Treaty to protect marine life on the high seas

There was no unity of thought on the subject of according protection to marine life on the high seas. Diplomats from around the world did meet but were unable to arrive at a consensus. The subject was about an agreement on a United Nations treaty meant to protect marine life on the high seas. The meetings went to a fifth round without any outcome and the U.N. headquarters in New York had to suspend the activities. These had been going on for two weeks and environmentalists had expected positive results that would go a long way to close a gap in international marine protection measures. There is no international treaty of the high seas and such a treaty is essential to grant protection to the biodiversity in two-thirds of the world's ocean. These are areas outside of national jurisdictions. Such a treaty would help protect marine lives. Nations Fail to Reach Deal on UN Treaty to Protect Sea Life. The global goal is to earmark 30 percent of ocean area as marine sanctuary.

The health of the ocean and climate change are interlinked. The oceans absorb most of the excess heat but the duration of these heat waves are getting longer and more frequent. Livelihood of people in the Caribbean depend on the health of the ocean. This is what Janine Felson, Belize's ambassador to the United Nations revealed. She said - “The ocean cannot afford further delay.” The talks centered on various aspects like how to share benefits from marine life, establish protected areas, prevent harm from human activity on the high seas and extend assistance to poor countries to acquire the skills and means for exploring the oceans. The failure to reach a deal was a disappointment for Greenpeace and others who had been campaigning but the talks will resume next year unless a special emergency session is called before the end of 2022. The goal is to protect at least 30% of the world’s oceans by 2030. In the words of U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Monica Medina - "We cannot let the tides and currents push us back. We must keep going.”

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