Latest news with #OceanConference
Scoop
3 days ago
- Business
- Scoop
Nauru Says Deep Sea Mining And Ocean Conservation Can Coexist
Caleb Fotheringham, RNZ Pacific Journalist Ocean conservation and deep sea mining are not in conflict, Nauru's climate change minister has told leaders at the United Nations Ocean Conference. Asterio Appi said Nauru sees the extraction of metals from deep sea nodules as essential for the increased production of electricity as the world moves away from fossil fuels. "Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development," Appi said. Deep sea mining involves extracting potato size rocks called nodules - which are packed full of valuable metals - from the seafloor many kilometres deep. Earlier this month, Nauru updated its commercial agreement with Canadian mining group The Metals Company for deep sea mining in international waters. It comes at a time of increasing uncertainty in the deep sea mining industry with both the United States and International Seabed Authority (ISA) stating each offers a licencing pathway to mine the seabed in international waters. According to the UN's Multidimensional Vulnerability Index, Nauru is the fifth most vulnerable nation in the world. Appi said Nauru had financial needs to address issues related to climate change and economic instability. "Nauru considers that the sustainable use of our oceans must include the responsible recovery and extraction of these critical energy transition metals to ensure supply chain security," he said. Also read: The five-day Ocean Conference in Nice - co-hosted by France and Costa Rica - concluded on on Friday. One of the key aims was to get the High Seas Treaty ratified by 60 countries to bring it into force. Fifty countries had ratified it by Friday, with a dozen more promising to do so by the end of the year. Vanuatu's Climate Change Adaptation Minister Ralph Regenvanu told journalists that fossil fuel reduction did not feature enough at the conference. "It's the single greatest cause of the damage to the oceans that we're seeing now and we're not talking about it enough." He said the Pacific is living through a climate emergency every day. "You're recovering, you're coming to the next one, you're facing another one. You're preparing for something, for example a lot of people living on the cost can no longer access fresh water like they used to, so just basic things being affected. "Those of us who are the most climate vulnerable now are simply living the future that we're all going to get one day." Tuvalu's Prime Minister Feleti Teo said he was an "optimist by nature" and believed the conference had contributed to the climate change conversation. However, Teo said he wanted to see more action from the big emitters. "As a small island developing country, we don't have that influence to pressure them to change their policies, but we need to sustain the pressure and meeting of this sort give us that opportunity to continue to tell that story." He said the ocean means everything to the people of Tuvalu. New Zealand committed NZ$52 million dollars to strengthen ocean governance in the Pacific. But the country's environment and climate change ministry chief executive said Australia and New Zealand's fossil fuel expansion raises questions about their respect, or lack of it towards the ocean. "If Australia and New Zealand are going to expand oil and gas that sends a very strong signal that the agreements or decisions that they have made internationally are not upheld," Sivendra Michael said. "So who do we hold to account? Are there any government mechanisms that we can legislatively or through the judicial system, take them to court?" Michael said legislation is also needed to hold countries to account for trans-boundary waste, like if the Great Pacific Garbage Patch enters into a countries exclusive economic zone.
Daily Maverick
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Maverick
Through Attenborough's optimism about the ocean we may be lulled by an undercurrent of complacency
In his latest – and likely last – documentary, the renowned biologist and natural historian leaves a message of hope – but will the world listen? The recently released feature-length documentary Ocean with David Attenborough is a visual marvel that makes a compelling case for preserving the health of the ocean. It opens with the argument that what lies under the surface of the ocean has, until now, remained a complete mystery to humankind. It is only with the technological advances of the 20th and 21st centuries that we have been able to see what dwells beneath the waves, but only now have we begun to turn our attention away from the enchanting magic of the ocean towards the beasts senselessly destroying it. The documentary features devastatingly detailed and unforgiving footage of bottom trawling, a fishing technique that involves dragging large nets across the sea floor, capturing and destroying all in its path. So massive are the scars left behind that they are visible from space, Attenborough says. Released in the lead-up to the UN's Ocean Conference, which began on 9 June, Ocean with David Attenborough is a clear call to action. It aims to galvanise global support for banning bottom trawling and expanding marine protected areas. There is also growing pressure on nations to ratify the High Seas Treaty, a crucial agreement that will only come into force once 60 countries have ratified it. As of 9 June, just 32 had done so. In the UN's hands The scenes of the barren graveyard left behind by trawlers are quickly banished by Attenborough's declaration of hope. Marine life has a remarkable ability to recover – if only left alone, he says. Within just a few years life can bounce back. No matter how overfished and exploited the ocean is, if an area is protected for long enough, life stubbornly returns. In addition, healing is not limited to protected areas – life leaks out, carried by the currents. Only 3% of the world's oceans are fully protected from exploitation. Attenborough hints at the solution: protecting at least 30%. But, delivered as his 'greatest message of hope', the film risks lulling audiences into inaction. In a time of unprecedented urgency, could hope inadvertently breed complacency? The UK recently announced it would extend bans on bottom trawling from 18,000km² to 30,000km² of its offshore areas, affecting 41 of its 128 marine protected areas. France, co-host of the Ocean Conference with Costa Rica, boasts that it has surpassed the 30% protection target set for 2030. But environmental groups warn of a troubling discrepancy between promises and practice. In reality, despite the claims, only about 3% of French waters are protected from destructive activities. According to the advocacy group Oceana, more than 100 bottom-trawling vessels operated for more than 17,000 hours in 2024 in France's six marine nature parks in European waters. Attenborough also draws attention to a more insidious problem: enforcement. In international waters, where no single nation has jurisdiction, ensuring compliance is exceedingly difficult. Marine protection, he suggests, has often amounted to little more than optics. Out of sight, out of mind Ocean conservationist Luke McMillan said in a LinkedIn post: 'Perhaps [the documentary's] gentleness will be its strength. If not, then I fear we're lost. If Sir David can't move the needle, what hope is left for the rest of us trying to?' Renee Bonorchis, founder of The Ocean Advocate, points out that Attenborough focuses on bottom trawling, but the ocean faces far more adversity than this issue. One example is the acidification of water caused by increased carbon dioxide in the air, which causes the calcium carbonate that makes up sea creatures' shells to 'melt'. The documentary may cause some consternation for a few days, but once that feeling fades amid the bustle of daily life, will the state of the ocean once again be a case of out of sight, out of mind? Attenborough has declared this documentary to be his last as he approaches his centenary. But, having left the fate of the ocean in the hands of the UN, the documentary dangles the tempting comfort of complacency. If it's all up to them, what can we do anyway? The Ocean Conference has the mandate to formalise an ocean agreement. 'If these agreements are reached and stuck to, it will make a difference, but we've seen so many global agreements and treaties and very few of them are fully committed to by the member states, which is why it comes down to us, as individuals,' Bonorchis says. 'If you want to see the change, be the change.' Practical steps to make a difference in South Africa Download the Southern African Sustainable Seafood Initiative (Sassi) mobile app: Get readily available information about sustainable seafood on your phone by downloading this useful app from Google Play or the App Store. Avoid single-use plastics: Use canvas bags for shopping and support stores that use sustainable, biodegradable packaging. Get actionable insights into adapting your context for sustainability: Download the Sustainable Seas Trust's Plastic-Free Seas: An Action-Focused Guide for Plastic Management in Africa to learn how the Global South can become the world's leader in sustainable waste management. Marine-friendly sunscreen: Many sunscreens contain harmful chemicals that damage coral reefs and other marine life. Ensure your sunscreen is marine friendly. Reduce your carbon footprint: Increased carbon in the air increases the acidity of the water, severely affecting marine life. Reduce your carbon footprint by working at home when you can, reducing international travel and using less electricity. Join protests: Show the powers that be that you care by joining protests. Extinction Rebellion, GreenPeace and Green Connection are some examples of active groups championing climate rights. Reduce your meat consumption: Consuming meat contributes significantly to the release of greenhouse gases. Changing to a majority vegetarian or vegan diet is a simple way to make a big impact. Vote for the climate: Keep the climate in mind when you are voting for political leaders. So far, none of the major political parties in South Africa has led with a climate agenda in its campaigning. DM This story first appeared in our weekly Daily Maverick 168 newspaper, which is available countrywide for R35.
RTÉ News
14-06-2025
- Politics
- RTÉ News
What was the result of the UN Oceans Conference?
The third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3) drew to a close Nice yesterday following five days of high-level meetings between governments, experts, climate campaigners and community representatives. More than 15,000 delegates took part in the week-long summit, including more than 60 heads of state and government. By the end of the summit, more than 170 countries adopted a political declaration entitled 'Our ocean, our future: united for urgent action' (also known as the 'Nice Ocean Action Plan'), committing to urgent action on conserving and sustainably using the world's ocean. The main goals of the declaration include expanding marine protection areas, limiting marine pollution and increasing financial aid for coastal and island nations. Speaking to reporters at yesterday's closing press conference, Li Junhua, UN Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs and UNOC3 Secretary-General, said the pledges made at Nice "must be rigorously implemented, tracked, and scaled". More than 800 new voluntary commitments were made by countries in the lead up to, and during, the summit, co-hosted by France and Costa Rica. Highlights included the European Union's new Ocean Pact - a €1bn commitment from the European Commission to protect marine life and strengthening the blue economy - and French Polynesia's commitment to create the world's largest marine protected area, encompassing about five million The 'High Ambition Coalition for a Quiet Ocean', a club of 37 countries, co-led by Canada and Panama and which includes Ireland, was also launched at UNOC3 to campaign for a reduction in underwater noise pollution. Germany launched a €100m action plan to clear World War II-era munitions in the Baltic Sea and North Sea, while, Indonesia and the World Bank launched a 'Coral Bond', a new financial instrument to raise private capital to conserve coral reef ecosystems in Indonesia's marine protected zones. A key objective of UNOC3 was to get more countries to sign and ratify the so-called High Seas Treaty, shorthand for the not-so-easily-named United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction. The treaty aims to create marine protection zones in international waters, to curb overfishing and safeguard marine ecosystems. Nineteen countries ratified the treaty during UNOC3, bringing the total number of ratifications to 50. Sixty ratification are required in order for the treaty to come into force at UN level. Taoiseach Micheál Martin told RTÉ News at UNOC3 last Monday that Ireland would ratify the treaty. Olivier Poivre D'Arvor, French special envoy at UNOC3, said, "what was decided in Nice cannot be undone. No illegal path is acceptable". Nine-five countries also supported a French initiative at the summit to limit plastic production and consumption, ahead of the next round of talks in Geneva in August to iron out the terms of a global plastics treaty. According to the UN, up to 12 million metric tonnes of plastic ends enters the oceans and seas each year. That is the equivalent of a bin truck every minute. However, it was not all plain sailing in Nice. The United States did not send a high-ranking delegation to the summit. Such a move was hardly surprising given US President Donald Trump's recent executive order to fast-track the permit process for deep sea mining licences in US and international waters, a relatively new technique that involves dredging the seafloor with a pump to extract metals and minerals. In contrast, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, when referring to deep sea mining during his speech to UNOC3 delegates on Monday, said "the deep sea cannot become the Wild West". French President Emmanuel Macron had also called for a moratorium on deep sea mining during his opening speech at the summit. This week has shown that the current US administration is at odds with most of the world's governments when it comes to protecting the world's oceans.
Scoop
14-06-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
NZ Has A Vast Sea Territory But Lags Behind Other Nations In Protecting The Ocean
Article – The Conversation Two international ocean science and policy meetings this month have called on nations to be more ambitious in their efforts to protect and restore marine ecosystems. For the past fortnight, the city of Nice in France has been the global epicentre of ocean science and politics. Last week's One Ocean Science Congress ended with a unanimous call for action to turn around the degradation of the ocean. And this week, the United Nation's Ocean Conference agenda focused on better protection of marine biodiversity, sustainable fisheries and emissions cuts. The message is clear. With only five years to the UN's 2030 target for its sustainable development goal – to conserve the oceans, seas and marine resources – and the Global Biodiversity Framework requirement to protect 30% of the ocean, we need to make significant progress. We all attended last week's meeting, together with more than 2,000 marine scientists from 120 countries. Here, we reflect on New Zealand's role and obligations to contribute to these global goals. Legal imperatives Globally, the ocean is warming and acidifying at accelerating rates. New Zealand's waters are not immune to this, with more marine heatwaves which further stress our threatened marine biodiversity. We depend directly on these ocean ecosystems to provide the air we breathe, moderate the impacts of climate change and feed millions of people. New Zealand has significant influence on ocean policy – from Antarctica to the sub-tropical Pacific, and within its sea territory, which is 15 times the size of its landmass and spans 30 degrees of latitude. The government is required by law to take action to secure a healthy ocean. A recent advisory opinion from the International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea unanimously found that states, including New Zealand, have obligations under international law to reduce the impacts of climate change on marine areas, to apply an ecosystem approach to marine law and policy, reduce pollution and support the restoration of the ocean. New Zealand courts have recognised the need to take a precautionary and ecosystem-based approach to marine management, based on science, tikanga and mātauranga Māori. These legal cases are part of a global upswell of strategic environmental and climate litigation. If New Zealand does not comply with these marine legal obligations, it may well find itself before the courts, incurring significant legal and reputational costs. International agreements In 2022, New Zealand was one of 196 countries that committed to protecting at least 30% of the world's coastal and marine areas by 2030 under the Global Biodiversity Framework. New Zealand was an enthusiastic supporter, but only 0.4% of its marine territory is fully protected in no-take marine reserves. Former prime minister Helen Clark has criticised the current government for lagging behind on marine protection, especially in failing to ban bottom trawling. At this week's UN ocean summit, a further 18 countries have ratified an agreement known as the High Seas Treaty, bringing the total to 50, still short of the 60 nations needed for it to enter into force. New Zealand signed this treaty just before the last general election, but is yet to ratify it. Foreign Minister Winston Peters represented New Zealand at the UN ocean conference, but focused mainly on issues in the Pacific. Meanwhile, the government announced sweeping changes to the national direction on environmental policy, including reworking the New Zealand Coastal Policy Statement to better enable the use and development of the coastal environment for 'priority activities' such as aquaculture, resource extraction, infrastructure and energy. Oceanic environmental change is real and accelerating Some countries showed that effective leadership can help navigate to a safe future for the oceans. For example, China's commitment to clean energy has seen carbon dioxide emissions begin to fall for the first time despite higher power consumption. At the UN ocean summit, French Polynesia's president announced his administration would establish one of the world's largest networks of marine protected areas. The cost of inaction far outweighs the economics of the status quo. Ongoing ocean warming is already affecting weather patterns, with more extreme storms. It is possible for marine ecosystems to recover quite rapidly if they are protected, at least temporarily. Yet this year, New Zealand's government found itself in hot water (once again) with both conservationists and Māori for its management of fisheries. We argue New Zealand has an opportunity and responsibility to demonstrate it can shift the downward spiral of oceanic degradation. The overwhelming message at the half-way point of the UN Ocean Decade is that for marine science to transform the state of our oceans it needs to include Indigenous peoples who have routinely been sidelined from ocean policy discussions despite their longstanding rights and relationships with the ocean. New Zealand already has a foundation of transdisciplinary and Indigenous ocean research to develop ocean policies that are fit for local purposes and to answer global calls to action. We have a unique window of opportunity to lead the changes needed. Conrad Pilditch, Professor of Marine Sciences, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau; Elizabeth Macpherson, Professor of Law and Rutherford Discovery Fellow, University of Canterbury; Joanne Ellis, Associate Professor of Marine Science, University of Waikato; Karen Fisher, Professor in Human Geography, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau; Karin Bryan, Professor of Coastal Oceanography, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau; Rachael Mortiaux, PhD Candidate in Law, University of Canterbury, and Simon Francis Thrush, Director of the Institute of Marine Science, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau Disclosure statement Conrad Pilditch currently receives funding from the Department of Conservation and the Ministry for Business, Innovation and Employment. Elizabeth Macpherson receives funding from Te Apārangi The Royal Society. Karin Bryan receives funding from the Marsden Fund, the Ministry for Business, Innovation and Employment, the George Mason Centre for the Natural Environment and Waikato Regional Council. Simon Francis Thrush receives funding from ERC, Ministry for Business, Innovation and Employment and the Auckland Foundation Joanne Ellis, Karen Fisher, and Rachael Mortiaux do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Scoop
14-06-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
Cook Islands Announces Protection Zone For Migrating Oceania Humpback Whales
The Cook Islands prime minister has announced a zone to protect the migratory corridors of the endangered Oceania humpback whale. RNZ Pacific Cook Islands prime minister Mark Brown has announced the creation of a zone to protect the migratory corridors of the endangered Oceania humpback whale. Brown made the announcement at the UN Oceans Conference in Nice, France. 'We can apply our traditional Ra'ui practice at ocean scale,' Brown told the conference. 'Spanning over 400,000 square kilometres, this zone will adapt with the seasons and respond to emerging threats. Its purpose is not only conservation; it is recovery.' The Cook Islands set up Marae Moana in 2017. Brown said Ra'ui To'ora reflects a growing global truth that traditional knowledge and science can work together to shape powerful solutions. 'With regional cooperation, this could become the foundation of the Pacific's first transboundary whale corridor. 'To support this, we are further exploring the establishment of the Institute of Blue Ocean Sustainability and Science, a national initiative to advance ocean governance, foster applied research, and strengthen partnerships across government, academia, industry, and traditional leadership. 'These are not radical ideas; they are overdue. This is sovereignty matched with stewardship.' Also, at the Ocean Conference, Tuvalu prime minister Feleti Teo has called for an international treaty on sea level rise. a network of highly protected marine areas (MPAs). The conference wraps up on Friday, Nice time.
