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- United Nations kicked-off talks on a 2020 treaty that would regulate the high seas, which cover half the planet yet lack adequate environmental protection.
- The negotiations will relate to spaces beyond national jurisdictions, or areas that belong to no country in particular.
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- Talk will focus on “the high seas and the international zone of marine waters, or about 46% of the planet’s surface,”
- In 1982, the UN adopted the Convention on the Law of the Sea, but left the high seas free from restrictions.
- All States enjoy the traditional freedoms of navigation, overflight, scientific research and fishing on the high seas
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- The convention took effect in 1994, without the participation of the U.S.
- Since then, shipping routes have expanded considerably, and the resources of the ocean deep have aroused significant interest, whether by fishing or mineral extraction.
- Marine life is already reeling from the impact of industrial fishing, climate change and other extractive industries. We have a shared responsibility to protect our global oceans before it is too late.
- Talks will focus on creating protected areas on the high seas, more sharing of maritime resources and technology, and research on environmental impact
- Some whale-hunting nations, like Japan, Iceland and Norway, are expected to be more cautious than others because they fear overly strict fishing restrictions.
- The U.S. did not ratify the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.
- “Russia has also been dragging its feet for a long time.
- We now understand so much more about the interconnectedness of the world’s ocean with the health of the planet,”
- It’s time for the global community to take action to develop a treaty to protect the high seas.”
- the life of our seas depends on the outcome of the next two years of negotiations, from the tiniest life-giving plankton, to dolphins, turtles and the great whales.
- A strong global ocean treaty would allow us to create a network of ocean sanctuaries to protect wildlife, ensure food security for billions of people and help us to tackle climate change,”.
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