Nations fail to agree on a treaty to safeguard marine life. A deal to safeguard biodiversity in the two-thirds of the world's seas that fall outside national borders has been put on hold.
Photo: Francesco Ungaro / Unsplash
Urgency to Protect the Ocean
The planet's life support system and the biggest ecosystem on Earth are the oceans. Humans included, all life on Earth depends on the water. Healthy marine ecosystems must be safeguarded and preserved if we are to guarantee a sustainable future.
It was believed that the ocean was boundless and unaffected by human activity for far too long. Scientists have recently begun comprehending the catastrophic effects and ongoing threat of human activity. Our ocean is in danger due to overfishing, climate change, pollution, habitat destruction, invasive species, and other human exploitation. Nothing has been overlooked.
Failed Negotiations
The fifth round of negotiations meant establishing an agreement on a United Nations convention to safeguard marine life on the high seas but ended in deadlock.
UN negotiations Following two weeks of discussions that environmentalists had thought would fill a gap in global marine conservation regulations, meetings in New York were stopped early on Saturday.
Two-thirds of the world's ocean areas are outside the purview of national governments; therefore, a proposed convention would establish guidelines for safeguarding biodiversity there.
Without a new treaty, less than 1% of the high seas are protected. For vulnerable species, "pockets of marine protection are not adequate," according to Maxine Burkett, the US deputy assistant secretary of state who participated in the discussions.
The worldwide objective is to designate 30% of ocean space as a marine sanctuary.
Because the oceans absorb more than 90% of the extra heat caused by climate change, maintaining ocean health is essential to halting global warming. The length and frequency of marine heat waves are increasing.
When everything seemed to be moving in the right direction, Burkett stated earlier in the week, "The ocean cannot afford more delay."
According to Janine Felson, Belize's ambassador to the UN, "our livelihoods are directly dependent on the health of the ocean" in the Caribbean.
Discussions focussed on ways to share the advantages of marine life, create protected areas, stop harm from human activity on the high seas, and assist developing nations in acquiring the knowledge and resources necessary for ocean research.
Although considerable progress was made during the negotiations, campaigners voiced sadness that a solution could not be reached.
Greenpeace's ocean preservation campaign manager Laura Meller criticized wealthy nations like the United States for being unwilling to make concessions.
Attempting to reach agreements with the European Union and several other governments on a variety of topics or refusing to participate in the treaty-making process itself, Meller said, "Russia has also been a crucial barrier in discussions."
Unless a special emergency session is held before the end of 2022, the negotiations will restart the following year.
More Attempts
Although she too expressed sadness, US Assistant Secretary of State Monica Medina hoped that the work already done would continue. She said the US was still committed to safeguarding at least 30% of the seas by 2030.
"We must not allow the currents and tides to drag us back. Medina declared, "We must continue.
