On Monday, the third United Nations Conference on Oceans started in Nice. The opening was marked by a strong warning from Secretary-General António Guterres about the alarming degradation of the oceans.
“The ocean is the ultimate shared resource, but we are failing it,” the official said.
Ocean Alert: global warming, overfishing, and pollution
Guterres warned that the oceans absorb 90% of the excess heat caused by greenhouse gas emissions.
This intensifies phenomena such as acidification, coral reef die-offs, marine species collapse, and rising sea levels, with devastating consequences for deltas, crops, and coastal communities.
“If the Earth is warming, the ocean is boiling,” added Emmanuel Macron, President of France.
The need for ocean protection.
The summit brings together more than 120 countries and 50 Heads of State, including Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (Brazil), Ursula von der Leyen (European Commission), and Rodrigo Chaves Robles (Costa Rica).
The meeting demonstrates the growing international consensus on the strategic importance of the oceans for climate stability, food security, and global equity.
Macron emphasized that the oceans should not be handed over to market forces: “The deep sea is not for sale, just like Greenland, Antarctica, or the high seas.”
From exploitation to care, a new paradigm for the oceans
Costa Rican President Rodrigo Chaves called for a moratorium on deep-sea mining until solid scientific evidence exists on its impacts.
“The ocean speaks to us with bleached reefs, storms, and wounded mangroves. There is no time for rhetoric. Now is the time to act,” he stated.
Costa Rica positions itself as a leader in the transition to sustainable management of the seas: “We are now declaring peace with the ocean,” the president announced.
One of the expected milestones of the conference is the ratification of the High Seas Treaty (BBNJ), adopted in 2023 to protect marine biodiversity in international waters.
Macron announced that, with over 50 confirmed ratifications and 15 new pledges, the treaty is close to becoming a binding international law.
Nice and a key negotiation stage for the oceanic future
The conference, known as UNOC3, takes place in the historic Port Lympia, transformed into a diplomatic “Blue Zone”.
Critical topics to be discussed include reducing plastic pollution, sustainable financing for the oceans, and regulating deep-sea mining.
It is expected that hundreds of new voluntary commitments will be announced, adding to the over 2000 acquired since the first summit in 2017.
Plastic pollution.
The week will conclude with the adoption of the Nice Political Declaration and the presentation of the Ocean Action Plan, aligned with the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, which aims to protect 30% of marine and terrestrial ecosystems by 2030 (30×30 commitment).
