Taoiseach to attend UN Ocean Conference in Nice
Taoiseach Micheál Martin will today travel to Nice to attend a United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3), which is taking place in the French city until Friday.
Ten years on from the Paris Agreement, a landmark deal at COP21 that set targets to limit global warming, the world's oceans will take centre stage at UNOC3, which is being co-hosted by France and Costa Rica.
This week's event follows previous UN ocean conferences in New York in 2017 and Lisbon in 2022.
World leaders, UN bodies, climate activists, scientists, businesses and communities that rely on maritime environments to make their living are all taking part in what is being viewed as a crucial conference on the future of the world's oceans.
Many marine scientists are warning that the world's oceans are nearing a point of no return.
Decades of plastic pollution, over-fishing, seabed mining, coral bleaching and climate change have threatened the existence of many marine species and the livelihoods of coastal communities, particularly in the Global South.
Speaking ahead of the conference, Mr Martin said: "As an island nation, Ireland is keenly aware of the importance of the marine environment, and the other roles our waters play, including as a vital trade route.
"I look forward to joining with fellow world leaders over the coming days to discuss and collaborate on ways to secure the future of our oceans and seas."
This evening, the Taoiseach will attend the inauguration of the conference's 'Green Zone', hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron. More than 60 other world leaders will be in attendance.
Tomorrow, the Taoiseach will take part in an event to launch the European Ocean Pact, jointly hosted by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Mr Macron.
The pact, adopted by the Commission last week, ties together a number of EU ocean policies under one framework and aims to help member states protect and restore maritime habitants.
It also proposes a new European law on the oceans by 2027 to include legislation on combatting illegal fishing.
Later tomorrow, Mr Martin will deliver a statement on behalf of Ireland at the conference's main plenary session.
The world's oceans produce half of all the globe's oxygen and that more than three billion people rely on marine biodiversity to survive.
According to the UN, up to 12 million metric tonnes of plastics enter the ocean each year. That is the equivalent of a bin truck every minute.
Over 60% of marine ecosystems are already degraded and fishing stocks have plummeted since the 1970s.
Global fish stocks that are classified within safe biological limits have plunged from 90% in the 1970s to just over 62% in 2021.
Rising sea temperatures also pose a danger for maritime habitats. In April, global sea temperatures reached their second-highest levels ever.
While some of the worst cases of coral bleaching are currently affecting marine habitats in the Caribbean, the Indian Ocean and parts of the Pacific.
Li Junhua, UN Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, who will act as Secretary-General of the conference has said that the world's oceans are facing "an unprecedent crisis".
To date, there have been a number of non-binding declarations made by governments to protect ocean life but there is no single legal agreement to tie them all together.
A treaty on limiting marine plastic pollution is still in progress while a World Trade Organization agreement to preserve fish stocks has not yet been fully implemented.
In 2023, 21 countries signed up to the so-called High Seas Treaty to protect marine life in international waters, with France and Spain the only two European signatories.
Two years later, the treaty has been ratified by fewer than 30 countries, short of the 60 countries needed to implement it at UN level.
Representatives of national delegations who have already backed the treaty hope to get enough new signatories in Nice for it to enter into force.
Over the next five days in Nice, hundreds of new pledges are expected from governments.
Conference organisers hope that by Friday, countries will adopt the Nice Ocean Action Plan - a political declaration setting out the main pledges to accelerate action on the conservation and sustainable use of oceans.
While in Nice, Mr Martin will also take part in a number of bilateral meetings, including with the King of Jordan, Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein, Prime Minister of Barbados Mia Mottley and former US Secretary of State John Kerry who also held a key climate portfolio during the Biden administration.
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