Deep-Sea Drilling Do-Over: World Oceans Need More Protection and Less Plunder!
International Gathering in Nice Warns Against Turning Global Seas into 'Lawless Frontier' - International Gathering in Nice: Preventing Oceans from Becoming Lawless Frontier
Hey there! Let's dive into the chaos of the ocean floor shall we? Here's the lowdown on an important ocean conference that happened in the picturesque city of Nice, France.
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António Guterres, the United Nations Secretary-General, issued a stern warning: "The ocean floor ain't the Wild West," he said. "The minerals under the seabed outside national jurisdictions belong to all of humanity." The statement was backed by 33 countries, including Germany, who cautioned against the reckless extraction of minerals from the deep sea, as it can harm biodiversity, boost climate change, and poison the food chain. So, they suggested taking a break—at least a temporary one — on deep-sea mining.
While France is pushing for an all-out ban on deep-sea mining, Germany is settling for a pause. In the opening speech at the UN conference on the German research ship Meteor in Nice, Federal Environment Minister Carsten Schneider asserted that environmental standards must be ironed out in the coming years as part of the 'Mining Code'.
The French President, Emmanuel Macron, aimed his presentation at the USA at the start of the conference: "The ocean floor ain't for sale, just like Greenland isn't up for grabs," he stated, referring to Trump's claims on Greenland. He gave a nod to multilateralism as the solution.
Macron also announced France's intention to ratify the 2023 agreed High Seas Agreement by the end of the year, with around 15 other countries committing to do the same before the conference even kicked off. This would reach the threshold of 60 countries, allowing the agreement to become international law. The High Seas Agreement enables the designation of protected areas in international waters, which have previously been lawless zones.
Whether Germany will ratify the High Seas Agreement by the end of the year remains unclear, as two laws still need to be passed. However, the German delegation hopes to represent the first group of contracting states at the conference in August 2026 in New York.
More than 60 heads of state and government came together at the conference in Nice, including Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Chinese Vice President Han Zheng, and Argentine President Javier Milei. The USA sent the chief of the White House environmental task force, Edward Russo, marking the first time so many politicians and scientists have collaborated to improve ocean protection.
Federal Environment Minister Schneider plans to unveil several initiatives by the German government at the conference in Nice, such as a marine conservation fund that will be funded by the offshore wind industry and €400 million from the federal government, and ongoing efforts to clear World War II-era unexploded ordnance from the North and Baltic Seas. Together with partner countries, Germany will also help designate protected areas in the high seas.
The conference aims to prepare for the upcoming plastic agreement negotiation round in August. Schneider emphasized that it's high time we stopped dumping plastic waste into the ocean. Looking at the ocean conference, it's a relief to see it finally take center stage in the struggle for protection.
France and the UK both announced restrictions on trawler fishing, albeit to varying extents. While the UK plans to expand its protected areas where destructive trawling is banned from the current 18,000 square kilometers to 48,000 square kilometers, France aims to increase its protected areas to only 15,000 square kilometers, which amounts to a miniscule 4% of its waters. Environmentalists have criticized this as woefully inadequate.
- Nice
- António Guterres
- Abyssal plain
- Germany
- Ocean
- UN
- France
- World Ocean
- Carsten Schneider
- Emmanuel Macron
- USA
- Donald Trump
- Greenland
- Environment
- Seabed
- European Union
- High Seas Agreement
- Trawler fishing
As for Germany, France, and the USA's Ratification plans for the High Seas Agreement, things are still foggy. France and Spain have already ratified the treaty, while the USA has remained relatively quiet on the matter. The treaty is close to achieving the 60 ratifications required for it to become binding international law, with 50 countries having ratified, 15 planning to ratify by the end of 2025, and the EU pledging €40 million to support its implementation. With continued cooperation and more ratifications, the ocean might finally have a chance to breathe!
The Commission, with its expertise in environmental-science, has also been asked to submit a proposal for a directive on the protection of the environment by the introduction of a new type of protection for the environment. This new protection could potentially be an response to climate-change concerns, given the ongoing discussions at the UN conference in Nice, France. The ratification of the High Seas Agreement, a treaty aimed at designating protected areas in international waters, is a topic on the table at the conference. The USA, while sending the chief of the White House environmental task force, has remained relatively quiet on their ratification plans for the agreement.
