No Fossil Fuel Talks, Lackluster Financing Pledges at UN Ocean Conference
International gathering concludes with increased support for marine preservation efforts.
The recent UN Ocean Conference in Nice, France, saw a mixed bag of results, with major financial pledges for poorer island nations missing and fossil fuels falling off the agenda. Despite the setback, the event still attracted over 60 world leaders, along with thousands of scientists, business leaders, and marine conservationists.
Hosted by France, the five-day conference was the third time nations had gathered at the UN level for ocean-related matters, marking the largest such gathering so far. Countries like Colombia, Greece, and Samoa took the opportunity to unveil plans for creating extensive new marine parks and protected areas. Restrictions on bottom trawling, a destructive fishing method, were also announced by several nations.
Marine groups lauded efforts to ratify a landmark pact aimed at protecting marine life in the vast oceans beyond national borders. As of Thursday evening, 51 nations had ratified the agreement, described by Rebecca Hubbard from the High Seas Alliance as a "major milestone for ocean action."
Mining and Finances: A Contentious Topic
The conference aimed to galvanize global action on marine protection amid disagreements over global rules for plastic pollution and seabed exploration. Over 90 ministers issued a symbolic statement supporting a strong plastic treaty, while the role of science and rules-based oversight for common resources, particularly the deep oceans, was defended.
The deep-sea mining debate took center stage, with leaders expressing concern over the United States' unilateral push to fast-track such activities. The International Seabed Authority is set to negotiate global rules for the ocean floor in July to prevent a damaging race for critical minerals.
Despite the concerns, few countries signed a global call for a moratorium on seabed mining. Additionally, new financial commitments from wealthy governments were notably absent, a crucial demand for small island nations grappling with sea-level rises, overfishing, and marine pollution.
The summit's final political statement, set to be released on Friday, is criticized for its perceived weakness and lack of reference to fossil fuels, the chief contributor to ocean warming. OceanCare, a marine conservation organization, emphasized the need for genuine political commitment and implementation rather than more well-meaning declarations.
Insights:
- The International Seabed Authority, governed by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, oversees deep-sea mining activities beyond national jurisdictions[5].
- As of 2025, 37 countries support a moratorium on deep-sea mining, committing to the precautionary principle since 2022[1][3].
- The United States is moving forward with plans to mine in international waters, despite not participating in the UN Ocean Conference[1].
- Deep-sea ecosystems are a rich source of largely undiscovered species, prompting calls for caution and comprehensive regulations before mining activities commence[3][4].
- The UN Ocean Conference in Nice, France, witnessed a debate on deep-sea mining, with leaders expressing concern over the United States' push for fast-track activities in the deep oceans.
- Ocean protection efforts were stymied at the UN Ocean Conference as financial pledges for poorer island nations were missing and fossil fuels were not addressed in policy and legislation discussions.
- Business leaders, scientists, and marine conservationists attended the five-day event, which aimed to galvanize global action on marine protection amid disagreements over global rules for plastic pollution and seabed exploration.
- Climate-change, overfishing, and environmental-science played essential roles in discussions about ocean health and the need for stricter regulations on fishing methods like bottom trawling.
- The upcoming meeting of the International Seabed Authority in July aims to negotiate global rules for the ocean floor to prevent a damaging race for critical minerals, while the summit's final political statement was criticized for its perceived weakness and lack of reference to fossil fuels and climate-change issues.
