Gathering at Nice: A United Stand for Ocean Protection
Countries progress in safeguarding marine environments
Strutting their stuff in sunny Nice, France, we've got the third (and biggest ever!) global powwow solely focused on the ocean crisis. Co-hosted by France and Costa Rica, the UN Ocean Conference jamboree gathered world leaders, businesses, scientists, and eco-warriors alike, for a five-day extravaganza from June 9 to 13, 2025.
The agenda? Aiming to ramp up action for ocean conservation and sustainable use, this conference had one clear mission: tackle the challenges plaguing our oceans, like global warming, acidification, and trash breakdown. Talk about a burning issue!
Let's dive into the deets:
- High Seas Treaty Velocity
The goal here was to ratify a high seas treaty, which would—in theory—protect marine life in the approximately 60% of the ocean that lies beyond national jurisdiction. The conference was elated to announce that 19 countries finally signed on the dotted line at Nice, pushing the grand total to 50. But wait, there's more! The gang's all hoping to reach the required 60 countries by September 2025, with the treaty coming into force by January 2026. Fingers crossed!
- Plastic Pollution: Gulf War or Galactic Battle?
A whopping 90 ministers made the call for a treaty to limit plastic production at the conference. However, this key point ruffled feathers among oil-producing nations. Protests and dismay abounded, as this pivotal move was nowhere to be found in the conference's final decisions.
- Battling Trump's Tidal Wave
Based on who was missing in action, it's safe to say we've got an unspoken rivalry brewing! This summit stood up to (guess who) President Donald Trump's skull-cracking deep-sea mining dreams. Aggressively oppose the dude's unchecked mining plans? Yeah, these nations sure as heck voted yes!
- Guarding the Blue Frontier
The UN Secretary-General impressed upon conference attendees the importance of preserving the deep sea as a wildlife sanctuary, warning against letting it become the "Wild West." In a fierce rebuff to the likes of Trump, leaders declared that deep-sea mining poses one of the biggest perils to the ocean, and people 'round the world are saying "no, no, no"!
But just how many nations are on board with this declaration? Check out the scores:
- Deep-Sea Mining: No concrete rules agreed upon; ongoing parley
- Plastic Pollution: A galvanizing moment rather than a binding pact
So, what's next for our ocean warriors? Keep your eyes peeled for deep-sea mining regulations and a plastic pollution treaty in the near future. Stay tuned, cuzzies—the ocean saga ain't over yet!
- In the midst of discussions on plastic pollution, environmental scientists found themselves at odds with oil-producing nations, as a call for a treaty to limit plastic production received resistance.
- The clash between politics and policy-and-legislation was evident during the UN Ocean Conference, as world leaders voted against President Donald Trump's plans for unchecked deep-sea mining.
- Amidst the call for stricter environmental regulations, the ratification of a high seas treaty to protect marine life beyond national jurisdiction has revealed a divided global front, with 19 additional countries signing on at the conference.
- The general news headlines were dominated by the ongoing debates surrounding two crucial issues: the lack of agreements on concrete deep-sea mining regulations and the galvanizing, yet non-binding, pact against plastic pollution.
