Nice: As marine scientists, policymakers, and global experts gather for the third UN Ocean Conference (UNOC) in Nice, a consensus is emerging on a troubling reality: the world's oceans are under significant threat. Running from Monday to Friday, the event, co-hosted by France and Costa Rica, aims to ignite crucial discussions surrounding ocean protection, financing, and sustainable development.
According to Anadolu Agency, Li Junhua, UN under-secretary-general for economic and social affairs, recently warned starkly that the Earth's oceans are 'in a state of emergency,' echoing concerns increasingly voiced within the global scientific community. Karina Barquet, a senior research fellow and team leader of the Water, Coasts and Ocean group at the Stockholm Environment Institute, reinforced this sentiment, stating that the emergency declaration is a reflection of what science and local communities have been communicating for years. She highlighted the complexities facing ocean ecosystems, which suffer from multiple, overlapping issues such as warming, acidification, biodiversity loss, and pollution, which interact and amplify each other, creating cascading risks.
While plastic pollution, ecosystem loss, and overfishing significantly contribute to ocean degradation, experts overwhelmingly identify climate change as the leading driver. 'Climate change, in particular, acts as a risk multiplier. It destabilizes ecosystems, disrupts livelihoods, and threatens infrastructure,' said Barquet. Callum Roberts, a professor of marine conservation at the University of Exeter, emphasized that overexploitation of marine life historically reduced ocean biodiversity, but climate change has now overtaken other threats in urgency.
Roberts explained how oceans have absorbed over 90% of heat trapped by greenhouse gas emissions since the Industrial Revolution, serving as a buffer against catastrophic global warming. He noted that if the oceans hadn't absorbed this heat, land temperatures could have risen by an estimated 36°C instead of the 1.5°C increase seen up to now. However, this critical function comes at a cost, with warmer ocean waters profoundly impacting marine ecosystems, particularly coral reefs.
Roberts expressed hope that the conference will catalyze significant progress towards expanded ocean protections. With the looming 2030 deadline to protect 30% of Earth's ocean and land areas, set by the Convention on Biological Diversity in 2022, Roberts noted that progress remains sluggish. An essential part of the discussions will be the UN's High Seas Treaty, designed to protect marine biodiversity in international waters.
Currently, 28 countries have ratified the treaty, but at least 60 are required for it to take effect. Roberts remains optimistic that more nations will commit during the conference. Barquet views the conference as pivotal, not only for its immediate outcomes but also in reshaping the ocean's role within the broader global sustainability dialogue. She emphasized the significance of the anticipated Nice Ocean Action Plan and the importance of ocean finance for the blue economy.
Reflecting on the conference's theme, 'Accelerating action and mobilizing all actors to conserve and sustainably use the ocean,' Roberts emphasized the urgent need for greater financial commitments and broad cooperation across sectors. Proposals include protecting all international waters from extractive use, justified by scientific evidence, to better manage national waters.
Barquet called for inclusivity in ocean governance, highlighting the need for involvement from small-scale fishers, coastal youth, and Indigenous groups, who often lack access to political power or financial tools. She pointed out the ocean's role as a site of geopolitical and industrial competition, stressing the necessity for governance frameworks that support multifunctionality and coexistence. Barquet urged nations to adopt comprehensive, integrated approaches that extend beyond marine protected areas, integrating climate-ocean thinking into finance, planning, and security.