UN member states have forged a landmark deal to guard ocean life, charting a path to create new protected areas in international waters.
UN member states have forged a landmark deal to guard ocean life, charting a path to create new protected areas in international waters.
“This action is a victory for multilateralism and for global efforts to counter the destructive trends facing ocean health, now and for generations to come,” UN secretary-general António Guterres said in a statement.
Following years of stalled negotiations, more than 190 countries have approved the UN High Seas Treaty, which aims to protect marine life from shipping, overfishing, pollution, and deep-sea mining. The treaty establishes a framework for creating new protected areas and includes provisions on transferring technology, sharing scientific findings, and coordinating the study of environmental threats.
“We only really have two major global commons — the atmosphere and the oceans,” Georgetown University marine biologist Rebecca Helm told the Associated Press. While the oceans tend to garner less attention, “protecting this half of earth’s surface is absolutely critical to the health of our planet.”
Read more at Yale Environment 360
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