emitted by human activities. But they are threatened by climate change, pollution of all kinds and overfishing.
As this negotiating session begins, observers are counting on the momentum given by the historic agreement reached in December in Montreal during COP15 on biodiversity.
All countries in the world then committed to protecting 30% of all land and oceans by 2030. A challenge that is almost insurmountable without including the high seas, of which only about 1% is protected today.
“We are optimistic that COP15 on biodiversity has given governments the boost needed to get this deal across the finish line,” commented WWF’s Pepe Clarke.
But despite the optimism displayed, the defenders of the oceans warn against a shipwreck.
“If they fail again, it undermines the process a bit,” Liz Karan, of the NGO Pew Charitable Trusts, told AFP.
“We have already exceeded the time limit. These discussions are the last chance to succeed. Governments must not fail,” insisted Laura Meller of Greenpeace in a press release.
The draft text on the table, riddled with parentheses and multiple options, reflects the many contentious issues still at play.
Thus, the principle of creating marine protected areas is included in the mandate of this future treaty on “the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction”, but the delegations are still divided on the process of creating these sanctuaries.
The methods of application of the obligation to evaluate the impact on the environment of activities envisaged on the high seas are not unanimous either.
And the distribution of the possible profits resulting from the exploitation of the genetic resources of the high seas, where pharmaceutical, chemical and cosmetic industries hope to discover miraculous molecules, is one of the most tense points.
Without being able to carry out this costly research, developing countries fear that they will miss out on potential benefits. And during the August session, observers accused rich countries, notably the EU, of waiting until the last minute to make a move.
And with this complex and vast treaty, which will also have to come to terms with other organizations that today have control over parts of the ocean, over fishing or the mining of the seabed, even if there is a Okay, the devil is in the details, note ocean advocates who worry a treaty lacks teeth.
02/21/2023 12:19:26 – United Nations (United States) (AFP) – © 2023 AFP
