It is a historic agreement. For the first time, an international treaty has been adopted, by consensus and applause, by UN Member States aimed at protecting the high seas. health, vital also for humanity.
“The ocean is the life force of our planet. Today, you have breathed new life and new hope so that the ocean has a fighting chance,” commented Antonio Guterres, UN Secretary General, hailing a “historic achievement”. The only fly in the ointment is Russia, which has taken its “distance” from the consensus, calling some elements of the text “completely unacceptable”.
This agreement is the result of a marathon that began fifteen years ago, including four years of formal negotiations. In March, member states finally managed to reach an agreement, after two more weeks of negotiations, the third “last” session in a year. The text, then frozen on the merits, has since been scrutinized by legal services and translated to be available in the six official languages ??of the United Nations.
While marine ecosystems are threatened by climate change, pollution and overfishing, science has proven the importance of protecting this entire ocean, teeming with often microscopic biodiversity, which provides half of the oxygen we breathe. and limits global warming by absorbing a significant part of the CO2 emitted by human activities.
Even though it represents almost half of the planet and more than 60% of the oceans, it has long been ignored in the environmental fight, in favor of coastal areas and a few emblematic species. Key tool of the new treaty: the creation of marine protected areas in these international waters.
Today, only about 1% of the high seas is subject to conservation measures. But in December in Montreal, all the States of the planet committed to protecting, by 2030, 30% of the land and oceans of the planet. With this adoption, “the race for ratification begins and the goal of protecting at least 30% of the oceans by 2030 remains within reach,” commented Chris Thorne of Greenpeace.
The new treaty on “the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction” also introduces the obligation to carry out environmental impact assessments of proposed activities on the high seas. The text does not list them, but it could range from fishing to transport, through potential controversial activities such as underwater mining or geoengineering aimed at limiting warming.
The text will open for signature on September 20, when dozens of heads of state and government will be in New York for the UN General Assembly. It remains to be seen how many countries will decide to board.
NGOs believe that the threshold of 60 ratifications to enter into force should not be too difficult to reach, the Coalition for a high ambition of this treaty, led by the EU already counting around 50 countries, including Japan, Chile , India or Mexico. But 60 is a far cry from the universality advocated by ocean advocates who hope the political momentum around adoption won’t wane.
“Let’s continue this momentum,” pleaded Monday, Csaba Körösi, the president of the UN General Assembly, welcoming a “landmark agreement”. “Let’s continue to work to protect our oceans, our planet, and all the people who live there. »