French President Emmanuel Macron has enthusiastically celebrated the long-awaited adoption of a landmark high seas treaty aimed at safeguarding the world's oceans and supporting global efforts to combat climate change, news site Politico reported.
This international agreement, officially named the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdictions Agreement (BBNJ), was approved by the United Nations in 2023. The process of its creation was extremely challenging and involved more than a decade of intense negotiations during which national representatives, scientists, environmentalists and other stakeholders struggled to find common ground. Now, thanks to ratification by a sufficient number of countries, the treaty is finally entering into force, which is considered a key moment in the global effort to save the marine environment.
"This is a great victory for the oceans, for the climate and for multilateralism," Macron said at the oceans summit in Paris.
The treaty aims to protect marine biodiversity in areas outside national territorial waters, i.e. international waters, which cover about two-thirds of the world's oceans. These areas have long been under threat because the absence of global rules has allowed their uncontrolled exploitation. The BBNJ Agreement brings concrete measures such as rules for the sustainable use of marine resources, including regulation of fishing and the extraction of sub-sea resources. In addition, it encourages the establishment of marine protected areas where human activities will be restricted to enable the recovery of fragile ecosystems. Support for scientific research to better understand the complex processes of the oceans and their response to environmental change is also an important component.
The oceans are absolutely vital to the global ecosystem. They play a key role in regulating the climate by absorbing large amounts of carbon dioxide, helping to mitigate the effects of global warming. They are also home to countless biological species, many of which have not yet been discovered or described.
For example, overfishing is threatening fish stocks, plastic and chemical pollution is damaging the marine environment, and climate change is causing water temperatures and acidity to rise.
In his speech, Macron stressed that the treaty is necessary to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement, adopted in 2015, which aims to limit global warming. It is also key to achieving the commitment to protect 30 % of land and seas by 2030, as set out at the COP15 biodiversity summit in 2022.
However, some critics have expressed concerns about the practical implementation of the treaty. They point out that enforcement of the rules in international waters is difficult due to the lack of mechanisms for monitoring and control. In addition, the divergent interests of states, such as those dependent on fishing or resource extraction, may complicate full compliance with the agreement. Another issue is funding - securing the means to monitor and enforce these measures remains open. Despite these challenges, however, the BBNJ agreement is seen as a historic step that can fundamentally affect the future of the oceans and contribute to their sustainable protection.
Politico/gnews.cz - GH
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