Macron sparks global push to protect oceans

French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday opened a week-long high-level summit on ocean conservation in the city of Nice, that it is co-chairing with Costa Rica.

World leaders are facing mounting pressure to adopt tougher stances on overfishing, pollution, and marine protection,  and turn decades of promises into real protection.

Oceans provide a buffer against the worst ravages of climate change and help sustain life. Without a healthy ocean, experts warn, climate goals will remain out of reach.

They generate 50 per cent of the oxygen we breathe, absorb around 30 per cent of carbon dioxide emissions, and capture more than 90 per cent of the excess heat caused by those emissions.

Just 8 per cent of waters are designated as marine protected areas (MPAs) but less than 3 per cent of the ocean is sufficiently protected to ban extractive and destructive activities.

Hugo Tagholm, Executive Director of Oceana UK, says it is “vitally important” that they are properly protected.

“Marine-protected areas are effectively biodiversity hotspots, important ecosystems, of course for nature, but also the generators of life that can help support coastal communities around the world,” he said.

Scientists warn that the loss of ecosystems, climate change, plastic pollution, and the overuse of marine resources are all pushing our oceans to the point of no return.

One of top priorities of the gathering is to increase ratification of the so-called High Seas Treaty to the required 60 nations in order to bring it into effect.

“The High Seas Treaty is critical to ensuring that we can protect biodiversity in the ocean that covers half of the planet,” said Rebecca Hubbard, Director of the High Seas Alliance.

Adopted in 2023, it would for the first time allow nations to establish marine protected areas in international waters, which cover nearly two-thirds of the ocean and are largely ungoverned.

“There is no law that gives us that ability and right now we're in the middle of a biodiversity and climate crisis and we absolutely have to protect the ocean to be able to address those crises,” said Hubbard.

Some 60 heads of state and government attending the United Nations summit are being urged to come up with concrete ideas and funding to tackle the "emergency" facing the world’s oceans.

Thousands of attendees are expected in Nice, from delegates and heads of state to scientists and industry leaders. The United States has yet to confirm a formal delegation.

 The outcome of the discussions will form the basis of the Nice Ocean Action Plan, a declaration of voluntary commitments to be adopted by consensus and presented at the UN in New York this July.