After 15 years of negotiations, UN member states have agreed to a historic treaty to protect the high seas. The high seas refer to the area beyond national waters, which extend up to 200 nautical miles (230 miles) from coastlines, and are not under the jurisdiction of any country.
These areas are crucial to ocean ecosystems, which produce half of the humans’ oxygen and help limit global warming by absorbing carbon dioxide. However, they are currently threatened by pollution, climate change, and overfishing.
The treaty, once in effect, will allow for the establishment of marine protected areas in these waters, potentially leading to restrictions on fishing and deep seabed mining.
The high seas comprise more than 60% of the world’s oceans and almost half of the planet’s surface, yet only about 1% is under protection. The new treaty is seen as crucial to achieving the goal of conserving 30% of the world’s land and ocean by 2030.
Greenpeace has called for protecting 4.2 million square miles of the ocean every year until 2030 to meet this target. The agreement on this treaty represents a significant step towards the conservation and sustainable use of the high seas. It underscores the importance of international cooperation and conservation efforts to address global environmental challenges.
»UN member states have agreed to a historic treaty to protect the high seas«
↯↯↯Read More On The Topic On TDPel Media ↯↯↯