UN Ocean Summit Begins with Urgent Calls to Protect Deep Seas

Nice – United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres launched the UN Ocean Conference in Nice on Monday with a stern warning against unregulated deep-sea mining, declaring that the world must not let the ocean depths become “the wild west.”

The summit, hosted in the French Riviera city, has brought together leaders from around 60 countries, along with business leaders, scientists, and environmental activists, to tackle critical issues such as seabed mining, plastic pollution, destructive fishing practices, and marine biodiversity protection.

Guterres emphasized the urgent need for a global regulatory framework, backing ongoing negotiations by the International Seabed Authority set for July. “The deep sea cannot become the wild west,” he declared, receiving applause from the plenary.

A central point of contention at the summit is deep-sea mining, a practice opposed by many nations due to its unknown ecological impacts. French President Emmanuel Macron reiterated his government’s push for a global moratorium on the activity, calling it “an international necessity.”

“I think it’s madness to launch predatory economic action that will disrupt the deep seabed, disrupt biodiversity, destroy it, and release irrecoverable carbon sinks — when we know nothing about it,” Macron said to thunderous applause.

He further emphasized that the world’s most pristine environments, including the deep seas, Greenland, and Antarctica, were “not for sale.”

High Seas Treaty Gains Momentum

President Macron also announced that the High Seas Treaty, agreed upon in 2023, has secured the required 60 ratifications needed to become international law. While he did not provide an exact date, he confirmed: “The high seas treaty will be implemented.”

This legally binding agreement is designed to protect marine life in international waters, which are currently poorly governed and threatened by overfishing, pollution, and commercial exploitation.

UK, France Move Against Bottom Trawling

The United Kingdom is expected to introduce a partial ban on bottom trawling across half of its marine protected areas. The destructive fishing method, which drags massive nets across the seabed, indiscriminately damages marine habitats. Environmentalists have long called for its restriction.

French President Macron, too, pledged to limit trawling in French marine protected areas, though green groups criticized the measures as insufficient.

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Samoa recently set a strong example by designating 30% of its national waters as protected areas through the creation of nine marine parks. Globally, only 8% of oceans are designated as protected — far short of the 30% by 2030 target set by the UN.

Small Island Nations Demand Action

Small island states, particularly vulnerable to rising sea levels and ocean exploitation, are using the summit to call for increased financial and political support. Leaders from countries like Palau warned that without immediate action, their survival is at stake.

“If you are serious about protecting the ocean, prove it,” said Palau’s President Surangel Whipps Jr.

Although the summit will not conclude with a legally binding treaty like a climate COP, observers believe it could mark a turning point for global marine conservation if world leaders back their pledges with real action and funding.