The treaty negotiation process began 20 years ago and, although it was adopted in 2023, it requires ratification by at least 60 countries to take effect. This has been slow to happen. The treaty aims to create marine protected areas in international waters, which are crucial for addressing threats from climate change, fishing, and pollution, as these waters comprise about two-thirds of the ocean.
However, convincing 60 countries to ratify is just the beginning; determining which regions of international waters to protect from overfishing—and the methods to do so—remains a significant challenge.
“Expect opposition, as with any convention,” Dale Webber, Jamaica’s special envoy for climate change, environment, ocean, and blue economy, told POLITICO. “Some nations fishing on the high seas claim, ‘You’re trying to limit my catch!’ but such limits are exactly what’s needed.”
Facing a Slow Start
Despite assurances from French President Emmanuel Macron and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen at Monday’s conference opening, smaller, developing countries and environmental organizations feel the responsibility for ocean protection still largely falls on them.
“More action is needed, particularly from Western countries,” Panamanian climate envoy Juan Carlos Monterrey Gómez told POLITICO. He cited the ’30 by 30′ goal, wherein developing countries are currently shouldering the burden of protecting 30 percent of the world’s oceans by 2030.
This week, French Polynesia stood out by announcing the establishment of the world’s largest Marine Protected Area, securing approximately 1.1 million square kilometers of its waters, which are rich with tropical fish, sharks, rays, dolphins, and 150 species of valuable corals.
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