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The Star
08-06-2025
- Science
- The Star
UN Ocean Conference sets sail in France on World Oceans Day
A protester takes part in the Blue March (Marche Bleue) on the Promenade des Anglais ahead of the United Nations Ocean Conference (Unoc 3), in the French riviera city of Nice, south-eastern France on June 7, 2025. The third edition of the United Nations Ocean Conference (Unoc 3) opens on June 9, 2025, in Nice, where many hope to see money and other concrete actions to protect marine life in polluted, overheated and overfished oceans. -- Photo by Valery HACHE / AFP NICE, France (AP): A fleet of 30 research and exploration vessels from around the world will set sail just off the French coastal city of Nice on Sunday to kick off the third United Nations Ocean Conference and pay tribute to World Oceans Day. The event themed "Ocean Wonders' will see the vessels sail across Nice's Baie des Anges, or Bay of Angels, and is designed to spotlight the beauty and importance of the ocean while urging world leaders not to lose sight of its value as they make decisions about the planet's future. Thousands of delegates, including heads of state, scientists, and environmental advocates, are expected in Nice this week to confront growing threats to the ocean and the need to transform pledges into protection. The UN has called the threats a global emergency facing the world's oceans as they confront rising temperatures, plastic pollution choking marine life, and relentless overexploitation of fish and other resources. Just 2.7% of the global ocean is effectively protected from destructive activities like industrial fishing and deep-sea mining - far below the global goal of 30% by 2030. Participating boats include the Energy Observer, a solar-panel covered catamaran that was the first vessel to circumnavigate the globe using renewable energy alone. It produces hydrogen fuel on board via seawater electrolysis, offering a vision of zero-emissions maritime travel. Other standout vessels include France's Alfred Merlin, dedicated to underwater archaeology; the OceanXplorer, a high-tech billionaire-owned research yacht; and the WWF's Blue Panda, which is working to map and protect the last remaining seagrass meadows in the Mediterranean Sea. At the heart of the conference is the push to ratify the High Seas Treaty, adopted in 2023. If it enters into force, the treaty would for the first time allow countries to establish marine protected areas in international waters, which cover nearly two-thirds of the ocean and remain largely ungoverned. "The High Seas Treaty is critical to ensuring we can protect biodiversity in the ocean,' said Rebecca Hubbard, director of the High Seas Alliance. "We're in the middle of a biodiversity and climate crisis. We absolutely have to protect the ocean to address those crises.' But even in waters already designated as protected, enforcement often falls short. Many countries, France included, face criticism from environmental groups over weak regulation and continued industrial activity within their marine protected areas. "The ambition is not there, the speed is not there, and the scale has not been there,' said Sílvia Tavares, project manager at Oceano Azul Foundation. "Moments like UNOC are key to changing that.' Several countries are expected to announce new marine protected areas during the conference, along with bans on bottom trawling and other destructive activities within their existing MPA networks. After Sunday's parade sail, the "Ocean Wonders' fleet will remain docked in Nice and open to the public until the conference concludes on June 13. - AP
Yahoo
08-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
French NGOs slam 'lack of ambition' after Macron's bottom trawling announcement
French President Emmanuel Macron's announcement to restrict bottom trawling in French marine protected areas (MPAs) has prompted sceptical reactions among environmental NGOs, even though others welcomed it as "a good first step." In a statement released Sunday, environmental protection group Bloom said that Macron had "confirmed that the imposture of France's maritime protection policy would continue, namely that there would never be a binding framework to truly protect so-called protected marine areas." In an interview with the regional press on the eve of the Nice Oceans Summit (Unoc-3), Macron announced a restriction on bottom trawling in certain areas of French marine protected areas (MPAs). He admitted that this fishing technique, which scrapes the seabed, "disrupts biodiversity and ecosystems that we must learn to protect." Bottom trawling will be just one of many items on the agenda at a week-long conference - hosted by France and Costa Rica - to confront what the United Nations calls a global "emergency" in the oceans. Ocean's survival hinges on finding the billions needed to save it However, "we get the impression he's announcing that he's not going to announce anything," he added, deploring the "lack of ambition" in the president's statements. Read more on RFI EnglishRead also:France defends tuna policy as critics warn of overfishing in the Indian OceanEU and six member states ratify UN treaty on high seas ahead of Nice summitEU and UK clash in first post-Brexit legal battle over North Sea fishing ban
