UN Fails to Finalize an Agreement to Protect Marine Life
A fourth round of negotiations ended without a treaty to defend ocean biodiversity from climate change and other threats but delegates see success by year’s end.
A High Seas Treaty could provide protected areas for whales and other species.
Source: Getty ImagesThe United Nations Friday failed to finalize a landmark treaty to preserve the biodiversity of the high seas – the 60% of the ocean beyond any nation’s jurisdiction. Observers, though, expect an agreement to be reached by year’s end as pressure builds to protect marine life from the growing impacts of climate change, overfishing and pollution.
The two-week meeting that concluded Friday at UN headquarters in New York City was the fourth round of negotiations since 2018, when the General Assembly approved the drafting of the treaty after years of preparatory talks. The meeting was originally to be held in 2020 and be the final session but the Covid-19 pandemic delayed in-person negotiations for two years.