SEAS THE DAY

With the world’s oceans increasingly under threat, the UN’s High Seas Treaty is a landmark agreement that puts in place a legal framework to protect the high seas – in other words, oceans that are outside national boundaries. High seas are more susceptible than coastal seas to exploitation because any country can (more or less) overfish, carry out deep sea mining or bioprospecting – until now that is.

So, why does it matter?

By establishing protected marine areas, we are safeguarding biodiversity and resources for the generations to come.

What’s more, the treaty is crucial for the world to deliver on its promise to protect a third of the sea and land by 2030 (the 30x30 pledge). In fact, it is crucial if we are to control the negative impacts of a worsening climate.

“Every second breath being taken comes from the ocean generating oxygen,” said Liz Karan, who leads high seas protection work at the Pew Charitable Trusts. “A healthy ocean is critical for having life on the planet – including human life.”

Apart from producing half of all the oxygen we breathe, ocean ecosystems represent 95% of the earth’s biosphere and soak up carbon dioxide as the planet’s largest carbon sink.

The treaty is a cause for celebration and hope: it puts conservation first to protect the resources of the oceans for future generations. And it shows that humanity can unite to protect our fragile and fractured planet.

In the words of Doug McCauley, an associate professor of ocean science at the University of California: “There’s a real opportunity to make history with this treaty,” he said. “It is arguably one of the most important international negotiations that no one has ever heard of.”

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